Immigration - As introduced, requires reporting by law enforcement agencies and local governmental entities and officials regarding persons not lawfully present in the United States; requires the department of finance and administration to report the annual cost incurred by this state for public schools, including public higher education institutions, prisons, hospitals, and social services agencies to provide benefits and services to persons not lawfully present in the United States. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 7; Title 8 and Title 9.

114th Regular Session (2025-2026) Introduced by Elaine Davis

Requires Tennessee law enforcement and state agencies to report undocumented immigrants encountered and estimate annual state costs for services provided to undocumented residents across education, healthcare, corrections, and social services.

Taken off notice for cal in s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee of Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

#immigration

Legislative bill overview

HB 1711 requires Tennessee law enforcement agencies and local government officials to report on individuals not lawfully present in the United States, and mandates the Department of Finance and Administration to calculate and report annual state costs for providing public services (education, higher education, corrections, healthcare, and social services) to undocumented immigrants. The bill amends multiple sections of Tennessee law to establish these reporting mechanisms.

Why is this important

This legislation would create the first comprehensive accounting of state expenditures attributable to undocumented immigrants across major service sectors, data that currently does not exist in standardized form. Such reporting could significantly influence future policy debates around immigration, public benefits, and state budget allocation, while also raising questions about implementation costs and potential impacts on local law enforcement-immigrant community relations.

Potential points of contention

Reporting burden and privacy concerns: Law enforcement agencies may face operational costs and resource strains in implementing new reporting requirements, and the requirement could create concerns among immigrant communities about increased surveillance and deportation risk, potentially discouraging crime reporting.

Cost accounting methodology: Determining accurate costs is methodologically complex (how to allocate shared resources, overhead, emergency services?), and different calculation methods could yield vastly different results, making comparisons and conclusions unreliable.

Political intent vs. practical utility: Critics argue the bill's primary purpose is documenting fiscal impact for politically restrictive policy arguments rather than evidence-based policymaking, while supporters contend taxpayers deserve transparency on public expenditures.