HB1927 • 2026

Education, Dept. of

AN ACT to amend Chapter 7 of the Public Acts of the First Extraordinary Session of 2025, relative to the Education Freedom Act of 2025.

Education

Enacted

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

Sponsor: Bricken, Bowling
Last action: 2026-04-06
Official status: Comp. became Pub. Ch. 655
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not provide details on what happens if there is insufficient funding for all requested bonuses or how to distribute bonuses to teachers no longer employed by their schools.

Education Freedom Act of 2025 Amendment

This bill changes the deadline for local education agencies and charter schools to submit plans about teacher bonuses from June 1, 2026, to within 21 days after the bill becomes law.

What This Bill Does

Changes the deadline for local education agencies (LEAs) or public charter schools to send a plan about teacher bonuses from June 1, 2026, to within 21 calendar days from when the bill becomes law.

Who It Names or Affects

Local education agencies (LEAs) and public charter schools
Teachers who worked in Tennessee during the 2024-2025 school year

Terms To Know

local board of education: The group that manages a local school district.
public charter school governing body: The people or organization in charge of running a public charter school.

Limits and Unknowns

Does not specify what happens if the state does not have enough money to fund all requested bonuses.
Removes provisions about how to handle bonus funds for teachers no longer employed by their schools when the funds arrive.

Amendments

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

HA0634

Amendment 1-0 to HB1927

Plain English: The amendment changes how teachers can receive a one-time bonus of at least $2,000 if their local board or charter school governing body follows certain steps within 21 days after the act takes effect.

Teachers in eligible schools that follow specific procedures by a deadline will get a one-time bonus of at least $2,000 each.

The amendment does not specify how many teachers might be affected or what happens if the required funding is not available.
It's unclear from this text alone how schools currently receive funding for this section and what changes with the new rules.

HA0678

Amendment 2-0 to HB1927

Plain English: The amendment changes the word 'within' to 'than' in a specific part of the bill.

Replaces the word 'within' with 'than' in subsection (f) of Section 1.

It is unclear what this change means or how it will affect the overall meaning of the bill without more context.

SA0600

Amendment 1-0 to SB1891

Plain English: The amendment changes how teachers can receive bonus funding if their local board of education or charter school governing body adopts a specific resolution and submits it to the department within 21 days.

Removes subsection (f) from Section 4 of Chapter 7 of the Public Acts of 2025.
Adds new language in subsection (f) that allows for a one-time bonus of at least $2,000 to be given to teachers if their local board or charter school governing body adopts and submits a resolution within 21 days after the act takes effect.

The amendment does not specify what happens if funding is already in place for the local board of education or public charter school before this act becomes law.
It's unclear how the bonus will be funded and distributed to teachers.

Bill History

2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly
Comp. became Pub. Ch. 655
2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly
Effective date(s) 04/01/2026
2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly
Pub. Ch. 655
2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly
Signed by Governor.
2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly
Transmitted to Governor for action.
2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly
Signed by H. Speaker
2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly
Signed by Senate Speaker
2026-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly
Enrolled and ready for signatures
2026-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly
Concurred, Ayes 26, Nays 0, PNV 2 (Amendment 2 - HA0678)
2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Message Calendar for 3/19/2026
2026-03-16 Tennessee General Assembly
Comp. SB subst.
2026-03-16 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) Added.
2026-03-16 Tennessee General Assembly
Passed H., as am., Ayes 75, Nays 19, PNV 0
2026-03-16 Tennessee General Assembly
H. adopted am. (Amendment 2 - HA0678)
2026-03-16 Tennessee General Assembly
Am. withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - HA0634)
2026-03-16 Tennessee General Assembly
Subst. for comp. HB.
2026-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly
H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 3/16/2026
2026-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly
Rcvd. from S., held on H. desk.
2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 3/12/2026
2026-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly
Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Calendar & Rules Committee
2026-03-09 Tennessee General Assembly
Engrossed; ready for transmission to House
2026-03-09 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) Added.
2026-03-09 Tennessee General Assembly
Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 32, Nays 0
2026-03-09 Tennessee General Assembly
Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0600)
2026-03-06 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/9/2026
2026-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. Education Committee for 3/10/2026
2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. Education Committee for 3/10/2026
2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly
Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 9, Nays 0 PNV 0
2026-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly
Rec for pass if am by s/c ref. to Education Committee
2026-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Education Committee calendar for 3/4/2026
2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on s/c cal K-12 Subcommittee for 3/3/2026
2026-02-17 Tennessee General Assembly
Action Def. in s/c K-12 Subcommittee to 3/3/2026
2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on s/c cal K-12 Subcommittee for 2/17/2026
2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly
Assigned to s/c K-12 Subcommittee
2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly
P2C, ref. to Education Committee
2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly
Intro., P1C.
2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly
Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Education Committee
2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly
Filed for introduction
2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly
Introduced, Passed on First Consideration
2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly
Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

ON MARCH 9, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 1891, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 changes the deadline for an LEA or charter school governing body to submit the resolution concerning teacher bonuses from June 1, 2026, to
within 21 calendar days from the date that this bill becomes a law. This amendment also removes the provision concerning redistribution of bonuses of teachers were employed by the LEA or public charter school in the 2024-2025 school year but are no longe
r so employed when the funds for the bonuses are received.

ON MARCH 16, 2026, THE HOUSE SUBSTITUTED SENATE BILL 1891, ADOPTED AMENDMENT #2, AND PASSED SENATE BILL 1891, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #2 makes a technical correction.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

SENATE BILL 1891
By Bowling

HOUSE BILL 1927
By Bricken
HB1927
010920
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Chapter 7 of the Public Acts of the First
Extraordinary Session of 2025, relative to the
Education Freedom Act of 2025.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Section 4 of Chapter 7 of the Public Acts of the First Extraordinary Session
of 2025, is amended by deleting subsection (f) and substituting instead the following:
(f)
(1) Subject to appropriation and notwithstanding subdivision (b)(2), if, on
the effective date of this act, a local board of education or public charter school
governing body has not received funding from the department for purposes of
this section and the local board or governing body adopts the resolution required
in subsection (b) and submits the resolution to the department by June 1, 2026,
then the department shall award a one-time bonus in an amount that is no less
than two thousand dollars ($2,000) to each teacher who was employed in the
LEA or public charter school in the 2024-2025 school year.
(2) If a teacher who was employed by the LEA or public charter school in
the 2024-2025 school year is not employed by the LEA or public charter school
when any funds are received from the department for purposes of this subsection
(f), then the amount of any bonus that would have been awarded to such teacher
must be distributed among the teachers who were employed by the LEA or public
charter school in the 2024-2025 school year and who are employed by the LEA
or public charter school when any funds are received from the department for
purposes of this subsection (f). A teacher who was not employed in a

- 2 - 010920

kindergarten through grade twelve (K-12) public school for the 2024-2025 school
year is not eligible to receive a one-time bonus pursuant to this subsection (f).
(g) For purposes of this section, "teacher" has the same meaning as "existing
educator," as that term is defined in § 49-3-104.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.