Senate Speaker McNally wants GOP counterparts to take next steps on tuition bill

Senator Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, center, is sworn in as Senate Speaker by former Tennessee Supreme Court Justice William Koch Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017, in Nashville, Tenn. McNally succeeds Sen. Ron Ramsey, R-Blountville, who did not seek re-election. Lawmakers convened for the 110th Tennessee General Assembly with new leadership in the Senate and a House speaker eying a gubernatorial bid. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) Senator Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, center, is sworn in as Senate Speaker by former Tennessee Supreme Court Justice William Koch Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017, in Nashville, Tenn. McNally succeeds Sen. Ron Ramsey, R-Blountville, who did not seek re-election. Lawmakers convened for the 110th Tennessee General Assembly with new leadership in the Senate and a House speaker eying a gubernatorial bid. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

By Andy Sher March 31, 2017 3 min read

NASHVILLE – Republican Senate Speaker Randy McNally said Thursday he’d like his House GOP counterparts to take the next steps on a bill to allow undocumented Tennessee immigrant students to pay in-state tuition rates to attend public colleges and universities.

“There’s not a lot of sense on us moving if they have problems on the House side,” the Oak Ridge lawmaker said.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Todd Gardenhire, passed the Senate Education Committee last week on a 7-2 vote. This week, the House companion bill sponsored by Rep. Mark White, R-Memphis, cleared the lower chamber’s Education Administration & Planning Subcommittee.

Gardenhire passed the bill in the GOP-run Senate back in 2015, but White’s companion bill failed by a single vote in the Republican-controlled House.

“I’d probably prefer the House move first on it, because they were the ones who appeared to have a lot of difficulty,” McNally said. “A lot depends on what happens on the House side.”