All Roll Calls
Yes: 357 • No: 90
TennesseeSB 1272114th General Assembly (2025-2026)SenateWALLET
AN ACT, to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 8, Chapter 50, Part 8; Title 49, Chapter 1, Part 6; Title 49, Chapter 1, Part 9; Title 49, Chapter 10, Part 14; Title 49, Chapter 16, Part 2; Title 49, Chapter 18, Part 1; Title 49, Chapter 2, Part 1; Title 49, Chapter 3, Part 1; Title 49, Chapter 3, Part 3; Title 49, Chapter 6, Part 10; Title 49, Chapter 6, Part 30; Title 49, Chapter 6, Part 31; Title 49, Chapter 6, Part 41; Title 49, Chapter 6, Part 50; Title 49, Chapter 1, Part 2 and Chapter 1005 of the Public Acts of 2024, relative to education.
Sponsored By: Sponsor information unavailable
Signed by Governor
Education
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
8 provisions identified: 7 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
School staff get leave with scheduling limits
Eligible licensed public-school and charter-school staff get six workweeks of paid leave after birth, stillbirth, or adoption. At that event, staff must have worked full time in a licensed position for the same district or charter school for 12 consecutive months. They must hold the required license or state emergency credential throughout those months. School boards and charter governing bodies must set policies requiring consecutive leave or separate blocks of at least one week. Leave must be used within 12 months; interrupting consecutive leave requires the director’s approval for extenuating circumstances.
Children in state custody gain enrollment protection
Schools cannot deny admission to children in Tennessee state custody for missing immunizations or immunization records caused by their custody situation. Enrolling schools must also follow applicable federal education-rights laws for these children.
Education accounts expand and protect student payments
Deafness now qualifies for Tennessee’s individualized education account program, subject to its other eligibility requirements. Student account funds belong to the student under parental supervision and must be sent at least quarterly. The maximum annual amount uses the district’s base funding allocation plus its average special-education funding under the state school-funding formula. Students who participated in 2024–2025 cannot receive less in 2025–2026 or later than their 2024–2025 amount. Participants count in their home district’s enrollment, and account payments are deducted from state funds otherwise payable to that district.
School districts gain protection against funding cuts
The law limits qualifying districts’ yearly state school-funding decreases to 5%. The education department must add money when a district’s allocation falls by more than 5%. This protection does not apply when the district already qualifies for additional funds under the law’s separate funding provision. Beginning with 2025–2026 allocations, eligibility uses only funds generated by students in non-virtual schools.
More remote school days with meal access
Schools can use up to five days under the existing remote-instruction rule, up from two. The rule’s existing requirements still apply. On covered remote-instruction days, districts must make meals available when they determine doing so is safe and possible. Meals must follow school nutrition program rules.
Schools can bank days for disruptions
Schools adding 30 minutes of instruction daily for the full school year can bank up to 13 instructional days. Up to 6.5 hours per day can count toward instructional time. Banked days cover listed events, including dangerous weather, illness outbreaks, disasters, unsafe conditions, planning, conferences, and qualifying staff training. Schools can use whole, half, or one-third days and must keep records required by the education department. Unused days cannot end the school year early or carry into another year.
Schools can receive grants for student tutoring
The Tennessee education department can run a grant program supporting tutoring in school districts and public charter schools. The program depends on the legislature providing funding. The law sets no grant amount.
Schools exclude short-term students from performance grades
A receiving public school’s letter grade cannot include performance data from students enrolled there for less than 50% of the year. This includes achievement, growth, and other performance measures. The data can count for the school where the student attended at least 50% of that year.
Sponsors & Cosponsors
Sponsors
There is no primary sponsor on record.
Cosponsors
White
Affiliation unavailable
Roll Call Votes
Senate vote • 4/17/2025
FLOOR VOTE: Motion to Concur House Amendment # 2 4/17/2025
Yes: 27 • No: 5
House vote • 4/15/2025
FLOOR VOTE: REGULAR CALENDAR AS AMENDED PASSAGE ON THIRD CONSIDERATION 4/15/2025
Yes: 70 • No: 23
House vote • 4/15/2025
FLOOR VOTE: REGULAR CALENDAR MOTION TO ADOPT AMENDMENT # 2 BY LAMBERTH PASSAGE ON THIRD CONSIDERATION 4/15/2025
Yes: 74 • No: 21
House vote • 4/15/2025
FLOOR VOTE: REGULAR CALENDAR MOTION TO CONSIDER AMENDMENT # 2 BY LAMBERTH PASSAGE ON THIRD CONSIDERATION 4/15/2025
Yes: 77 • No: 19
House vote • 4/14/2025
FLOOR VOTE: REGULAR CALENDAR PASSAGE ON THIRD CONSIDERATION 4/14/2025
Yes: 72 • No: 22
Senate vote • 3/6/2025
FLOOR VOTE: as Amended Third Consideration 3/6/2025
Yes: 28 • No: 0
Senate vote • 2/26/2025
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE
Yes: 9 • No: 0
Actions Timeline
Effective date(s) 04/23/2025
4/29/2025Pub. Ch. 235
4/29/2025Signed by Governor.
4/23/2025SenateTransmitted to Governor for action.
4/23/2025SenateSigned by H. Speaker
4/22/2025HouseSigned by Senate Speaker
4/22/2025SenateEnrolled and ready for signatures
4/22/2025SenateConcurred, Ayes 27, Nays 5 (Amendment 2 - HA0435)
4/17/2025SenateEnrolled and ready for signatures
4/16/2025SenatePlaced on Senate Message Calendar for 4/17/2025
4/16/2025SenateH. adopted am. (Amendment 2 - HA0435)
4/15/2025HousePassed H., as am., Ayes 70, Nays 23, PNV 0
4/15/2025HouseMotion to reconsider adopted.
4/15/2025HouseMotion to lift from table adopted.
4/15/2025HousePassed H., Ayes 72, Nays 22, PNV 0
4/14/2025HouseAm. withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - HA0294)
4/14/2025HouseSubst. for comp. HB.
4/14/2025HouseRcvd. from S., held on H. desk.
3/10/2025HouseEngrossed; ready for transmission to House
3/6/2025SenatePassed Senate as amended, Ayes 28, Nays 0
3/6/2025SenateSenate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0028)
3/6/2025SenatePlaced on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/6/2025
3/4/2025SenateRecommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 9, Nays 0 PNV 0
2/26/2025SenateSponsor(s) Added.
2/26/2025SenatePlaced on Senate Education Committee calendar for 2/26/2025
2/19/2025Senate
Bill Text
HA0435
4/15/2025
Enrolled / Public Chapter
Fiscal Note
HA0294
Introduced
SA0028
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