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SB2201 • 2026

Juvenile Offenders

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 37; Title 49, Chapter 6, Part 30 and Title 55, Chapter 10, relative to truancy.

Children Education
Active

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

Sponsor
Haile, Jones R
Last action
2026-04-14
Official status
Signed by Senate Speaker
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not provide information on how the change will affect students under 16 years old or those who already have a driver's license when the suspension starts.

Juvenile Offenders and Truancy

This bill changes Tennessee's laws to allow juvenile judges or magistrates to suspend a student's driving privileges for up to one year if the student is found unruly after being referred to court for truancy.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes the law so that when a student is sent to juvenile court for skipping school and is found to be unruly, the judge can take away their right to drive or get a driver's license for up to one year.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Students who are sent to juvenile court for skipping school and found unruly by a judge or magistrate.
  • Juvenile judges and magistrates who decide on cases involving truancy.

Terms To Know

Unlawfully absent
When a student misses school without permission from the school.
Adjudicated unruly
A decision by a judge that a young person's behavior is not following rules and laws.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what happens if a student already has a driver’s license when the suspension starts.
  • It is unclear how this change will affect students who are under 16 years old, as they may not have driving privileges yet.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB2146

Plain English: The amendment changes the start date for when certain parts of Senate Bill No. 2201 will begin to take effect.

  • Changes the effective date from whatever was originally planned to January 1, 2027.
  • The amendment does not provide details about what specific parts of SB2201 are being delayed or why this new start date is required for public welfare.
Amendment 1-0 to SB2201

Plain English: The amendment changes the effective date of SB2201 to January 1, 2027.

  • Changes the effective date of the bill from its current unspecified date to January 1, 2027.
  • The original effective date is not specified in the provided amendment text, so it's unclear what the previous effective date was.
  • There are no details about why this specific date was chosen or any other changes made to the bill content.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  2. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled and ready for signatures

  3. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 67, Nays 18, PNV 3

  4. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Am. withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - HA1004)

  5. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Subst. for comp. HB.

  6. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. SB subst.

  7. 2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  8. 2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/7/2026

  9. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/2/2026

  10. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  11. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  12. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  13. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 26, Nays 7

  14. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0770)

  15. 2026-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/30/2026

  16. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Education Committee for 3/31/2026

  17. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Education Committee to 4/1/2026

  18. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Education Committee for 3/24/2026

  19. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 6, Nays 2 PNV 0

  20. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Education Committee to 3/24/2026

  21. 2026-03-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/17/2026

  22. 2026-03-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Judiciary Committee to 3/17/2026

  23. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/16/2026

  24. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Education Committee for 3/17/2026

  25. 2026-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Education Committee to 3/17/2026

  26. 2026-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  27. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  28. 2026-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  29. 2026-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  30. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Education Administration Subcommittee for 3/3/2026

  31. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  32. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Education Administration Subcommittee

  33. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Education Committee

  34. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  35. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  36. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  37. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

ON MARCH 30, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 2201, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 changes the effective date of the bill from July 1, 2026, to January 1, 2027.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 2146
By Jones R

SENATE BILL 2201
By Haile
SB2201
012224
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 37;
Title 49, Chapter 6, Part 30 and Title 55, Chapter
10, relative to truancy.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-6-3009(g), is amended by
designating the existing language as subdivision (1) and adding the following as a new
subdivision (2):
(2) If a student is referred to juvenile court for conduct described in subdivision
(g)(1) and is adjudicated to be unruly pursuant to title 37, chapter 1, part 1, then the
disposition may include, in addition to any other disposition authorized by law, the
suspension of the student's driving privileges or ability to obtain a driver license for a
period of up to one (1) year in accordance with title 55, chapter 10, part 7.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect on July 1, 2026, the public welfare requiring it.