Tennessee House Bill HB2167

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/2/26
• Refer: 2/5/26
• Refer: 3/4/26
• Refer: 3/25/26
• Engrossed: 3/31/26

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 2; Title 49, Chapter 11; Title 49, Chapter 7; Title 49, Chapter 8 and Title 49, Chapter 9, relative to election day.

Summary

HB2167 requires every public institution of higher education in Tennessee to observe an academic holiday on each general election day. The bill defines that holiday broadly to mean a complete pause in academic obligations, including in-person and online classes, exams, quizzes, assignments, and any other task that could affect a student’s grade or class participation. In practical terms, the measure would make general election day a campus-wide day off from instruction and graded coursework at public colleges and universities. The bill amends Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 2-1-106, and is framed as an election-day measure rather than a higher-education governance bill, though its operative effect is on public institutions of higher education. It would create a statewide requirement that overrides contrary law or institutional policy, and it takes effect immediately upon becoming law. The bill does not appear to change voting rules directly, but it is intended to reduce academic conflicts that might discourage student participation in general elections.

Impact

HB2167 would add a new election-day requirement to Tennessee law by mandating an academic holiday at all public institutions of higher education on each general election day. This would affect public colleges and universities by prohibiting scheduled academic obligations on those days, including classes and graded work, and would require institutions to adjust academic calendars, course schedules, and assignment deadlines accordingly. The bill amends Title 2 of the Tennessee Code Annotated and would operate as a statewide rule superseding any conflicting institutional practices.

Sentiment

The available voting history shows strong and unanimous support for the bill at each stage, with no recorded dissent in the House Higher Education Subcommittee, House Education Committee, or on the House floor. The committee recommendations and final passage suggest the measure was viewed favorably as a straightforward election-access or student-participation policy. No committee transcript is available here, but the vote pattern indicates broad agreement rather than controversy.

Contention

There is little evidence of substantive opposition in the available record, since every recorded vote was unanimous. Any potential point of contention would likely center on the operational burden for public colleges and universities, which would need to cancel or reschedule classes, exams, and assignments on general election day. Another possible issue is the breadth of the definition of “academic holiday,” which extends beyond in-person instruction to online and asynchronous coursework and any graded obligation, leaving institutions with limited flexibility. However, no specific objections are documented in the provided materials.