Appropriations

Plain English Breakdown

The bill specifies that the legislative intent is for funds to be appropriated similarly in future fiscal years, but it does not explicitly mandate continuation of funding beyond the initial appropriations.

School Safety Grants Act

This bill provides funding for school safety grants to help schools buy walk-through detectors and scanners or use them for other safety measures if they already have these devices.

What This Bill Does

• Gives $20 million to the Department of Education for public schools and charter schools to buy walk-through metal detectors and body scanners.
• Allows schools that already have these security devices to use the money for other ways to prevent, reduce, or respond to school shootings.
• Provides an additional $4 million specifically for non-public schools to purchase similar safety equipment.

Who It Names or Affects

• Public schools
• Charter schools
• Non-public schools

Terms To Know

LEAs

Local Education Agencies, which are the local school boards or other organizations that manage public schools.

nonrecurring funds

Money given for a specific purpose and not expected to be repeated in future years.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify how the remaining $4 million will be used beyond fiscal year 2025-2026.
• It is unclear if there are any restrictions on what other safety measures schools can use the funds for besides walk-through detectors and scanners.

Official Summary Text

This bill makes the following nonrecurring appropriations of funds to the department of education:

(1)
$20
million
for the sole purpose of providing school safety grants to LEAs and public charter schools to be used
to provide walk-through detectors and scanners in schools; provided, that if a school already has walk-through detectors and scanners installed, then the grants may be used for other prevention, reduction, and response efforts toward school shootings. I
t
is the legislative intent that such funds be appropriated for the same purpose in fiscal years 2026-2027 and 2027-2028
; and

(2)
$4
million
for the sole purpose of providing school safety grants to non-public schools to be used to provide walk-through de
tectors and scanners in schools; provided, that if a school already has walk-through detectors and scanners installed, then the grants may be used for other prevention, reduction, and response efforts toward school shootings.

Current Bill Text

SENATE BILL 873
By Reeves

HOUSE BILL 822
By Hale

HB0822
003030
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 9;
Title 39, Chapter 17, Part 13 and Title 49, relative
to school safety grants. This act makes
appropriations for school safety grants for the
fiscal years beginning July 1, 2024, and July 1,
2025.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. In addition to any funds appropriated by the provisions of this act, there is
appropriated the sum of $20,000,000 (nonrecurring) to the Department of Education, for the
sole purpose of providing school safety grants to LEAs and public charter schools to be used to
provide walk-through detectors and scanners in schools; provided, that if a school already has
walk-through detectors and scanners installed, then the grants may be used for other
prevention, reduction, and response efforts toward school shootings. It is the legislative intent
that such funds be appropriated for the same purpose in this section in fiscal years 2026-2027
and 2027-2028.
SECTION 2. In addition to any funds appropriated by the provisions of this act, there is
appropriated the sum of $4,000,000 (nonrecurring) to the Department of Education, for the sole
purpose of providing school safety grants to non-public schools in the same manner as funds
appropriated in Section 54, Item 1, line item 41 of Chapter 418 of the Public Acts of 2023 to be
to be used to provide walk-through detectors and scanners in schools; provided, that if a school
already has walk-through detectors and scanners installed, then the grants may be used for
other prevention, reduction, and response efforts toward school shootings.
SECTION 3. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.