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HB2167 • 2026

Election Laws

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 2; Title 49, Chapter 11; Title 49, Chapter 7; Title 49, Chapter 8 and Title 49, Chapter 9, relative to election day.

Education Elections
Active

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

Sponsor
Barrett, Roberts
Last action
2026-04-02
Official status
Received from House, Passed on First Consideration
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary and text do not provide specific details on how online or asynchronous classes are affected, leaving some uncertainty.

Colby's Law: Academic Holiday for Election Day

This bill requires all public colleges and universities in Tennessee to observe an academic holiday on general election days.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires public institutions of higher education to have an academic holiday on general election day.
  • Allows these institutions to continue operations without closing during the holiday.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Public colleges and universities in Tennessee
  • Students attending public colleges and universities

Terms To Know

academic holiday
A day when students do not have any academic obligations, such as classes or assignments.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what happens if a student misses an important deadline due to the election day holiday.
  • It is unclear how this will affect online and asynchronous classes specifically.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB2167

Plain English: The amendment adds new section to Tennessee Code Annotated that encourages public institutions of higher education to promote student participation in general elections and allows them to observe an academic holiday on election day without closing down.

  • Adds a new section called 'Colby's Law' to Title 2, Chapter 1 of the Tennessee Code Annotated.
  • Requires each public institution of higher learning to implement measures that promote student participation in general elections and remove barriers for voting.
  • Allows institutions to observe an academic holiday on election day without closing down or suspending operations.
  • The exact nature of 'reasonable measures' and how they will be implemented is not detailed.
Amendment 1-0 to SB2634

Plain English: The amendment adds new section to Tennessee Code Annotated that requires public institutions of higher education to promote student participation in general elections and allows them to observe an academic holiday on election day without closing operations.

  • Public institutions of higher education must implement measures to encourage students' civic engagement during general elections, such as providing voting information and removing barriers for student participation.
  • Institutions can declare an academic holiday on the date of a general election but are not required to close or suspend regular operations.
  • The amendment does not specify what 'reasonable measures' institutions must take, leaving room for interpretation by each institution.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  2. 2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate Reset on calendar for 4/20/2026

  3. 2026-04-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/13/2026

  4. 2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Received from House, Passed on First Consideration

  5. 2026-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to Sen.

  6. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  7. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., as am., Ayes 89, Nays 0, PNV 4

  8. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. adopted am. (Amendment 1 - HA0873)

  9. 2026-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 3/30/2026

  10. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 3/26/2026

  11. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  12. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 9, Nays 0 PNV 0

  13. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/25/2026

  14. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/25/2026

  15. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate State and Local Government Committee to 3/25/2026

  16. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Education Committee for 3/24/2026

  17. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/24/2026

  18. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Education Committee to 3/24/2026

  19. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate State and Local Government Committee to 3/24/2026

  20. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Education Committee for 3/17/2026

  21. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/17/2026

  22. 2026-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Education Committee to 3/17/2026

  23. 2026-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Education Committee for 3/10/2026

  24. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Education Committee for 3/10/2026

  25. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  26. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Higher Education Subcommittee for 3/4/2026

  27. 2026-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Higher Education Subcommittee to Next Available Calendar

  28. 2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Higher Education Subcommittee for 2/18/2026

  29. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Higher Education Subcommittee

  30. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Education Committee

  31. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate State and Local Government Committee

  32. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  33. 2026-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  34. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  35. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  36. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

ON MARCH 30, 2026, THE HOUSE ADOPTED
AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED HOUSE BILL 2167, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 rewrites this bill to enact "Colby's Law", which requires each public institution of higher education to, on the date of a general election, implement reasonable measures to promote civic engagement and facilitate student participation in th
e election process.

This amendment authorizes institutions to observe an academic holiday on the date of a general election. An institution that elects to observe an academic holiday on the date of a general election is not required to close the institution or to suspend i
ts operations.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 2634
By Roberts

HOUSE BILL 2167
By Barrett
HB2167
012419
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 2;
Title 49, Chapter 11; Title 49, Chapter 7; Title 49,
Chapter 8 and Title 49, Chapter 9, relative to
election day.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 2-1-106, is amended by adding the
following as a new subsection:
(e)
(1) Notwithstanding another law to the contrary, all public institutions of higher
education in this state shall observe an academic holiday on each general election day.
(2) As used in this subsection (e), "academic holiday" means a cessation of all
academic obligations, such as in-person classes, online classes, asynchronous classes,
exams, quizzes, assignments, or any type of task, duty, or chore that has an effect on a
student's grade or involvement in a class at a public institution of higher education.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.