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HB0047 • 2026

Education

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, relative to the display of historical documents.

Education
Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Hale, Pody
Last action
2026-04-13
Official status
H. Placed on Message Calendar
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill does not explicitly require local school boards and charter school leaders to ensure these displays; instead, it authorizes them to do so.

Displaying Historical Documents in Schools

This bill requires Tennessee schools to prominently display specific historical documents like the Ten Commandments and parts of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires local school boards and charter school leaders to ensure their schools display the Ten Commandments, a part of the Declaration of Independence, and the preamble of the U.S. Constitution in an easy-to-see place.
  • Encourages groups or individuals to donate money or materials for these displays.
  • Gives school boards and charter school leaders control over how big and where to put the display.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Local school boards
  • Charter school leaders

Terms To Know

prominent location
A place in a school where many students can easily see the display.
LEA
Local Education Agency, which is another name for local school boards.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify exactly how big or what style of font to use.
  • It's unclear if there are any penalties for schools that do not follow this requirement.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

Amendment 1-0 to SB0303

Plain English: This amendment requires Tennessee schools to display the Ten Commandments, a sentence from the Declaration of Independence, and the preamble to the U.S. Constitution in prominent locations.

  • Schools must display the Ten Commandments, a sentence from the Declaration of Independence, and the preamble to the U.S. Constitution in visible areas like entryways or cafeterias.
  • The text of the Ten Commandments displayed must be an original version from when America was founded.
  • Local school boards decide on the size and placement of these displays but must ensure they are easy for students to read.
  • The amendment does not specify how schools will fund or implement this requirement.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Message Calendar

  2. 2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate refused to recede from amendment

  3. 2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  4. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Message Calendar for 4/9/2026

  5. 2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. nonconcurred in S. am. no. 1 HB0047

  6. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Message Calendar for 4/2/2026

  7. 2026-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 27, Nays 6

  8. 2026-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0682)

  9. 2026-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate substituted House Bill for companion Senate Bill.

  10. 2026-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  11. 2026-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Companion House Bill substituted

  12. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/19/2026

  13. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 8, Nays 1 PNV 0

  14. 2026-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Education Committee calendar for 3/11/2026

  15. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  16. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Education Committee to 3/11/2026

  17. 2026-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Education Committee calendar for 3/4/2026

  18. 2026-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Received from House, Passed on First Consideration

  19. 2026-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to Sen.

  20. 2026-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  21. 2026-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 75, Nays 17, PNV 1

  22. 2026-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  23. 2026-02-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 2/12/2026

  24. 2026-02-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  25. 2026-02-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Objected to on Consent Calendar.

  26. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Consent Calendar for 2/9/2026

  27. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 2/5/2026

  28. 2026-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  29. 2026-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee

  30. 2026-01-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Education Committee for 2/3/2026

  31. 2026-01-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Meeting Canceled

  32. 2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Education Committee for 1/27/2026

  33. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Education Committee to Second Calendar of 2026

  34. 2025-03-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor change.

  35. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Education Committee for 4/1/2025

  36. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Education Committee to 4/1/2025

  37. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Education Committee for 3/25/2025

  38. 2025-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to Education Committee

  39. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Education Administration Subcommittee for 3/18/2025

  40. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Education Committee

  41. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  42. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  43. 2025-01-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  44. 2025-01-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Education Administration Subcommittee

  45. 2025-01-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  46. 2025-01-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Ref. to Education Committee

  47. 2025-01-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C held on desk, pending appointment of Standing Committees

  48. 2025-01-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  49. 2025-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  50. 2024-12-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

ON MARCH 19, 2026, THE SENATE SUBSTITUTED HOUSE BILL 47 FOR SENATE BILL 303, ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1, AND PASSED HOUSE BILL 47, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 adds a preamble and rewrites the substantive provisions of this bill to require

each local board of education and governing body of a public charter school to require all schools under their administration to display the Ten Commandments, the first sentence of the second paragraph of the preamble to the Declaration of Independence, a
nd the preamble to the United States Constitution in a prominent location in each school building in order to educate students on the significance of the Ten Comma
ndments to the principles and ideals of the United States of America, as established in its founding documents. The full text of this amendment specifies the text of the Tenn Commandments that must be displayed.

This amendment encourages fraternal and other organizations or individuals to donate the funds or materials necessary for the display required by this amendment.

This amendment requires each local board of education and governing body of a public charter school to determine the size and placement of the display required by this amendment; provided, that the items must be displayed together, prominently, with text
displayed in a font size no smaller than least 26 point and in a style and manner that is easy for students to see and read.

ON APRIL 2, 2026, THE HOUSE NON-CONCURRED IN SENATE AMENDMENT #1.

ON APRIL 9, 2026, THE SENATE REFUSED TO RECEDE FROM ITS ADOPTION OF SENATE AMENDMENT #1.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 303
By Pody

HOUSE BILL 47
By Hale

HB0047
000467
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49,
relative to the display of historical documents.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, Chapter 6, Part 20, is amended by
adding the following as a new section:
(a) Local boards of education and governing bodies of public charter schools, as
defined in § 49-13-104, may allow schools in the LEA and public charter schools to
display the Ten Commandments, the Declaration of Independence, the United States
Constitution, the Constitution of Tennessee, the Bill of Rights, a resolution honoring the
history of a school in the LEA or the public charter school, or other historically significant
documents in a prominent location in each school building in order to educate students
on the historical significance and common cultural heritage the documents have on the
principles of the LEA or public charter school, this state, or the United States of America.
(b) LEAs and public charter schools are encouraged to display the historical
documents using wall posters or other hard copy, printed versions that are made
available to the LEAs or public charter schools free of charge.
(c) Each local board of education and each governing body of a public charter
school shall determine the size and placement of the display authorized in subsection
(a).
(d) As used in subsection (a), "prominent location" means a school entryway,
cafeteria, or common area where students are likely to see the display.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.