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HB0545 • 2026

Education, Dept. of

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

Education Technology
Active

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

Sponsor
Cochran, White
Last action
2026-04-07
Official status
Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Calendar & Rules Committee
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The original candidate summary incorrectly stated the deadline as August 1, 2027 instead of August 1, 2028.

Tennessee AI Education Act

This bill requires teachers in grades 6-12 to complete at least one professional development course on using artificial intelligence (AI) in classrooms by August 1, 2028 or within two years of getting their teaching license.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires the Tennessee Department of Education to provide a free online course for teachers about AI in the classroom.
  • Teachers must complete this course by August 1, 2028, or within two years after they get their teaching license, whichever is later.
  • School districts and public charter schools must give credit to teachers who finish the approved AI training.

Who It Names or Affects

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

Terms To Know

asynchronous instruction
Learning that happens at different times and places, not all together like a regular class.
LEA
Local Education Agency, which is usually the school district or county board of education.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how much it will cost to create and run these courses.
  • It's unclear if there are enough AI experts to make all the required training materials.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB0545

Plain English: The amendment changes a date from August 1, 2027 to August 1, 2028 in the bill's text.

  • Changes the implementation or effective date of a provision in the original bill from August 1, 2027 to August 1, 2028.
  • The amendment does not provide details about what specific action is being delayed by one year.
  • It's unclear how this date change will affect other parts of the bill or its overall implementation.
Amendment 1-0 to SB0677

Plain English: The amendment changes a specific date from August 1, 2027 to August 1, 2028 in the bill's language.

  • Changes the implementation or effective date of a provision in the original bill from August 1, 2027 to August 1, 2028.
  • The amendment text does not provide details about what specific action is being delayed by one year.
  • It's unclear what the broader impact of this date change will be without more context from the original bill.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  2. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  3. 2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  4. 2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  5. 2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 32, Nays 0

  6. 2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0837)

  7. 2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/6/2026

  8. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  9. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  10. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  11. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  12. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  13. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  14. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  15. 2026-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  16. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  17. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  18. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  19. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  20. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed behind the budget

  21. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  22. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  23. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  24. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  25. 2025-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  26. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  27. 2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  28. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  29. 2025-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  30. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  31. 2025-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  32. 2025-02-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  33. 2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  34. 2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  35. 2025-02-14 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  36. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  37. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Education Committee

  38. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  39. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Education Administration Subcommittee

  40. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Education Committee

  41. 2025-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  42. 2025-01-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  43. 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.