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Price tag for Tennessee immigration plan lowered from $20M to $5M • Tennessee Lookout

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Price tag for Tennessee immigration plan lowered from M to M • Tennessee Lookout


The cost estimate of Gov. Bill Lee’s sweeping state immigration enforcement plan fell dramatically in the space of a few hours this week.

On Monday, a fiscal note for the plan placed the cost at more than $20 million. By Tuesday, the price tag had dropped to a little over $5 million.

The reduction came from lowering the amount in grants that are proposed for local sheriffs and police departments to implement so-called 287(g) programs, which allow local law enforcement officers to enforce U.S. immigration violations in coordination with the federal government.

‘Tennessee is heeding the call’: Lee presses forward on immigration agenda in special session

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A spokesperson for Lee said Tuesday the reduction was made to align with the goals of the governor and Republican leadership.

“The fiscal note was adjusted to reflect the intent of Gov. Lee and legislative leadership’s proposal to appropriate $5 million in non-recurring grant funds,” said Elizabeth Johnson, Lee’s press secretary.

“We will continue to monitor future needs as local jurisdictions partner with the State of Tennessee to implement President Trump’s federal immigration policies.”

The governor’s plan calls for unprecedented state involvement in immigration enforcement — long a federal responsibility — and coordination between the state and federal authorities to detain and deport undocumented immigrants.

The governor’s plan includes establishing a four-person “centralized immigration enforcement division” to administer grants to law enforcement agencies and liaise with the Trump Administration. The price tag for the office — about $500,000— remained unchanged in the downward revision of the estimated cost of the bill.

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The governor’s bill, largely embraced by Tennessee’s GOP leadership, sailed quickly through legislative committees on Tuesday and will be heard again Wednesday. An effort to remove a provision of the bill that would make it a crime for local elected officials to vote in favor of sanctuary policies for immigrants – proposed by Senate Judiciary Chair Sen. Todd Gardenhire, a Republican – was swiftly defeated.

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Gov. Bill Lee signs Tennessee private school voucher program into law, expanding access

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Gov. Bill Lee signs Tennessee private school voucher program into law, expanding access


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  • Gov. Bill Lee signed the school voucher program into law Wednesday after years of pushing for the program.
  • Lee would not commit to a competitive contract bid process for the voucher vendor that stands to make millions from the program.
  • Lee said the program would ‘change the future of Tennessee forever’.

Gov. Bill Lee signed his long-awaited private school voucher program into law on Wednesday but would not commit to using a competitive bidding process for the vendor company that stands to make millions on the new program.

The Tennessee Department of Education previously drew bipartisan criticism for awarding the state’s contract to a vendor without a competitive bid for Lee’s first voucher initiative.

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“I’ll defer to the department on the procurement process, one that makes sure that we have transparency,” Lee said on Wednesday.

Lee hopes to launch the $477 million program by the start of the 2025-2026 school year.

The short runway gives the state just months to contract with the vendor, hire new staff and implement rules for the program in time for families to apply for around $7,300 to pay for private school tuition.

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“I have every confidence that we’ll be able to do that,” Lee said when asked if he was committeed to rolling out the program this year. “There are a lot of details to work out, but you’ve got to remember we already have an education savings account plan in place in this state for our three largest school districts, so we have some expertise within the department in how to implement this plan.”

In the program, 10,000 vouchers will be open to anyone to apply for. The other 10,000 are reserved for families with incomes below 300% of the income limit to qualify for free or reduced price lunch, about $170,000 for a family of four.

Under the new law, Tennessee can block undocumented students who are otherwise eligible from the program if they “cannot establish the eligible student’s lawful presence in the United States.”

The small clause received little attention as the voucher bill quickly passed last month, and there are no details in the legislation on how the department should confirm lawful presence. The clause raises constitutional questions about the bill, given longstanding federal legal precedent that blocks school districts from requiring proof of citizenship or legal residency.

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The Tennessean has requested further information from the Department of Education regarding its plans to determine “lawful presence.”

“I think what’s most important to know is that this language doesn’t change anything about the state’s obligation, as it currently stands, to educating children,” Lee said. “But for this scholarhsip, it’s only available to Tennessee citizens.”

On Wednesday, Lee signed the bill into law flanked by Republican lawmakers and dozens of students from local private schools at the Capitol building in Nashville.

“I learned a long time ago that education changes the trajectory of a child’s life forever,” Lee said. “Today we put in place a piece of legislation that will change the future of Tennessee forever, because it changes the trajectory of the next generation of Tennessee.”

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Tennessee Titans 2025 NFL offseason preview: Will the Titans select a QB with the No. 1 pick?

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Tennessee Titans 2025 NFL offseason preview: Will the Titans select a QB with the No. 1 pick?


2024 season: 3-14, fourth in AFC South, missed playoffs

Overview: The 2024 season was a disaster. The Will Levis era that never seemed like a good idea to begin with is in all likelihood over. In is new general manager Mike Borgonzi to replace Ran Carthon, who traded up to draft Levis and was fired after two seasons.

The good news in Tennessee is there are plenty of resources in terms of salary cap space and the No. 1 pick in the draft. It’s up to Borgonzi and crew to use those assets wisely.

WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine
QB Mason Rudolph
S Quandre Diggs
K Nick Folk
RG Dillon Radunz
OL Daniel Brunskill
CB Darrell Baker Jr. (restricted)
WR Tyler Boyd

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Who’s in/out: The Titans are thin at receiver, and Westbrook-Ikhine has been a reliable if unspectacular presence in five seasons in Tennessee. He tallied 32 catches for 492 yards and nine touchdowns last season while playing on a one-year, $2 million deal. He’s worth bringing back if the price remains low, but he isn’t a true No. 2 behind Calvin Ridley.

The Titans’ path at quarterback remains one of the biggest mysteries of the offseason. With Levis under contract and the options of signing a free agent and drafting a quarterback at No. 1 on the table, Rudolph could be on the way out.

Brian Callahan appeared to have seen enough of Will Levis in 2024. (Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

Titans head coach Brian Callahan appeared to have seen enough of Will Levis in 2024. (Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

Quarterback
Wide receiver
Right tackle

Why the holes? The need at quarterback is obvious. Whether the Titans address that need in free agency (Sam Darnold, Russell Wilson?) or in the draft — or both — is the question here.

Regardless of whether Westbrook-Ikhine stays or goes, the Titans need to upgrade their receiver room. No Titan other than Ridley tallied more than 500 receiving yards last season.

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The Titans selected their left tackle of the future, JC Latham, in the first round of last year’s draft. Right tackle remains unsettled after multiple players failed to establish themselves as the full-time starter in 2024. The Titans won’t be selecting a tackle in the first round this spring, so free agency could be the route.

Per Spotrac, the Titans have about $50 million in cap space available, the 10th-most in the NFL.

(Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports)(Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports)

(Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports)

There are no obvious candidates here.

The Titans have cap space to work with, and releasing productive higher-priced defenders like safety Amani Hooker (five interceptions, two forced fumbles; $8.6M in potential cap savings) or edge rusher Harold Landry (team-best nine sacks, 15 QB hits, 72 tackles; $17.5M in potential cap savings) doesn’t make sense. Both players are in their primes, and the Titans would have to replace them.

Round 1: No. 1
Round 2: No. 35
Round 4
Round 4 (from Seahawks)
Round 5
Round 5 (from Chiefs)
Round 6
Round 7 (from Packers)

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Cam Ward, QB, Miami

Why him? If you need a quarterback and you have the No. 1 pick, the pressure is high to select one, even in a quarterback class perceived as weak. Don’t expect the Titans to buck that pressure. The choice will be between Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders, either of whom the Titans could end up selecting. Ward is generally assessed as the top option and the favorite to go first.

If the Titans go off script, Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter and two-way Colorado star Travis Hunter would be non-quarterback options as the top talents in the draft.

Get serious at quarterback

The Titans are in a tough spot with the first overall pick in a class that lacks a consensus top passer. However, they can’t run into next season with a pairing in the same ballpark as the Will Levis and Mason Rudolph tandem. With a new GM in place and head coach Brian Callahan presumably more empowered to pick his guy at the position, expect the Titans to add multiple quarterbacks. Whether those additions rise to the level of “serious” remains to be seen. —Matt Harmon

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Titans Could Sign Chiefs OL After Super Bowl

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Titans Could Sign Chiefs OL After Super Bowl


It’s no secret that the Tennessee Titans need some help on the offensive line.

This offseason, the Titans should aggressively pursue offensive linemen, and they may have a chance to acquire one of the best players in the trenches in the NFL.

Kansas City Chiefs guard Trey Smith was named the best offensive lineman entering free agency this spring.

“Trey Smith has been one of the league’s better guards since he was drafted in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft, though he just made his first Pro Bowl in 2024. This season, he ranked sixth among interior linemen in run block win rate, per ESPN, and had a career-best 2.3 percent blown block rate, according to Sports Info Solutions. He’ll only turn 26 years old in June,” The 33rd Team’s Dan Pizzuta writes.

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Smith, 25, started in all but one of the Chiefs’ games since entering the league in 2021, and he has two Super Bowl rings to show for it. While he tried his best at acquiring a third, the Chiefs fell to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX.

With Smith no longer under contract by the Chiefs, he could be looking for a new home this offseason, and Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi has a connection with the fourth-year pro from their time spent together in Kansas City.

Borgonzi saw Smith get drafted by the Chiefs and has witnessed him emerge into one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL. Therefore, he may be a natural fit for the Titans, who have a need at both right tackle and guard.

Dillon Radunz, the team’s primary right guard in 2024, is a free agent, and the right tackle position needs a lot of help. Smith can fill in at either spot, so he may be worth it even if he costs a fortune.

Make sure you bookmark Tennessee Titans on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

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