Tennessee
Tennessee immigration bill sparks nonprofit concerns over unintended impacts on vulnerable US citizens
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Tennessee lawmakers are considering legislation that would require state and local governments to verify U.S. citizenship before distributing taxpayer-funded benefits, prompting concerns from local healthcare nonprofits.
House Bill 1710 is one of nine immigration-related bills crafted by Tennessee Republicans and the Trump administration currently under review on Tennessee’s Capitol Hill.
The bill requires state and local entities, including health departments, to verify the lawful presence of anyone 18 or older applying for public benefits. It also mandates reporting undocumented immigrants to the centralized immigration enforcement division of the state’s Department of Safety. Under the proposed legislation, failing to report is a Class A misdemeanor, and the state attorney general could withhold taxpayer funds from non-compliant groups.
“House Bill 1710 requires all Tennessee state and local governments to verify U.S. citizenship or lawful presence before giving out taxpayer funded benefits,” Rep. Dennis Powers, R-Jacksboro, said during debate on the bill. “They do have to verify whether they’re here legally before they receive benefits, if it’s a non-emergency situation.”
Neighborhood Health, a nonprofit operating 12 clinics across Middle Tennessee, provides care regardless of a patient’s insurance status. “We want everyone in Nashville and Middle Tennessee to have access to medical, dental and behavioral healthcare services,” said Brian Haile, CEO of Neighborhood Health.
Haile worries the bill, while targeting undocumented immigrants, will unintentionally impact U.S. citizens who cannot locate their paperwork. “There are a lot of potential unintended consequences and hidden costs to this legislation,” Haile said. “We’re really grateful when we get a full legal name and a birthday, but getting a social security number, much less a birth certificate or a passport, that’s not going to happen.”
Citizens unable to produce the required documentation could be classified as undocumented, even if they were born in the U.S. “I think this will disproportionately hurt citizens who are homeless, those in domestic violence shelters, those who are being human trafficked, even veterans on the street may not have this paperwork,” Haile said.
Nonprofits like Neighborhood Health could lose the state and local funding they rely on to operate. “If we don’t have funding to provide the care, how do we keep the doors open?” Haile said.
Haile became especially concerned last week when Powers filed an additional amendment that would have expanded the scope of the bill to impact even more nonprofits dealing with people who may be undocumented. A spokesperson for Powers said there are no plans to attach that lengthy amendment to the bill this session.
Powers was unavailable for an interview Monday but provided a statement regarding the legislation. “Tennessee taxpayers and families deserve confidence that public benefits funded by their hard-earned tax dollars go only to eligible Tennesseans,” Powers said. “By strengthening accountability, enforcement and privacy protections, this legislation protects our state and communities.”
The bill is scheduled to be debated Tuesday in a House committee. The Senate version is slightly different, so those differences will have to be reconciled in order for the bill to become law. If passed, the primary requirements of the legislation would take effect July 1, 2026.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at Chris.Davis@NewsChannel5.com.
Checking in on Cole: Gallatin rallies around teen battling brain tumor with prayer vigil
Austin Pollack brings us an update on a remarkable young man facing great odds, and his family has one simple request: pray for Cole. I believe in the power of prayer and hope you’ll join me in lifting up Cole and his family.
– Carrie Sharp
The Tennessee Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at May 6, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from May 6 drawing
18-27-51-65-68, Powerball: 05, Power Play: 3
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from May 6 drawing
03-06-07-18-49, Star Ball: 10, ASB: 05
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash 3 numbers from May 6 drawing
Morning: 5-2-1, Wild: 2
Midday: 7-4-9, Wild: 9
Evening: 3-4-6, Wild: 9
Check Cash 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash 4 numbers from May 6 drawing
Morning: 2-3-3-2, Wild: 9
Midday: 4-8-8-6, Wild: 6
Evening: 9-7-9-6, Wild: 5
Check Cash 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Daily Tennessee Jackpot numbers from May 6 drawing
09-12-16-18-36
Check Daily Tennessee Jackpot payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Tennessee Cash numbers from May 6 drawing
16-18-27-30-33, Bonus: 01
Check Tennessee Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from May 6 drawing
04-21-36-48-69, Powerball: 05
Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from May 6 drawing
06-18-30-32-43, Bonus: 01
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All Tennessee Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $599.
For prizes over $599, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Tennessee Lottery offices. By mail, send a winner claim form, winning lottery ticket, a copy of a government-issued ID and proof of social security number to P.O. Box 290636, Nashville, TN 37229. Prize claims less than $600 do not require a claim form. Please include contact information on prizes claimed by mail in the event we need to contact you.
To submit in person, sign the back of your ticket, fill out a winner claim form and deliver the form, along with the ticket and government-issued ID and proof of social security number to any of these locations:
Nashville Headquarters & Claim Center: 26 Century Blvd., Nashville, TN 37214, 615-254-4946 in the (615) and (629) area, 901-466-4946 in the (901) area, 865-512-4946 in the (865) area, 423-939-7529 in the (423) area or 1-877-786-7529 (all other areas in Tennessee). Outside Tennessee, dial 615-254-4946. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.
Knoxville District Office: Cedar Springs Shopping Center, 9298 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37922, (865) 251-1900. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $199,999.
Chattanooga District Office: 2020 Gunbarrel Rd., Suite 106, Chattanooga, TN 37421, (423) 308-3610. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $199,999.
Memphis District Office: Chiles Plaza, 7424 U.S. Highway 64, Suite 104, Memphis, TN 38133, (901) 322-8520. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $199,999.
Check previous winning numbers and payouts at https://tnlottery.com/.
When are the Tennessee Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10:00 p.m. CT Tuesday and Friday.
- Cash 3, 4: Daily at 9:28 a.m. (Morning) and 12:28 p.m. CT (Midday), except for Sunday. Evening game daily, seven days a week, at 6:28 p.m. CT.
- Daily Tennessee Jackpot: 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
- Tennessee Cash: 10:34 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
- Powerball Double Play: 10:30 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Tennessean editor. You can send feedback using this form.
Tennessee’s redistricting special session Day 1 recap
State lawmakers returned to the capitol for a special session May 5 to consider carving Memphis into Republican-safe districts.
Tennessee House District 93 officially has someone in its briefly vacant seat.
Willis Lincoln TJ Hardaway III will hold the seat until the next general election in November. He has not made a decision as to if he will run officially for the seat yet, but will listen to the will of his constituents.
The house seat was formerly held by his father, State Rep. G.A. Hardaway, a Democrat from Memphis. Hardaway died on April 24. His death left the Tennessee House District 93 seat, which encompasses South Memphis and Orange Mound and stretches to Shelby Farms, open.
Hardaway was nominated by acclamation by the board. After he was nominated to the position, he spoke to commissioners and thanked all of them by name. He said he spent the last year spending a lot of time with his father, wanted to get to know him.
“This could not have been better timing. Last year, I spent various moments one on one with my father, for no other reason other than wanting to know more about the man…turns out I already knew the man because I already know myself,” Hardaway said.
He will travel to Nashville the evening of May 6 and be sworn in to office.
The Shelby County Commission moved swiftly to appoint someone to the seat due to the state legislature being called into a special session. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee called a special session of the Tennessee General Assembly to review the state’s congressional map on May 1, with the session beginning on May 5.
The push for redistricting Tennessee’s Congressional districts came from President Donald Trump, after the U.S. Supreme Court rolled back protections of the Voting Rights Act. The General Assembly was gaveled into the special session on May 5, which was also election day for many counties in Tennessee.
A map revealed the morning of May 6 splits the state’s 9th Congressional District and carves up Tennessee’s only majority-Black congressional seat, in Memphis. The new map shows three districts in Memphis, two of which stretch all the way to Williamson County outside Nashville.
Brooke Muckerman is the education and children’s issues and politics reporter for The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at brooke.muckerman@commercialappeal.com.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — Rising fertilizer costs and global supply concerns could affect Tennessee farmers and eventually push food prices higher, according to a recent MarketWatch analysis and agricultural data.
An American Farm Bureau Federation survey of more than 5,700 farmers found that about 70% said they may not be able to afford all the fertilizer they need this year.
Tennessee farmers could feel those pressures as well. The Tennessee Department of Agriculture reports the state is a major producer of crops such as soybeans and corn, both of which rely heavily on fertilizer.
Higher costs for farmers can ripple through the food supply. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has previously reported that increases in production expenses, including fertilizer, can contribute to higher food prices for consumers.
Nationally, food prices remain elevated. Grocery costs are still rising, with the USDA predicting an overall price increase of 2.9% this year.
The issue is tied in part to possible global factors. Fertilizer prices have risen amid geopolitical tensions and supply constraints, including disruptions linked to international conflicts and competition for key materials used in fertilizer production, according to a report out of the University of Illinois.
While U.S. agriculture remains stable overall, analysts warn that reduced planting or higher input costs in 2027 could tighten supply and put additional pressure on prices.
For Tennessee, where agriculture remains a key part of the economy, the impact could be felt both on farms and at the checkout line.
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