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SB1951 • 2026

School Transportation

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, relative to school transportation.

Education
Active

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

Sponsor
Lowe, Rudd
Last action
2026-04-06
Official status
Effective date(s) 04/13/2026
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary and text do not provide information about regular inspections of older buses beyond removing an old rule for buses between 15 to 18 years old.

School Bus Safety and Usage

This bill changes rules about how long school buses can be used for transporting students to after-school programs and requires regular inspections of older buses.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows a conventional or Class D school bus that only transports students from school to an after-school program to keep running until it is 20 years old or has traveled 300,000 miles, whichever comes later.
  • Requires the owner of such a bus to notify the Tennessee Department of Safety in writing via certified mail when the bus reaches either age limit or mileage limit and must discontinue use at the end of the school year if it reaches these limits.
  • Removes an old rule about inspecting buses between 15 and 18 years old.

Who It Names or Affects

  • School bus owners who transport students to after-school programs
  • The Tennessee Department of Safety

Terms To Know

conventional or Class D school bus
A regular type of school bus used for transporting students.
in-service date
The date when a bus starts being used to transport students.

Limits and Unknowns

  • Does not specify what happens if the owner does not follow the rules about inspections or stopping use of old buses.
  • It is unclear how many school districts will be affected by this change in Tennessee.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB1856

Plain English: The amendment allows school buses used exclusively for transporting students to after-school programs to be used until they are twenty years old or have traveled 300,000 miles, whichever comes later, with certain conditions.

  • School buses that transport students only to after-school programs can now operate up to the later of either 20 years from when the bus was first used or reaching 300,000 miles in travel.
  • After this period, the owner must stop using the bus by the end of the school year and replace it if necessary.
  • Buses that have been in use for more than 15 years must be inspected twice a year.
  • The amendment does not specify what happens to buses after they reach the 20-year mark or 300,000 miles beyond the end of the school year.
Amendment 1-0 to SB1951

Plain English: The amendment allows school buses used exclusively for transporting students to after-school programs to be kept in service longer under certain conditions.

  • School buses that are only used to take students from school to after-school programs can now stay in use until they reach the later of twenty years or three hundred thousand miles, as long as they meet safety requirements and get inspected twice a year if over fifteen years old.
  • The exact impact on school districts' budgets and bus maintenance schedules is not specified.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 04/13/2026

  2. 2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 656

  3. 2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 656

  4. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Returned by Governor without signature.

  5. 2026-03-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for action.

  6. 2026-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  7. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  8. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled and ready for signatures

  9. 2026-03-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 92, Nays 0, PNV 1

  10. 2026-03-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Am. withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - HA0647)

  11. 2026-03-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Subst. for comp. HB.

  12. 2026-03-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  13. 2026-03-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. SB subst.

  14. 2026-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 3/16/2026

  15. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 3/12/2026

  16. 2026-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  17. 2026-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rcvd. from S., held on H. desk.

  18. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  19. 2026-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  20. 2026-03-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  21. 2026-03-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 32, Nays 0

  22. 2026-03-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0541)

  23. 2026-02-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/2/2026

  24. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  25. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Transportation Subcommittee for 3/3/2026

  26. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  27. 2026-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Education Committee calendar for 2/25/2026

  28. 2026-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Education Committee to 2/25/2026

  29. 2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Education Committee calendar for 2/18/2026

  30. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Education Committee

  31. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Transportation Subcommittee

  32. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Transportation Committee

  33. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  34. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  35. 2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  36. 2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

ON MARCH 2, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 1951, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 makes the following changes:



Restores the present law that requires

the commissioner or the commissioner's designee to inspect at least twice annually any
conventional or Class D bus that is in use for more than
15
years from its in-service date

but not more than
18
years from such date
.



Adds that a school bus as described in the bill and in use for
more than
15
years from its in-service date must
also be
inspected by the commissioner or the commissioner's designee at least twice annually
, without the 18-year limitation described above.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 1856
By Rudd

SENATE BILL 1951
By Lowe
SB1951
011150
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49,
relative to school transportation.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-6-2109(b), is amended by adding
the following as a new subdivision:
(11) Notwithstanding subdivisions (b)(1) and (b)(2), a conventional or Class D
school bus that is used exclusively to transport students from school to an after-school
program may be used until the bus reaches the twentieth year from the in-service date of
the bus, or until the bus accumulates three hundred thousand (300,000) miles of
recorded travel, whichever occurs later. After the bus reaches the later of twenty (20)
years of service or three hundred thousand (300,000) miles of recorded travel, the owner
of the bus may continue to operate the bus throughout the remainder of the school year,
but at the conclusion of the school year the owner must discontinue use of, or replace,
the bus. The bus must meet all requirements for its continued safe use and operation
during the remainder of the school year, and the owner of the bus shall notify the
department of safety in writing, via certified mail, that the bus has reached twenty (20)
years of service or three hundred thousand (300,000) miles of recorded travel.
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-6-2109(b)(4), is amended by
deleting ", but not more than eighteen (18) years from such date,".
SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.