Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

Tennessee House Bill HB0025 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1
2	2		SENATE BILL 16
3		-	By ~~Lowe~~
	3	+	By Hensley
4	4
5	5		HOUSE BILL 25
6	6		By Cepicky
7	7
8	8
9	9		HB0025
10	10		000159
11	11		- 1 -
12	12
13	13		AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49,
14	14		relative to interscholastic athletics.
15	15
16	16		BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
17	17		SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, Chapter 2, is amended by adding
18	18		the following as a new part:
19	19		49-2-901.
20	20		A public school shall not use public funds to join, become members of, or
21	21		maintain membership in an association that regulates interscholastic athletics if the
22	22		association prohibits a student from participating in an interscholastic athletic
23	23		competition due to the student transferring no more than once from a school at which the
24	24		student previously participated in an interscholastic athletic competition regulated by the
25	25		association. For purposes of this section, a transfer does not include completion of the
26	26		highest grade at the school.
27	27		49-2-902.
28	28		(a) Public schools, including public charter schools, shall not use public funds to
29	29		join, become members of, or maintain membership in an association that regulates
30	30		interscholastic athletics unless the association's governing board voluntarily complies
31	31		with the open meetings laws, compiled in title 8, chapter 44, part 1.
32	32		(b) Notwithstanding subsection (a), an association that regulates interscholastic
33	33		athletics may conduct a closed meeting, or close a portion of an otherwise open
34	34		meeting, if confidential information protected by the Family Educational Rights and
35	35		Privacy Act (20 U.S.C. § 1232g), § 10-7-504, or any other relevant privacy law or
36	36
37	37
38	38		- 2 - 000159
39	39
40	40		privilege, must be discussed. No other business, other than the business to which the
41	41		confidential information relates, shall be addressed during such a closed meeting.
42	42		49-2-903.
43	43		(a)
44	44		(1) If a student is placed in foster care, as defined in § 37-1-102(b)(17),
45	45		and the student seeks to participate in interscholastic athletics, then the public
46	46		school or public charter school in which the student is enrolled shall notify an
47	47		association that regulates interscholastic athletics of the student's placement in
48	48		foster care, if failure to notify the association of the student's placement may
49	49		result in the student being deemed ineligible to participate in athletics for any
50	50		period of time.
51	51		(2) Notwithstanding subdivision (a)(1), a public school or public charter
52	52		school shall not notify an association that regulates interscholastic athletics of a
53	53		student's placement in foster care unless the school first obtains written consent
54	54		from the student's parent or legal guardian, or from the student if the student is
55	55		eighteen (18) years of age or older, prior to making the notification.
56	56		(3) A notification made pursuant to this subsection (a) must be made in
57	57		accordance with state law, the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
58	58		(FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g), and other relevant privacy laws.
59	59		(b)
60	60		(1) By January 1, 2022, and by January 1 of each year thereafter, each
61	61		LEA and public charter school shall submit to the department of education
62	62		documentation of its compliance with this section in the manner prescribed by the
63	63		commissioner.
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65	65
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68	68		(2) By January 31, 2022, and by January 31 each year thereafter, the
69	69		department shall submit a report to the education administration committee of the
70	70		house of representatives and the education committee of the senate
71	71		documenting each LEA's and public charter school's compliance with this
72	72		section.
73	73		49-2-904.
74	74		Any voluntary association that establishes and enforces bylaws or rules for
75	75		interscholastic sports competition for public secondary schools in this state shall be
76	76		subject to an annual audit by the comptroller of the treasury. At the discretion of the
77	77		comptroller of the treasury, the audit may be prepared by a certified public accountant, a
78	78		public accountant, or by the department of audit. The comptroller of the treasury may
79	79		accept the association's own audit prepared by a certified public accountant that has
80	80		been filed with the secretary of state to satisfy the requirements of this section. If the
81	81		association fails or refuses to have the audit prepared, then the comptroller of the
82	82		treasury may appoint a certified public accountant or public accountant or direct the
83	83		department to prepare the audit. The association shall bear the full costs of any audit
84	84		prepared.
85	85		SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-2-132, is amended by deleting the
86	86		section.
87	87		SECTION 3. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-2-136, is amended by deleting the
88	88		section.
89	89		SECTION 4. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-6-416, is amended by deleting the
90	90		section.
91	91		SECTION 5. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.