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SB2159 • 2026

Education, Higher

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-4-708, relative to the Tennessee Promise scholarship endowment fund.

Education
Active

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

Sponsor
Watson, Lamberth
Last action
2026-04-02
Official status
Rcvd. from S., held on H. desk.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The exact amount of funds transferred annually cannot be predicted due to varying lottery sales and other factors.

Tennessee Promise Scholarship Fund Cap

This bill sets a limit on how much money can be transferred from the Lottery for Education Account to the Tennessee Promise scholarship fund each year.

What This Bill Does

  • Limits the amount of funds that can be transferred from the Lottery for Education Account to the Tennessee Promise Scholarship Special Reserve Account to $10 million per fiscal year starting in 2025-2026.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The state treasurer
  • The commissioner of finance and administration
  • Colleges and universities that receive funding from the Tennessee Promise Scholarship

Terms To Know

Lottery for Education Account
A fund where money from lottery sales goes to support education in Tennessee.
Tennessee Promise Scholarship Special Reserve Account
An account that holds funds used to provide scholarships for college tuition in Tennessee.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The exact amount of money saved or transferred each year cannot be predicted because it depends on lottery sales and other factors.
  • If more than $10 million would have been moved, the extra money stays in the Lottery for Education Account instead.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  2. 2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  3. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  4. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate, Ayes 33, Nays 0

  5. 2026-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Consent Calendar 2 for 3/30/2026

  6. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  7. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee

  8. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed behind the budget

  9. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 3/24/2026

  10. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee to 3/24/2026

  11. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 3/18/2026

  12. 2026-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 3/17/2026

  13. 2026-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  14. 2026-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  15. 2026-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  16. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

  17. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  18. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  19. 2026-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Education Committee calendar for 3/4/2026

  20. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Education Committee to 3/4/2026

  21. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  22. 2026-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  23. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Education Committee

  24. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Higher Education Subcommittee

  25. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Education Committee

  26. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  27. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  28. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  29. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Abstract summarizes the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 2106
By Lamberth

SENATE BILL 2159
By Watson
SB2159
012251
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Section
49-4-708, relative to the Tennessee Promise
scholarship endowment fund.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-4-708(d)(7), is amended by
deleting the first sentence and substituting instead:
Beginning in fiscal year 2025-2026, funds in the lottery for education account,
established in § 4-51-111(b), in excess of the sum of the general shortfall reserve
subaccount provided in § 4-51-111(b)(3) and ten million dollars ($10,000,000), must be
transferred to the Tennessee Promise scholarship special reserve account on at least an
annual basis or more frequently as determined by the state treasurer and the
commissioner of finance and administration; provided, that the amount transferred for
each fiscal year must not exceed ten million dollars ($10,000,000).
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.