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HB0505 • 2026

Education

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49 and Chapter 994 of the Public Acts of 2024, relative to school safety alert grants.

Budget Education
Active

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

Sponsor
Gant, Johnson
Last action
2026-04-08
Official status
Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/14/2026
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill does not specify how many grants will be awarded after fiscal year 2026-2027 and what happens to the program after July 1, 2027.

School Safety Alert Grant Program Act

This bill converts a pilot program for school safety alert grants into a full statewide program until July 1, 2027 and adjusts how funds are allocated.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes the school safety alert grant pilot program into a permanent statewide program until July 1, 2027.
  • Establishes a new fund called the 'school safety alert grant fund' within the general fund to manage these grants.
  • Removes the requirement that two schools from each grand division of Tennessee must receive grants on a first-come, first-served basis.
  • Requires the department of education to allocate and disperse grants for fiscal years 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 without limiting the number of grants per year.
  • Requires annual reports detailing all funds received and payments made through the grant fund.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Local education agencies (LEAs), public charter schools, private schools, and church-related schools in Tennessee.

Terms To Know

Local Education Agency (LEA)
This includes county, city, or special school districts, unified school districts, or school districts of a metropolitan government.
Grand Division
One of three regions in Tennessee used for certain state purposes.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how many grants will be awarded after fiscal year 2026-2027.
  • It is unclear what happens to the program after July 1, 2027.
  • The exact amount of funding available for each fiscal year is not specified.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB0505

Plain English: The amendment changes how Tennessee allocates funds for mobile panic alert systems in schools by creating a new fund and transferring money from an existing pilot program.

  • Creates a new 'school safety alert fund' within the general fund to provide funding for mobile panic alert systems.
  • Transfers any remaining funds from the school safety alert grant pilot fund into the newly created school safety alert fund.
  • Ensures that unspent money in the school safety alert fund can be used in future years instead of reverting back to the general fund.
  • The amendment text does not specify how much funding will be available or how it will be allocated among different types of schools.
Amendment 1-0 to SB0695

Plain English: The amendment changes how Tennessee allocates funds for mobile panic alert systems in schools by creating a new fund and transferring money from an existing pilot program.

  • Creates a new 'school safety alert fund' within the general fund to provide funding for mobile panic alert systems.
  • Transfers any remaining funds from the school safety alert grant pilot fund into the newly created school safety alert fund.
  • Ensures that unspent money in the school safety alert fund can be used in future years.
  • The amendment text does not specify how much funding will be available or how it will be allocated among different types of schools.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/14/2026

  2. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee to Final Calendar No. 2

  3. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 3/18/2026

  4. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  5. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 4/21/2025

  6. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/14/2025

  7. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed behind the budget

  8. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 4/15/2025

  9. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rule #83(8) Suspended, to be heard in Senate Finance, Ways & Means Committee on 4/15/2025

  10. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/14/2025

  11. 2025-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee

  12. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

  13. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Government Operations Committee for 4/7/2025

  14. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Government Operations Committee

  15. 2025-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  16. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  17. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee Ayes 9, Nays 0 PNV 0

  18. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  19. 2025-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  20. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  21. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Education Committee calendar for 3/26/2025

  22. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Education Committee to 3/26/2025

  23. 2025-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  24. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  25. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Education Committee calendar for 3/19/2025

  26. 2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Education Administration Subcommittee to 3/18/2025

  27. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Education Administration Subcommittee for 3/11/2025

  28. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Education Committee

  29. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  30. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Education Administration Subcommittee

  31. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Education Committee - Government Operations for Review

  32. 2025-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  33. 2025-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  34. 2025-01-29 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Present law
requires the department of education ("department") to establish and administer a school safety alert grant pilot program
, the
purpose of
which
is to award school safety grants to
local education agencies (
LEAs
)
, public charter schools
, private schools, and church-related schools for the purchase of mobile panic alert systems.
This bill changes the program from a pilot program to a full program and requires t
he department
to
continue to administer the program for the same purpose, and
subject to the same approval requirement
, until July 1, 2027.

FUND

Present law
creates a separate fund within the general fund to be known as the school safety alert grant pilot fund.
This bill creates
a separate fund within the general fund to be know
n as the school safety alert grant fund.
F
unds remaining in the school safety alert grant pilot fund must be transferred to the school safety alert grant fund, at which time the school safety alert grant pilot fund ceases to exist.

AWARDS

Subject to ap
propriations and the availability of funds,
present law requires
the department t
o
allocate and disperse grants each fiscal year to LEAs, public charter schools, private schools, and church-related schools
. Each
grant awarded
is
limited to $
8
,000 per scho
ol in a fiscal year. Subject to appropriation, two schools from each grand division of the state must receive the grant funding

on a first-come, first-served basis
.

This bill removes the provision that requires two schools
from each grand division of
the state t
o
receive the grant funding.
Subject
to appropriations and the availability of funds,
this bill requires
the department
to
allocate and disperse grants for fiscal years 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 to LEAs, public charter schools, private schools, a
nd church-related schools.

ANNUAL REPORT

By July 1, 202
6
, and by
July 1, 2027
, this
bill
requires the department to prepare and submit to the general assembly a report detailing all funds received and payments made through the school safety alert grant
fund.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 695
By Johnson

HOUSE BILL 505
By Gant

HB0505
002481
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49
and Chapter 994 of the Public Acts of 2024,
relative to school safety alert grants.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-1-225, is amended by deleting the
section and substituting the following:
(a) As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires:
(1) "Fund" means the school safety alert grant fund for First Alert
Systems, as created by this section; and
(2) "Local education agency" or "LEA" means a county, city, or special
school district, unified school district, or school district of a metropolitan
government.
(b)
(1) The department of education shall establish and administer a school
safety alert grant pilot program. The purpose of the pilot program is to award
school safety grants to LEAs, public charter schools, private schools, and church-
related schools for the purchase of mobile panic alert systems described in § 49-
6-804(a). The alert systems funded through the pilot program must be approved
by the department of education, in consultation with the department of safety.
(2) Effective July 1, 2025, the school safety alert grant pilot program
created pursuant to subdivision (b)(1) is renamed the school safety alert grant
program. The department of education shall continue to administer the grant

- 2 - 002481

program for the same purpose, and subject to the same approval requirement, as
described in subdivision (b)(1).
(c)
(1) There is created a separate fund within the general fund to be known
as the school safety alert grant pilot fund.
(2) There is created a separate fund within the general fund to be known
as the school safety alert grant fund. Effective July 1, 2025, funds remaining in
the school safety alert grant pilot fund must be transferred to the school safety
alert grant fund, at which time the school safety alert grant pilot fund ceases to
exist.
(d)
(1) Subject to appropriations and the availability of funds, the department
shall allocate and disperse grants for fiscal years 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 to
LEAs, public charter schools, private schools, and church-related schools.
(2) The grants must be awarded as follows:
(A) The first grant must be awarded on a first-come, first-served
basis to the first LEA or school that applies;
(B) The second grant must be awarded on a first-come, first-
served basis to an LEA or school that is located in a different grand
division of this state than the recipient of the grant awarded under
subdivision (d)(2)(A);
(C) The third grant must be awarded on a first-come, first-served
basis to an LEA or school that is located in a different grand division of
this state than the recipients of the grants awarded under subdivisions
(d)(2)(A) and (d)(2)(B); and

- 3 - 002481

(D) The fourth and any subsequent grants must be awarded on a
first-come, first-served basis to an LEA or school that is located in a grand
division of this state, following the order of awards as established under
subdivisions (d)(2)(A)-(C).
(3) A grant awarded under this section is limited to eight thousand dollars
($8,000) per school in a fiscal year.
(e) The commissioner of education may promulgate rules to effectuate the
purposes of this section in accordance with the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act,
compiled in title 4, chapter 5.
(f) By July 1, 2026, and by July 1, 2027, the department shall prepare and
submit to the general assembly a report detailing all funds received and payments made
through the school safety alert grant fund.
(g) This section is deleted July 1, 2027.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.