SB1585 • 2026

Education

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4; Title 9; Title 12; Title 48; Title 49 and Title 67, relative to education.

Education Taxes

Active

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

Sponsor: Johnson, Slater
Last action: 2026-03-23
Official status: Sponsor(s) Added.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official summary does not specify which titles are amended beyond Titles 49 and 67.

Education Changes

This bill removes outdated reporting requirements for literacy practices from Tennessee's education laws.

What This Bill Does

Removes references to an old rule that required the state department of education to report on certain literacy practices, standards, and requirements.

Who It Names or Affects

The Tennessee Department of Education

Terms To Know

Tennessee Code Annotated: A collection of all the laws passed by the state legislature, organized into different titles.
Literacy practices: The methods and standards used to teach reading and writing skills in schools.

Limits and Unknowns

It is not clear how many specific changes will be made until the bill becomes a law.
This bill does not add any new requirements or funding for education.

Amendments

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

HA1025

Amendment 1-0 to HB1881

Plain English: The amendment changes how schools receiving Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) must test and report student performance.

Participating students in grades three through eleven must take either a nationally standardized achievement test or TCAP tests for math and English language arts each year.
Schools participating in ESAs must provide the results of these tests to parents annually.
The state department will sample student performance data from third to eighth graders who took TCAP tests the previous year.
Participating schools must report test results to OREA by June 30 each year, using aggregated and deidentified data.

Some technical details about how the state board will implement rules are not fully explained in plain English.

SA0787

Amendment 1-0 to SB1585

Plain English: The amendment changes requirements for students receiving Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) by adding annual testing and reporting rules.

Students in grades three through eleven who receive ESAs must take a standardized test each year, as determined by the state board's rules.
Participating schools must give these tests to ESA students and share results with parents.
The department will choose some participating students for academic performance assessment based on their TCAP scores from the previous school year.
Schools providing ESAs must report test results annually to OREA, which will analyze data and submit reports to legislative committees.

Some parts of the amendment are technical and may be hard to understand without additional context.

Bill History

2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/14/2026
2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly
Assigned to s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee
2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly
Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee
2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. Education Committee for 3/31/2026
2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly
Rec for pass if am by s/c ref. to Education Committee
2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) Added.
2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly
Re-refer to S. Cal Comm
2026-03-20 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/23/2026
2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly
Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 7, Nays 0 PNV 0
2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) Added.
2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on s/c cal K-12 Subcommittee for 3/24/2026
2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly
Action Def. in s/c K-12 Subcommittee to 3/24/2026
2026-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Education Committee calendar for 3/18/2026
2026-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) Added.
2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly
Action deferred in Senate Education Committee to 3/18/2026
2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on s/c cal K-12 Subcommittee for 3/17/2026
2026-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly
Action Def. in s/c K-12 Subcommittee to 3/17/2026
2026-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Education Committee calendar for 3/11/2026
2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on s/c cal K-12 Subcommittee for 3/10/2026
2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly
Assigned to s/c K-12 Subcommittee
2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly
Ref. to Education Committee
2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly
P2C, caption bill, held on desk - pending amdt.
2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly
Intro., P1C.
2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly
Filed for introduction
2026-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly
Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Education Committee
2026-01-13 Tennessee General Assembly
Introduced, Passed on First Consideration
2026-01-12 Tennessee General Assembly
Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Abstract summarizes the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

HOUSE BILL 1881
By Slater

SENATE BILL 1585
By Johnson
SB1585
010172
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4;
Title 9; Title 12; Title 48; Title 49 and Title 67,
relative to education.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-1-908, is amended by deleting the
section.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.