SB2338 • 2026

Fire Prevention and Investigation

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 68, relative to grants to volunteer fire departments.

Active

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

Sponsor: Seal, Hicks G
Last action: 2026-04-15
Official status: Action deferred in Senate Finance, Ways and Means Committee / Behind Budget
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide details on how grant decisions are made, only that certain requirements for distribution and use of funds have been changed.

Firefighter Grant Program Changes

This bill changes Tennessee's volunteer firefighter grant program by allowing funds for fire trucks and vehicles and removing the requirement that grants be split evenly among three regions of the state.

What This Bill Does

Allows volunteer fire departments to use grant money to buy fire trucks or other vehicles, not just firefighting equipment.
Removes the rule that requires grants to be split evenly between three parts of Tennessee.

Who It Names or Affects

Volunteer fire departments in Tennessee
The commissioner of commerce and insurance

Terms To Know

grant: Money given by the government to help with specific projects or needs.
volunteer fire department: A group of unpaid firefighters who protect their community from fires and other emergencies.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify how much money will be given out in grants.
It is unclear when the bill might become a law or what steps it needs to take next.

Amendments

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

HA0799

Amendment 1-0 to HB2446

Plain English: The amendment creates a new grant program to help volunteer fire departments in Tennessee buy vehicles by providing state funding for part of their local match needed for federal grants.

Establishes a volunteer firefighter vehicle grant program that provides annual grants to selected volunteer fire departments.
Requires the commissioner of commerce and insurance to distribute funds proportionally based on the number of recognized volunteer fire departments in each grand division of Tennessee.
Directs the commissioner to create rules for evaluating grant requests and determining which departments receive grants.

The exact amount of state contribution is not specified, only that it will be less than the total local match needed.

SA0660

Amendment 1-0 to SB2338

Plain English: The amendment changes what firefighting equipment can be used for grants by removing certain restrictions and clarifying definitions.

Removes language from Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 68-102-154(e)(1), that previously excluded some types of vehicles from grant eligibility.
Revises the definition of 'firefighting equipment' in Section 68-102-154(a)(1) to focus on its purpose rather than specific items.

The exact impact and scope of these changes are limited by the existing context not provided here.
Section 3(b) makes this amendment's effectiveness contingent upon another act becoming law, which is not detailed in the given text.

Bill History

2026-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly
Action deferred in Senate Finance, Ways and Means Committee / Behind Budget
2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 4/15/2026
2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly
Action deferred in Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee to 4/15/2026
2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 4/14/2026
2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/14/2026
2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed behind the budget
2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/8/2026
2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) Added.
2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly
Assigned to s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee
2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly
Rec. for pass; ref to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee
2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. Government Operations Committee for 3/30/2026
2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly
Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Government Operations Committee
2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/24/2026
2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly
Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to State & Local Government Committee
2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on s/c cal Cities & Counties Subcommittee for 3/18/2026
2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly
Action Def. in s/c Cities & Counties Subcommittee to 3/18/2026
2026-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly
Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee Ayes 9, Nays 0 PNV 0
2026-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) Added.
2026-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on s/c cal Cities & Counties Subcommittee for 3/11/2026
2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) Added.
2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Commerce and Labor Committee calendar for 3/10/2026
2026-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly
Action deferred in Senate Commerce and Labor Committee to 3/10/2026
2026-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) Added.
2026-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Commerce and Labor Committee calendar for 3/3/2026
2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly
Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Commerce and Labor Committee
2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly
Assigned to s/c Cities & Counties Subcommittee
2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly
P2C, ref. to State & Local Government Committee
2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly
Intro., P1C.
2026-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly
Filed for introduction
2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly
Introduced, Passed on First Consideration
2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly
Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Present law establishes the v
olunteer firefighter equipment and training grant program

to annually provide grants to select volunteer fire departments to be used for the purchase of firefighting equipment or to meet local match requirements of federal grants for the purchase of firefighting equipment and training.
As used in present law, "firefighting equipment" does not include fire trucks or vehicles. For grants awarded after June 30, 2026, this bill revises this provision to, instead, include fire tru
cks or vehicles as firefighting equipment.

Present law requires the
commissioner of commerce and insurance
to
decide which grants to award and
to
disburse the grants to the selected volunteer fire departments.

The total amount of grants awarded each year must be equally divided among the
three
grand divisions of the state.
For grants awarded after June 30, 2026, this bill removes the requirement that the
total amount of grants awarded each year must be equally divided among the
three
grand divisions of the state
.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

HOUSE BILL 2446
By Hicks G

SENATE BILL 2338
By Seal
SB2338
010163
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 68,
relative to grants to volunteer fire departments.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 68-102-154(d), is amended by
deleting the language:
The total amount of grants awarded each year must be equally divided among the three
(3) grand divisions of the state.
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 68-102-154(e)(1), is amended by
deleting the language:
, other than fire trucks or vehicles
SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it,
and applies to grants awarded after June 30, 2026.