SENATE BILL 1215
By Oliver
HOUSE BILL 1288
By Powell
HB1288
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AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 9 and
Title 49, relative to school safety grants.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, Chapter 3, is amended by adding
the following as a new part:
49-3-601.
(a) There is created within the state general fund a special account to be known
as the school safety grant fund. The purpose of the fund is to support local education
agencies (LEAs) and public charter schools with prevention, reduction, and response
efforts with regard to school shootings.
(b) The department of education shall administer the fund.
(c) The fund is composed of money appropriated by the general assembly for
the fund, and gifts, grants, and other donations received by the department for the fund.
(d) Subject to the availability of funds, the department shall allocate and disperse
grants to LEAs and public charter schools that have had a shooting or other firearm-
related death on school grounds on a school day while students were present. The
department shall establish and publish guidelines for applications, including eligibility,
and the award of grants. Priority for grants must be given to schools based on an
evaluation of need, including the availability of school resource officers, the number of
firearm-related incidents in the past two (2) school years, and the financial resources of
the LEA or public charter school.
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(e) The state treasurer shall invest moneys in the fund for the benefit of the fund
in accordance with ยง 9-4-603. Interest accruing on investments and deposits of the fund
must be credited to and remain part of the fund. Any unencumbered moneys and any
unexpended balance of the fund remaining at the end of a fiscal year do not revert to the
general fund, but must be carried forward until expended in accordance with this section.
(f) The department shall submit an annual report to the education and finance,
ways and means committees of the senate and the committees of the house of
representatives with jurisdiction over budget-related matters and primary and secondary
education-related matters by March 1, 2026, and by March 1 of each subsequent year
on the status of this program and the allocation of grant funds.
(g) The state board of education may promulgate rules necessary to effectuate
this section. The rules must be promulgated in accordance with the Uniform
Administrative Procedures Act, compiled in title 4, chapter 5.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.