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HB0545 • 2026

Education, Dept. of

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, relative to artificial intelligence.

Education Technology
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Cochran, White
Last action
2026-05-27
Official status
Comp. became Pub. Ch. 1056
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary does not specify if there are penalties or consequences for teachers who do not complete the required training by the deadline.

Tennessee Act on AI Education for Teachers

This act requires Tennessee's Department of Education to provide free online training courses about using artificial intelligence in classrooms for middle and high school teachers.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires the Department of Education to offer at least one professional development course that teaches how to use AI in the classroom.
  • Makes this course available for free to teachers in grades 6-12.
  • Teachers must complete this training within two years of getting their teaching license or by August 1, 2028, whichever is later.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Teachers in grades 6-12
  • The Tennessee Department of Education

Terms To Know

asynchronous instruction
Learning that happens at different times and places, not all together.
LEA
Local education agency, like a school district.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what will happen if teachers do not complete the training.
  • It is unclear how the Department of Education will choose which entity to create the course content.
  • There are no details on how much funding will be used for each year after FY27-28.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB0545

Plain English: House Finance, Ways, and Means 1 Amendment No.

  • House Finance, Ways, and Means 1 Amendment No.
  • 1 to HB0545 Hicks G Signature of Sponsor AMEND Senate Bill No.
  • 677 House Bill No.
  • 545* HA1067 015626 - 1 - by deleting "August 1, 2027" in subsection (b) of the amendatory language of SECTION 1 and substituting instead "August 1, 2028".
Amendment 1-0 to SB0677

Plain English: Senate Finance, Ways, and Means 1 Amendment No.

  • Senate Finance, Ways, and Means 1 Amendment No.
  • 1 to SB0677 Watson Signature of Sponsor AMEND Senate Bill No.
  • 677 House Bill No.
  • 545* SA0837 015626 - 1 - by deleting "August 1, 2027" in subsection (b) of the amendatory language of SECTION 1 and substituting instead "August 1, 2028".

Bill History

  1. 2026-05-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 1056

  2. 2026-05-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 05/22/2026

  3. 2026-05-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 1056

  4. 2026-05-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2026-05-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for action.

  6. 2026-05-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  7. 2026-04-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  8. 2026-04-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled and ready for signatures

  9. 2026-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  10. 2026-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. SB subst.

  11. 2026-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 88, Nays 0, PNV 0

  12. 2026-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Am. withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - HA1067)

  13. 2026-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Subst. for comp. HB.

  14. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/16/2026

  15. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/14/2026

  16. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rcvd. from S., held on H. desk.

  17. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  18. 2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  19. 2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  20. 2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 32, Nays 0

  21. 2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0837)

  22. 2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/6/2026

  23. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Finance, Ways, and Means Committee for 4/7/2026

  24. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec for pass if am by s/c ref. to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

  25. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/1/2026

  26. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  27. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 11, Nays 0 PNV 0

  28. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 3/24/2026

  29. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee to 3/24/2026

  30. 2026-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 3/17/2026

  31. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  32. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  33. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  34. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  35. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed behind the budget

  36. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/2/2025

  37. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  38. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  39. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  40. 2025-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Education Committee to 3/25/2025

  41. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Education Committee for 3/18/2025

  42. 2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Education Committee to 3/18/2025

  43. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Education Committee for 3/11/2025

  44. 2025-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Education Committee to 3/11/2025

  45. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Education Committee for 3/4/2025

  46. 2025-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  47. 2025-02-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  48. 2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Education Administration Subcommittee for 2/25/2025

  49. 2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

  50. 2025-02-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Education Committee calendar for 2/19/2025

  51. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Education Committee calendar for 2/19/2025

  52. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Education Committee

  53. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  54. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Education Administration Subcommittee

  55. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Education Committee

  56. 2025-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  57. 2025-01-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  58. 2025-01-29 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

ON APRIL 6, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 677, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 c
hanges the date by which teachers in grades 6-12 must complete at least one professional development course on the use of artificial intelligence in the classroom from the later of August 1, 2027
,
or within two years of becoming licensed as a teacher in Tennessee to the later of August 1, 2028
,
or within two years of becoming licensed as a teacher in Tennessee.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 677
By White

HOUSE BILL 545
By Cochran

HB0545
002134
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49,
relative to artificial intelligence.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, Chapter 1, Part 2, is amended by
adding the following as a new section:
(a) The department shall provide at least one (1) professional development
course for teachers that provides asynchronous instruction on the use of artificial
intelligence in the classroom; that is made available, at no cost, to teachers in grades six
through twelve (6-12); and that may be used by teachers to earn professional
development points. The course content must be created by an entity with experience in
a related subject area, such as computer science or another science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics (STEM) field.
(b) By August 1, 2027, or within two (2) years of becoming licensed as a teacher
in this state, whichever is later, teachers in grades six through twelve (6-12) must
complete at least one (1) professional development course approved by the department
that provides asynchronous instruction on the use of artificial intelligence in the
classroom. Each LEA and public charter school shall approve professional development
points, pursuant to the state board of education's educator licensure policies and rules,
for a teacher's completion of at least one (1) department-approved artificial intelligence
training.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.