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HB1036 • 2026

Education

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, Chapter 14; Title 49, Chapter 4; Title 49, Chapter 50; Title 49, Chapter 7; Title 49, Chapter 8 and Title 49, Chapter 9, relative to education.

Education
Enacted

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

Sponsor
Baum, Reeves
Last action
2025-04-29
Official status
Comp. became Pub. Ch. 267
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide details about the frequency of evaluations or specific recommendations for additional public universities operating an innovative school district.

Education Changes for Tennessee

This bill allows university boards in Tennessee to hold private meetings about senior staff, job positions, and contracts but requires that any decisions on these topics must be made during public meetings.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows state university board trustees to conduct private meetings to discuss matters related to senior administration, personnel positions, and contracts.
  • Requires that any actions on these topics must be taken in public meetings.

Who It Names or Affects

  • State university board trustees

Terms To Know

Innovative School District
A new type of school district that operates differently from traditional districts to improve education.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how often evaluations of innovative school districts should occur.
  • It is unclear what specific recommendations the department can make regarding additional public universities operating an innovative school district.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB1036

Plain English: The amendment changes how meetings of state university boards are conducted by allowing them to hold private discussions on certain topics while still making most meetings available online.

  • State university board meetings must be streamed live and archived for public viewing, except for private meetings about senior administration, personnel positions, and contracts.
  • Private meetings can discuss these sensitive topics but cannot make decisions in those sessions.
  • The amendment does not specify which other laws it might override with its provisions on private meetings.
Amendment 1-0 to SB1024

Plain English: The amendment changes how meetings of state university boards are conducted by allowing certain discussions to happen privately while still making most meetings available online.

  • State university board meetings must be streamed live and archived on their websites for public viewing, except for private meetings about senior administration, personnel positions, and contracts.
  • Private meetings can discuss these sensitive topics but cannot make decisions or take actions on them without a public meeting.
  • The amendment does not specify which other laws it might override with its provisions for private meetings.

Bill History

  1. 2025-04-29 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 267

  2. 2025-04-29 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 04/24/2025

  3. 2025-04-29 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 267

  4. 2025-04-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for action.

  6. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  7. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  8. 2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled and ready for signatures

  9. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. SB subst.

  10. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  11. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 82, Nays 13, PNV 0

  12. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Am. withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - HA0306)

  13. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Subst. for comp. HB.

  14. 2025-04-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/14/2025

  15. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/10/2025

  16. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  17. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  18. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 30, Nays 1

  19. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0290)

  20. 2025-04-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/7/2025

  21. 2025-04-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate Reset on calendar for 4/7/2025

  22. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  23. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/3/2025

  24. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  25. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 8, Nays 1 PNV 0

  26. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  27. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  28. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  29. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  30. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  31. 2025-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor change.

  32. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Higher Education Subcommittee for 3/19/2025

  33. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  34. 2025-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Reassigned to Higher Education Subcommittee

  35. 2025-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor change.

  36. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Education Committee

  37. 2025-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c K-12 Subcommittee

  38. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Education Committee

  39. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  40. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  41. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  42. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

ON APRIL 7, 2025, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 1024, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 rewrites the bill to, instead, authorize
a state university board of trustees
to
conduct private meetings to discuss or deliberate on matters
related to senior administration, personnel positions, and contracts
. However,
a state university board of trustees
must
not take action on
such
matters in a private meeting.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 1024
By Reeves

HOUSE BILL 1036
By Baum

HB1036
003152
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49,
Chapter 14; Title 49, Chapter 4; Title 49, Chapter
50; Title 49, Chapter 7; Title 49, Chapter 8 and
Title 49, Chapter 9, relative to education.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-8-1508, is amended by
designating the existing language as subsection (a) and adding the following as a new
subsection:
(b) After the first full school year of operation for an innovative school district in
this state, the department shall evaluate the effectiveness of the innovative school
district and make recommendations to the education committee of the senate and the
committee of the house of representatives having jurisdiction over education. The
department's recommendations may include encouraging additional public universities to
operate an innovative school district based upon future state educational needs.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.