Tennessee Senate Bill SR0011

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/10/25
• Enrolled: 3/18/25
• Passed: 3/18/25

Caption

A RESOLUTION to confirm the appointment of Nisha Powers of Memphis to the Tennessee board of regents.

Summary

Senate Resolution 11 confirms the appointment of Nisha Powers of Memphis to the Tennessee Board of Regents. The resolution states that Governor Bill Lee appointed Powers to represent the 9th Congressional District for a term ending June 30, 2030, and recites her background as the president of Powers Hill Design, LLC and a civil engineering graduate of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. The measure is a confirmation resolution rather than a policy bill, so it does not create new programs or change higher education governance structure. Instead, it carries out the Senate’s constitutional and statutory role under Tennessee Code Annotated Section 49-8-201 by approving a gubernatorial appointment to the Board of Regents, which oversees the state’s public higher education system outside the University of Tennessee system.

Impact

SR0011 affects Tennessee Code Annotated Section 49-8-201 only in the sense that it completes the required Senate confirmation process for a gubernatorial appointee to the Tennessee Board of Regents. Its practical effect is to place Nisha Powers in a confirmed board seat through June 30, 2030, thereby influencing oversight and governance of Tennessee’s community colleges and colleges of applied technology within the state higher education system.

Sentiment

The sentiment around the resolution appears strongly favorable and noncontroversial. It was recommended for adoption by the Senate Education Committee by a 9-0 vote and then adopted on the Senate floor by a 32-0 vote, indicating broad bipartisan support and no recorded opposition in the available voting history.

Contention

There is no notable substantive contention reflected in the available record. Because the resolution concerns a single appointment, any discussion would likely have centered on the nominee’s qualifications and the Senate’s confirmation duty rather than on policy disagreements. The unanimous committee and floor votes suggest that members did not raise significant objections to Nisha Powers’s appointment or to the Board of Regents confirmation process.