Tennessee House Bill HB0356

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/23/25
• Refer: 2/3/25

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 15; Title 49, Chapter 1 and Title 49, Chapter 6, relative to victims of communism.

Summary

HB0356 requires Tennessee local education agencies (LEAs) and public charter schools to observe November 7 each year as "Victims of Communism Day." The observance is intended to honor people who suffered under communist regimes worldwide. The bill also requires schools that offer a high school world history and geography course to provide at least 45 minutes of instruction on that day covering communist leaders and regimes including Mao Zedong and the Cultural Revolution, Joseph Stalin and the Soviet system, Fidel Castro and the Cuban Revolution, Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge, and Nicolás Maduro and the Chavismo movement, along with the harms associated with those regimes such as poverty, starvation, migration, lethal violence, and suppression of speech.

Impact

The bill amends Tennessee Code Annotated Title 49, Chapter 6 by adding a new section requiring a yearly commemorative day and mandatory instructional content in certain high school history courses. It imposes a new curriculum-related obligation on LEAs and public charter schools that offer world history and geography, but only for students in those courses. The act takes effect July 1, 2025, and would affect school calendars, lesson planning, and instructional time in applicable public schools.

Sentiment

Based on the bill text, the measure is framed in strongly anti-communist terms and is presented as a commemorative and educational effort rather than a controversial policy change. No committee transcripts or vote records were provided, so there is no direct evidence of legislative debate, amendments, or recorded support/opposition. The overall tone of the bill itself suggests a favorable sentiment toward memorializing victims of communist regimes and teaching about their historical suffering.

Contention

The main potential point of contention is the bill’s ideological framing and the requirement that public schools devote instructional time to a politically charged topic and specific historical figures and regimes. Supporters would likely view it as a necessary recognition of human rights abuses and historical atrocities, while critics could object to mandated curriculum content, the selection of examples, or the one-sided presentation of communism. Because no committee discussion or votes are available, it is not possible to identify specific lawmakers or stakeholder groups who raised these concerns.