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.

Rick Barnes and the Tennessee Vols are shooting their shot with one of the top guards in the NCAA transfer portal.

According to a report from VolQuest, the Vols held an in-home visit with Wake Forest Demon Deacons transfer guard Juke Harris on Sunday evening.

Harris, 6-foot-7/200 pounds from Salisbury, NC, averaged 21.4 points per game as a sophomore for the Demon Deacons this past season.

The North Carolina native was recruited by Tennessee before he eventually landed with Wake Forest out of high school.

Tennessee basketball is finalizing a deal to hire former Boston College head coach Earl Grant as an assistant coach, Volquest’s Mike Wilson first reported and a source confirmed to RTI on Sunday night.

Grant fills the void on Tennessee’s coaching staff left by Justin Gainey’s departure to be the new NC State head coach earlier this offseason. It’s unclear whether Grant will have the “associate head coach” title that Gainey had before his departure.

The 49-year old spent the last five years as the head coach at Boston College with the Eagles firing him following an 11-20 campaign this past season. Grant failed to make the NCAA Tournament in his five years at Boston College and posted a 72-92 record over that stretch.

Boston College is widely considered one of the worst jobs in power five basketball due to the lack of resources and the school’s commitment to hockey.

Prior to his time at Boston College, Grant spent seven years as the head coach at College of Charleston. Grant led the Cougars to the 2018 NCAA Tournament, earning a 13-seed and nearly upsetting four-seed Auburn in the opening round of the tournament.

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In Grant’s seven years leading the College of Charleston program, the Cougars posted a 127-89 record. Despite inheriting a program that won just 14 games the year before he arrived, College of Charleston won 24-plus games in three of his seven seasons as head coach.

A Charleston, South Carolina native, Grant has been an assistant coach at The Citadel, Winthrop, Wichita State and Clemson.

While Gainey had extensive ties to the state of North Carolina, Grant has extensive ties to the state of South Carolina.

Rick Barnes’ staff currently includes assistant coaches Steve McClain, Amorrow Morgan, Gregg Polinsky, Bryan Lentz and Grant.

Support staffers includes Director of Basketball Operations Mary Carter-Eggert, Director of Men’s Basketball Sports Performance Garrett Medenwald, Director of Player Personnel/Recruiting Coordinator Lucas Campbell, Director of Video and Analytics Luke Schapker, Director of Strategy Scott Daughtry, Player Development Coordinator Justin Caldwell and graduate assistant Colin Coyne.