Is Gov. Bill Lee's school voucher expansion proposal dead yet?

Greetings, readers:

Next year, the classic dark comedy movie "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" turns 50 years old, and among the many notable parts is the so-called "Not Dead Yet" scene .

The morticians of the Middle Ages pick up bodies to place on a wheelbarrow in the midst of a pestilence. But one man being carried insists he's just fine: "I'm not dead." An argument ensues between two of the officials that ends when the not-quite-dead man gets bonked on the head with a mace.

In Tennessee, the not-quite-dead man appears to be Gov. Bill Lee's Education Freedom Scholarship Act, also known as the school vouchers expansion.

Lawmakers in the Senate and House have not been able to agree on the final version, and they have been way off to the tune of about a $250 million gap -- the Senate wants a narrow bill, while the House wants incentives that columnist Cameron Smith called a "Frankenstein" proposal .

Smith makes the case that if the voucher proposal fails, Lee should go after the members of the GOP-dominated legislature by seeking primary opponents against them in a future election. But he also demands that the governor fight tooth and nail to the end to make the proposal happen.

The USA TODAY Network - Tennessee published two other perspectives on the matter this week:

• A personal essay by Tori Venable, head of Americans for Prosperity - Tennessee , explaining that her mother would have loved more school choices for kids.
• Meanwhile, my two cents are that the legislature should drop the proposal because at the end of the day, it is not resonating with lawmakers' constituents.

Should autoworkers in Tennessee join a union?

Gov. Lee was among several Southern state chief executives who signed on to a statement opposing the United Auto Workers efforts this week to encourage workers at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga to form a union.

• Mike Sweeny of Americans for Prosperity -- Tennessee decries the tactics of the UAW and offers reasons why workers should reject unionization efforts.
• Meanwhile, pastors and activists William J. Barber II and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove say unionization efforts in the South are a result of governors like Lee ignoring the widening income gap between rich and low-income citizens.

Agree or disagree? Or have a view on another topic entirely? Send a letter of 250 words or fewer to letters@tennessean.com . Include your full name, city/town, ZIP and contact information for verification. Thanks for adding to the public conversation.

What else you'll find in the newsletter

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• Column: At South Carolina, Coach Dawn Staley is building a legacy bigger than one player
• Guest essay: O.J. Simpson could have done so much to advance others, but he only cared about himself

David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for the USA TODAY Network Tennessee. He is an editorial board member of The Tennessean. He hosts the Tennessee Voices videocast and curates the Tennessee Voices and Latino Tennessee Voices newsletters.. Call him at (615) 259-8063, email him at dplazas@tennessean.com or tweet to him at @davidplazas .

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Is Gov. Bill Lee's school voucher expansion proposal dead yet?