Voting delayed on voucher bill

NASHVILLE — An expected final House floor vote on a controversial school voucher bill was delayed Monday night because of the absence of three GOP supporters, including a controversial representative under investigation for sending alleged inappropriate text messages to women.

The sponsor, Rep. Bill Dunn, R-Knoxville, asked that his measure be delayed until Thursday’s floor session. “It’s close,” the lawmaker said later. When Dunn moved the bill be “rolled,” that is delayed until later, some opponents objected, forcing a vote. He prevailed on a 51-34 vote in the 99-member chamber.

That provides some indication of how close the count is on his effort to let public money be used by parents of low-income students attending the bottom 5

percent of public schools to attend private schools, including religious ones.

The Tennessee Constitution requires a minimum of 50 yes votes for a bill to pass the House.

“Sometimes the slower you go, the faster you get there,” Dunn said. “And so I’m pleased I’m to this point here where people are finally putting students before the system. I want to make sure it passes this year. Because if not, it means another year of children on the path to failure rather than on the path to success.”

Twenty- two amendments have been filed to alter the bill in various ways with some intended to hurt it and others to ease passage.

The closeness of votes on any controversial bill is always subject to supporters falling off, depending on any number of factors ranging from unexpected changes through amendments to supporters simply getting cold feet on test votes.

Th e bill, which passed the Senate last year, would impact five districts which now have schools in the failing category.

Hamilton County’s school system is one of them.

One of the three absent Republican supporters was Rep. Jeremy Durham, R- Franklin, who took a leave of absence last month to seek what he said called “assistance from professional and pastoral counselors” amid complaints from at least three unidentified Capitol Hill workers that he sent them unwelcome text messages, sometimes asking for photos.

Less than an hour earlier, a House ad hoc panel granted Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery authority to proceed with an investigation.

Also absent on Monday was Rep. Marc Gravitt, R-East Ridge, and Rep. Tim Wirgau, R-Buchanan.

Contact Andy Sher at asher@timesfreepress.com, 615-255-0550 or follow via twitter at AndySher1.