Tennessee House Bill HB1324

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/6/25
• Refer: 2/12/25
• Refer: 3/19/25
• Refer: 3/25/25

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4; Title 49, Chapter 4 and Title 49, Chapter 7, relative to higher education.

Summary

HB1324 makes a series of changes to Tennessee’s higher education statutes, primarily reorganizing the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation (TSAC) and renaming certain student aid programs. The bill places TSAC more directly under the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) by making THEC the corporation’s governing board effective July 1, 2025, while preserving TSAC’s role in administering student assistance programs authorized by law. It also updates statutory references to replace the “Wilder-Naifeh technical skills grant” with the “TennesseeWORKS scholarship,” reflecting a program name change across multiple sections of the code. The bill also revises eligibility and program definitions tied to higher education aid. It narrows the definition of certain qualifying programs to those culminating in an industry certification, registered apprenticeship, occupational licensure, or certificate, and excludes programs focused only on professional development, continuing education, or exam preparation. In addition, it makes related conforming changes to references involving certificates, diplomas, and other aid provisions, and deletes one section of the code entirely, likely to align the statutes with the new administrative structure and terminology.

Impact

HB1324 would amend multiple provisions in Titles 4 and 49 of the Tennessee Code, changing how TSAC is governed and how certain state student aid programs are described and administered. It shifts governance from a separate TSAC board to THEC beginning July 1, 2025, updates corporate and administrative references, and revises statutory language governing technical education scholarships and related aid eligibility. The bill would affect THEC, TSAC, students seeking state financial aid, and institutions participating in Tennessee’s workforce and technical education programs.

Sentiment

The available voting history suggests broad support for the bill. It passed the House Higher Education Subcommittee 4-0 and the House Education Committee 17-0, indicating no recorded opposition in those committees. No committee transcripts were provided, so there is no direct discussion record to indicate broader debate, but the unanimous votes suggest the measure was viewed favorably as a technical or administrative higher education update.

Contention

No specific points of contention are evident in the provided materials. The main policy changes are administrative restructuring of TSAC under THEC and the renaming and tightening of scholarship/program terminology. If any concerns existed, they would most likely relate to the consolidation of governance authority within THEC or the narrowing of eligible programs for aid, but the unanimous committee votes indicate those issues did not generate recorded opposition in committee.