Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

Tennessee Senate Bill SB1044 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2	HOUSE BILL 746
3	3	By Fritts
4	4
5	5	SENATE BILL 1044
6	6	By Bowling
7	7
8	8
9	9	SB1044
10	10	002132
11	11	- 1 -
12	12
13	13	AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49,
14	14	relative to public schools.
15	15
16	16	WHEREAS, one of the duties of the General Assembly is to protect the citizen and
17	17	public funding base from costs that should not be borne by public funding; and
18	18	WHEREAS, Article XI, Section 12 of the Constitution of Tennessee clearly assigns
19	19	authority to the General Assembly to provide for the maintenance, support, and eligibility
20	20	standards for a system of free public schools; and
21	21	WHEREAS, the provisions of the constitution guaranteeing equal protection of the law to
22	22	all citizens require that the educational opportunities provided by the system of free public
23	23	schools be substantially equal; and
24	24	WHEREAS, the ability to maintain a system of free public schools is jeopardized if the
25	25	eligibility standards are interpreted to include all citizens of the world who are not Tennessee
26	26	citizens; and
27	27	WHEREAS, it is common to require information regarding Tennessee students as they
28	28	enroll to participate in free public schools and while children may attend public schools outside
29	29	their district, determining the residence of the child is important for numerous reasons; and
30	30	WHEREAS, it is a reasonable and fiscally responsible approach to require an investment
31	31	in the education costs for foreign children who are utilizing our system of free public schools;
32	32	and
33	33	WHEREAS, the General Assembly finds that this reasonable and fiscally responsible
34	34	approach provides all children an opportunity to attend schools receiving public funds in
35	35
36	36
37	37	- 2 - 002132
38	38
39	39	Tennessee and appropriately assigns responsibility to citizens of foreign nations to help bear
40	40	the cost; now, therefore,
41	41	BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
42	42	SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, Chapter 6, Part 31, is amended by
43	43	adding the following as a new section:
44	44	(a) Except as provided in subsection (b), a parent or guardian who wishes to
45	45	enroll the parent's or guardian's student into an LEA or public charter school shall submit
46	46	one (1) of the following documents to the LEA or public charter school upon enrollment
47	47	of the student:
48	48	(1) A copy of the student's birth certificate that lists a place of birth within
49	49	the United States or legal territories;
50	50	(2) A copy of a current voter registration issued to the parent or guardian
51	51	and the parent's or guardian's valid driver license or photo identification license;
52	52	(3) A copy of a United States passport issued to the student, parent, or
53	53	guardian; or
54	54	(4) A copy of a veterans affairs identification card, a United States
55	55	military identification, or a DD-214 issued to the parent or guardian.
56	56	(b) A parent or guardian of a student is not required to submit a document to an
57	57	LEA or public charter school under subsection (a) if:
58	58	(1) The parent or guardian has previously submitted a document
59	59	pursuant to subsection (a) to the LEA or public charter school; or
60	60	(2) The parent or guardian is employed by the LEA or public charter
61	61	school.
62	62	(c) Notwithstanding subsections (a) and (b), a parent or guardian of a student
63	63	may register a student without presenting a document described in subsection (a) if the
64	64
65	65
66	66	- 3 - 002132
67	67
68	68	parent or guardian pays the LEA or public charter school in an amount equal to the
69	69	amount representing the per pupil state and local funds generated and required through
70	70	the Tennessee investment in student achievement formula for the LEA in which the
71	71	participating student resides.
72	72	(d) An LEA or public charter school shall maintain a record that a document
73	73	described in subsection (a) was submitted upon registration of a student. An LEA or
74	74	public charter school is not required to retain a copy of the document provided pursuant
75	75	to subsection (a).
76	76	SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-6-3001, is amended by deleting
77	77	subsection (a) and substituting:
78	78	(a) Except as provided in SECTION 1, subsection (c) of this act, public schools
79	79	are free to all persons residing within the state who are above five (5) years of age, or
80	80	who will become five (5) years of age on or before August 15.
81	81	SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it,
82	82	and applies to the 2025-2026 school year and each school year thereafter.