RELEASE: TIRRC VOTES CONDEMNS PASSAGE OF HB793 IN HOUSE FINANCE COMMITTEE
TIRRC Votes Press
media@tirrcvotes.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 10, 2026
TIRRC VOTES CONDEMNS PASSAGE OF HB793 IN HOUSE FINANCE COMMITTEE
NASHVILLE—Today, HB793, the bill designed to track the immigration status of every child and lay the groundwork to kick and keep kids out of public schools, passed the House Finance, Ways, and Means Committee. It will now be scheduled to be heard on the full House floor.
The following is a statement from Lisa Sherman Luna, Executive Director of TIRRC Votes:
“Every child belongs in school, no matter who they are or how they came to call Tennessee home. Yet despite receiving thousands of calls from their constituents opposing this bill, members of the Republican supermajority continue to put political points over Tennessee children's futures.
Across history, we've seen the dangers of governments making and keeping lists of the people that they think don't belong. But rather than learn from our past, these power-hungry politicians, desperate for Trump's approval, are doubling down on their efforts to identify and track immigrant students in the hopes of one day being able to exclude them from our schools.
No matter what, we will continue to fight for the future of every child. From the halls of the Capitol to the halls of the courts, we're prepared to do everything we can to protect Tennessee's children—and the nation’s—freedom to learn.”
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TIRRC Votes was launched in 2018 to strengthen and expand our democracy by building power in immigrant and refugee communities and advocating for equitable and inclusive public policy. One of the leading organizations in Tennessee capable of building a new electorate and mobilizing the state's progressive base voters, they are a model for effective, immigrant-led political organizations in the Southeast. Outside of elections, TIRRC Votes is leading the way at the local and state level in policy advocacy, defeating dozens of anti-immigrant and anti-refugee bills each year at the state legislature and casting a new narrative about who gets to be a Tennessean. TIRRC Votes is affiliated with the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC).