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SB0631 • 2026

Holidays and Days of Special Observance

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 15, Chapter 2, relative to days of special observance.

Children Education
Active

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

Sponsor
Campbell, Bulso
Last action
2025-03-11
Official status
Assigned to General Subcommittee of Senate State and Local Government Committee
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not specify if the recognition of founding Nashville's first charter school is included in the bill's text.

Sister Sandra Smithson Day

This bill designates March 3 as Sister Sandra Smithson Day in Tennessee to honor her contributions to education and low-income families.

What This Bill Does

  • Designates March 3 of each year as Sister Sandra Smithson Day.
  • Honors Sister Sandra Smithson's contributions to education and helping low-income families.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People in Tennessee who celebrate or learn about Sister Sandra Smithson's work.

Terms To Know

Charter School
A public school that has more freedom than regular public schools to choose its own programs and ways of educating students.

Limits and Unknowns

  • Sister Sandra Smithson Day is not a legal holiday and does not give people the day off from work.
  • The bill only adds one new section to Tennessee's laws about special observance days.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB0326

Plain English: The amendment adds March 3 of every year as 'Sister Sandra Smithson Day' to honor her contributions to education in Tennessee.

  • Adds March 3 each year as 'Sister Sandra Smithson Day'.
  • Honors Sister Sandra Smithson for her work with underprivileged children and founding Nashville's first charter school.
  • The day is not a legal holiday, so it does not affect public business or schools.

Bill History

  1. 2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to General Subcommittee of Senate State and Local Government Committee

  2. 2025-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/11/2025

  3. 2025-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate State and Local Government Committee to 3/11/2025

  4. 2025-02-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Received from House, Passed on First Consideration

  5. 2025-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/4/2025

  6. 2025-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate State and Local Government Committee to 3/4/2025

  7. 2025-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to Sen.

  8. 2025-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., as am., Ayes 96, Nays 0, PNV 0

  9. 2025-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  10. 2025-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. adopted am. (Amendment 1 - HA0004)

  11. 2025-02-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 2/24/2025

  12. 2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 2/20/2025

  13. 2025-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 2/25/2025

  14. 2025-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  15. 2025-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  16. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  17. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Education Committee for 2/18/2025

  18. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  19. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Education Committee

  20. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Naming & Designating Committee for 2/10/2025

  21. 2025-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Naming & Designating Committee - Education Committee

  22. 2025-01-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  23. 2025-01-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  24. 2025-01-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

ON FEBRUARY 24, 2025, THE HOUSE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED HOUSE BILL 326, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1
revises and adds additional whereas clauses to the preamble about Sister Sandra Smithson.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 326
By Bulso

SENATE BILL 631
By Campbell

SB0631
002038
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 15,
Chapter 2, relative to days of special observance.

WHEREAS, Sister Sandra Olivia Smithson was an educator, visionary, and advocate for
low-income families through education; and
WHEREAS, Sister Smithson spent sixty-seven years of her life in religious service,
working in missions in both the United States and South America; and
WHEREAS, Sister Smithson returned to her hometown of Nashville in the 1980s and
saw a great and critical need to better the lives of children by creating educational opportunities;
and
WHEREAS, Sister Smithson founded Nashville's first charter school, Smithson
Craighead Academy; now, therefore,
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 15, Chapter 2, is amended by adding
the following as a new section:
March 3 of every year is observed as "Sister Sandra Smithson Day," to honor the
immeasurable impact Sister Smithson had on this state by bettering the lives of children
in need through the power of improved educational opportunities and the founding of
Nashville's first charter school. This day is not a legal holiday as defined in § 15-1-101.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.