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HB2446 • 2026

Fire Prevention and Investigation

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 68, relative to grants to volunteer fire departments.

Active

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

Sponsor
Hicks G, Seal
Last action
2026-04-16
Official status
H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/20/2026
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide details on how grant decisions are made or the impact on funding levels.

Fire Prevention and Volunteer Fire Department Grants

This bill changes Tennessee's volunteer firefighter grant program by allowing funds for fire trucks or vehicles and removing the requirement that grants be split evenly among three regions of the state.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows volunteer fire departments to use grant money to buy fire trucks or other vehicles, not just firefighting equipment.
  • Removes the rule that requires grants to be split evenly between three parts of Tennessee.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Volunteer fire departments in Tennessee
  • The commissioner of commerce and insurance

Terms To Know

grant program
A government plan that gives money to organizations or individuals for specific purposes.
grand divisions
Three main regions in Tennessee: East, Middle, and West.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how the commissioner will decide which fire departments receive grants.
  • It is unclear if this change will affect funding levels for volunteer fire departments.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB2446

Plain English: House State & Local Government 1 Amendment No.

  • House State & Local Government 1 Amendment No.
  • 1 to HB2446 Crawford Signature of Sponsor AMEND Senate Bill No.
  • 2338* House Bill No.
  • 2446 HA0799 016214 - 1 - by deleting all language after the enacting clause and substituting: SECTION 1.
Amendment 2-0 to HB2446

Plain English: House Finance, Ways, and Means 1 Amendment No.

  • House Finance, Ways, and Means 1 Amendment No.
  • 2 to HB2446 Hicks G Signature of Sponsor AMEND Senate Bill No.
  • 2338* House Bill No.
  • 2446 HA1201 017668 - 1 - by deleting all language after the enacting clause and substituting: SECTION 1.
Amendment 1-0 to SB2338

Plain English: Senate Commerce and Labor 1 Amendment No.

  • Senate Commerce and Labor 1 Amendment No.
  • 1 to SB2338 Bailey Signature of Sponsor AMEND Senate Bill No.
  • 2338* House Bill No.
  • 2446 SA0660 015058 - 1 - by deleting all language after the enacting clause and substituting: SECTION 1.
Amendment 2-0 to SB2338

Plain English: Senate Finance, Ways, and Means 1 Amendment No.

  • Senate Finance, Ways, and Means 1 Amendment No.
  • 2 to SB2338 Watson Signature of Sponsor AMEND Senate Bill No.
  • 2338* House Bill No.
  • 2446 SA1050 017668 - 1 - by deleting all language after the enacting clause and substituting: SECTION 1.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/20/2026

  2. 2026-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  3. 2026-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/16/2026

  4. 2026-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  5. 2026-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Finance, Ways, and Means Committee for 4/15/2026

  6. 2026-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  7. 2026-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/15/2026

  8. 2026-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Finance, Ways and Means Committee / Behind Budget

  9. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 4/15/2026

  10. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee to 4/15/2026

  11. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/14/2026

  12. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed behind the budget

  13. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 4/14/2026

  14. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/8/2026

  15. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  16. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  17. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  18. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Government Operations Committee for 3/30/2026

  19. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Government Operations Committee

  20. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/24/2026

  21. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to State & Local Government Committee

  22. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Cities & Counties Subcommittee for 3/18/2026

  23. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Cities & Counties Subcommittee to 3/18/2026

  24. 2026-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee Ayes 9, Nays 0 PNV 0

  25. 2026-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Cities & Counties Subcommittee for 3/11/2026

  26. 2026-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  27. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  28. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Commerce and Labor Committee calendar for 3/10/2026

  29. 2026-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Commerce and Labor Committee to 3/10/2026

  30. 2026-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  31. 2026-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Commerce and Labor Committee calendar for 3/3/2026

  32. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Cities & Counties Subcommittee

  33. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to State & Local Government Committee

  34. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Commerce and Labor Committee

  35. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  36. 2026-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  37. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  38. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Present law establishes the v
olunteer firefighter equipment and training grant program

to annually provide grants to select volunteer fire departments to be used for the purchase of firefighting equipment or to meet local match requirements of federal grants for the purchase of firefighting equipment and training.
As used in present law, "firefighting equipment" does not include fire trucks or vehicles. For grants awarded after June 30, 2026, this bill revises this provision to, instead, include fire tru
cks or vehicles as firefighting equipment.

Present law requires the
commissioner of commerce and insurance
to
decide which grants to award and
to
disburse the grants to the selected volunteer fire departments.

The total amount of grants awarded each year must be equally divided among the
three
grand divisions of the state.
For grants awarded after June 30, 2026, this bill removes the requirement that the
total amount of grants awarded each year must be equally divided among the
three
grand divisions of the state
.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 2338
By Seal

HOUSE BILL 2446
By Hicks G
HB2446
010163
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 68,
relative to grants to volunteer fire departments.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 68-102-154(d), is amended by
deleting the language:
The total amount of grants awarded each year must be equally divided among the three
(3) grand divisions of the state.
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 68-102-154(e)(1), is amended by
deleting the language:
, other than fire trucks or vehicles
SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it,
and applies to grants awarded after June 30, 2026.