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HB0382 • 2026

Education

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39, Chapter 17 and Title 49, Chapter 1, relative to law enforcement-supported education programs.

Education
Active

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

Sponsor
Butler, White
Last action
2025-04-04
Official status
Effective date(s) 03/28/2025
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill text does not provide specific details about funding beyond initial fiscal years.

Law Enforcement Against Drugs and Violence Program Act

This bill allows local education agencies to implement the Law Enforcement Against Drugs and Violence (L.E.A.D.) program in schools instead of or alongside the DARE program.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes Tennessee law to allow local education agencies to use the L.E.A.D. program in their schools.
  • Updates existing laws to include references to both the DARE and L.E.A.D. programs where previously only DARE was mentioned.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Local education agencies in Tennessee
  • Schools operated by local education agencies

Terms To Know

LEA
Local Education Agency, which refers to the organization responsible for providing public schooling within a specific area.
L.E.A.D.
Law Enforcement Against Drugs and Violence, an educational program aimed at preventing drug abuse and violence among youth.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how much funding will be provided for the L.E.A.D. program beyond the initial fiscal years mentioned.
  • It is unclear if all local education agencies will choose to implement the L.E.A.D. program instead of or alongside DARE.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB0382

Plain English: This amendment allows local education agencies (LEAs) to implement the L.E.A.D. program as an alternative to the DARE program in schools they operate.

  • Adds a new section to Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, Chapter 1, Part 4, allowing LEAs to use the L.E.A.D. program instead of or alongside the DARE program.
  • The amendment does not specify details about how the L.E.A.D. program works or what its requirements are.
  • It is unclear if there are any specific conditions under which an LEA can choose to implement the L.E.A.D. program over DARE.
Amendment 1-0 to SB0683

Plain English: This amendment allows local education agencies (LEAs) to implement the L.E.A.D. program as an alternative to the DARE program in schools they operate.

  • Adds a new section to Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, Chapter 1, Part 4, allowing LEAs to use the L.E.A.D. program instead of or alongside the DARE program.
  • The amendment does not specify details about how the L.E.A.D. program works or what its requirements are.
  • It is unclear if there are any specific conditions under which an LEA can choose to implement the L.E.A.D. program over DARE.

Bill History

  1. 2025-04-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 03/28/2025

  2. 2025-04-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 95

  3. 2025-04-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 95

  4. 2025-03-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2025-03-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for his action.

  6. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  7. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  8. 2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled; ready for sig. of H. Speaker.

  9. 2025-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate, Ayes 27, Nays 0, PNV 1

  10. 2025-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Amendment withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - SA0063)

  11. 2025-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate substituted House Bill for companion Senate Bill.

  12. 2025-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Companion House Bill substituted

  13. 2025-03-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/10/2025

  14. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  15. 2025-02-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Received from House, Passed on First Consideration

  16. 2025-02-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Education Committee calendar for 3/5/2025

  17. 2025-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to Sen.

  18. 2025-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., as am., Ayes 96, Nays 0, PNV 0

  19. 2025-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. adopted am. (Amendment 1 - HA0003)

  20. 2025-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  21. 2025-02-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 2/24/2025

  22. 2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 2/20/2025

  23. 2025-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Calendar & Rules Committee

  24. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Education Committee for 2/18/2025

  25. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Education Committee

  26. 2025-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  27. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  28. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Education Administration Subcommittee for 2/11/2025

  29. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Education Administration Subcommittee

  30. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Education Committee

  31. 2025-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  32. 2025-01-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  33. 2025-01-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

ON
FEBRUARY 24, 2025, THE HOUSE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED HOUSE BILL 382, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 rewrites the bill to, instead, authorize a local education agency

(
LEA
)

to
implement the law enforcement against drugs and violence (L.E.A.D.) program i
n schools operated by the LEA.

An LEA's implementation of the

L.E.A.D. program may be in lieu of the DARE program.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 683
By White

HOUSE BILL 382
By Butler

HB0382
000651
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39,
Chapter 17 and Title 49, Chapter 1, relative to law
enforcement-supported education programs.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-1-401, is amended by deleting the
section and substituting:
49-1-401. This part is known and may be cited as the "Tennessee Drug Abuse
Resistance Education and Law Enforcement Against Drugs and Violence Act."
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-1-402(a), is amended by deleting
"drug abuse resistance education (DARE) program" and substituting "drug abuse resistance
education (DARE) program or law enforcement against drugs and violence (L.E.A.D.) program".
SECTION 3. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-1-402(b), is amended by deleting
"DARE America program or a comparable program" and substituting "DARE America program,
L.E.A.D. program, or a comparable program".
SECTION 4. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-1-403, is amended by deleting the
section and substituting:
49-1-403.
(a) The department of safety shall adopt standards and qualifications, in
accordance with the requirements of the DARE America program and the
L.E.A.D. program, of law enforcement officers who apply for training as
instructors in the DARE or L.E.A.D. program.
(b) The department shall also provide for the training of law enforcement
officers as DARE instructors and L.E.A.D. instructors. The department may

- 2 - 000651

contract with agencies of other states for the training of law enforcement officers
as DARE and L.E.A.D. instructors.
SECTION 5. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-1-404, is amended by deleting
"DARE" wherever it appears in the section and substituting "DARE or L.E.A.D.".
SECTION 6. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-1-405, is amended by deleting the
section and substituting:
49-1-405. This part does not supersede or disallow any similar and comparable
programs already in place; provided, that this part does not prevent the similar and
comparable programs from participating in the funding of the DARE and L.E.A.D.
programs pursuant to this part.
SECTION 7. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-1-406, is amended by deleting
"drug abuse resistance program" and substituting "drug abuse resistance program or anti-drug
and violence program".
SECTION 8. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-1-407, is amended by deleting
"DARE" wherever it appears in the section and substituting "DARE or L.E.A.D."; and by deleting
"drug abuse resistance" and substituting "drug abuse resistance or anti-drug and violence".
SECTION 9. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-17-420(f), is amended by deleting
"DARE program" and substituting "DARE program or L.E.A.D. program".
SECTION 10. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.