# Tennessee SB 1741: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, relative to public institutions of higher education. Tennessee SB 1741, AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, relative to public institutions of higher education., is a 114th General Assembly (2025-2026) Senate bill sponsored by no sponsor on record; status signed, last action 2026-05-05 (Effective date(s) 04/27/2026, 07/01/2026) (as of 2026-11-01). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/TN-SB1741-2025-2026 - As of: 2026-11-01 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Tennessee SB 1741 - State: Tennessee - Session: 114th General Assembly (2025-2026) - Title: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, relative to public institutions of higher education. - Status: signed - Chamber: Senate - Introduced: 2026-01-16 - Last action: 2026-05-05, Effective date(s) 04/27/2026, 07/01/2026 - Sponsors: no sponsor on record - Cosponsors: 8 - Subjects: Education, Higher - Touches household money: no - Roll calls: 4 (182 yes, 50 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 4 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Campus beliefs gain stronger discrimination protections: benefit, medium. Beginning July 1, 2026, Tennessee public colleges, their faculty, and their agents cannot discriminate or retaliate based on specified beliefs. The protection covers sincere religious beliefs and positions on abortion, homosexuality, or transgender behavior. Positions on those subjects are protecte… - Public college faculty gain speech protections: benefit, medium. Beginning July 1, 2026, Tennessee public colleges, their faculty, and their agents cannot retaliate or discriminate against faculty for protected viewpoints. This covers views expressed in scholarly work and in speech or writing protected by the First Amendment. - Campus speakers protected; disruptive protests limited: mixed, medium. Beginning July 1, 2026, Tennessee public colleges cannot cancel student-group or faculty speaker invitations because of viewpoints or threatened protests. Colleges, faculty, and agents also cannot demand those cancellations, bar invitations, or restrict these inviters' speaker choices. The law defi… - Public colleges adopt campus speech rules: mixed, low. Upon enactment, Tennessee public colleges must adopt and post two policies online, despite contrary law. These must match or closely follow the 2015 Chicago freedom-of-expression report and the 1967 Kalven political-action report. They must include the passages required by law. The speech policy pr… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Cosponsor: Paul Bailey (Republican), Senate - Cosponsor: Janice Bowling (Republican), Senate - Cosponsor: Rusty Crowe (Republican), Senate - Cosponsor: Ed Jackson (Republican), Senate - Cosponsor: Johnson - Cosponsor: Mark Pody (Republican), Senate - Cosponsor: Reeves - Cosponsor: Jessie Seal (Republican), Senate ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-04-13 | House | FLOOR VOTE: REGULAR CALENDAR PREVIOUS QUESTION PASSAGE ON THIRD CONSIDERATION 4/13/2026 | pass | 74 | 22 | | | 2026-04-13 | House | FLOOR VOTE: REGULAR CALENDAR PASSAGE ON THIRD CONSIDERATION 4/13/2026 | pass | 74 | 22 | | | 2026-03-26 | Senate | FLOOR VOTE: as Amended Third Consideration 3/26/2026 | pass | 26 | 6 | | | 2026-03-18 | Senate | SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE | pass | 8 | 0 | | ## Bill text - Enrolled / Public Chapter: [PDF](https://publications.tnsosfiles.com/acts/114/pub/pc0831.pdf) - Fiscal Note: [PDF](https://capitol.tn.gov/Bills/114/Fiscal/HB1476.pdf) - HA1017: [PDF](https://capitol.tn.gov/Bills/114/Amend/HA1017.pdf) - Introduced: [PDF](https://capitol.tn.gov/Bills/114/Bill/SB1741.pdf) - SA0794: [PDF](https://capitol.tn.gov/Bills/114/Amend/SA0794.pdf) ## Related bills - SB 1766: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 7; Title 9; Title 12; Title 13; Title 66; Title 67 and Title 68, relative to infrastructure development distric… (signed) - SB 1771: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 5; Title 6; Title 7 and Title 13, relative to zoning outside of municipal boundaries. (signed) - SB 1668: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 6 and Title 7, relative to penalties for violations of ordinances. (signed) - SB 1667: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 29; Title 55 and Title 56, relative to motor vehicle financial responsibility. (signed) - SB 1602: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39, Chapter 13 and Title 55, Chapter 10, relative to leaving the scene of an accident. (signed) - SB 1326: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 67, Chapter 5, Part 7, relative to property tax relief for elderly persons. (signed) ## Sources - [Enrolled / Public Chapter (PDF)](https://publications.tnsosfiles.com/acts/114/pub/pc0831.pdf) - [Fiscal Note (PDF)](https://capitol.tn.gov/Bills/114/Fiscal/HB1476.pdf) - [HA1017 (PDF)](https://capitol.tn.gov/Bills/114/Amend/HA1017.pdf) - [Introduced (PDF)](https://capitol.tn.gov/Bills/114/Bill/SB1741.pdf) - [SA0794 (PDF)](https://capitol.tn.gov/Bills/114/Amend/SA0794.pdf) ## Related - [SB 1766: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 7; Title 9; Title 12; Title 13;…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/TN-SB1766-2025-2026) - [SB 1771: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 5; Title 6; Title 7 and Title 1…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/TN-SB1771-2025-2026) - [SB 1668: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 6 and Title 7, relative to pena…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/TN-SB1668-2025-2026) - [SB 1667: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 29; Title 55 and Title 56, rela…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/TN-SB1667-2025-2026) - [SB 1602: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39, Chapter 13 and Title 55, Ch…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/TN-SB1602-2025-2026) - [SB 1326: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 67, Chapter 5, Part 7, relative…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/TN-SB1326-2025-2026) - [Tennessee bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/tennessee/bills) - [Tennessee state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/tennessee) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/TN-SB1741-2025-2026 (as of 2026-11-01).