Tennessee Senate Bill SB1077

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/5/25

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, Chapter 7; Title 49, Chapter 8 and Title 49, Chapter 9, relative to higher education.

Summary

SB1077 requires the University of Tennessee Institute of American Civics to develop and distribute a standardized curriculum for a three-semester-hour course in American government or American history for all public institutions of higher education in Tennessee. The course must provide a comprehensive overview of major events and turning points in U.S. history and government and must include study of the U.S. Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, at least five Federalist Papers essays, the Emancipation Proclamation, the Gettysburg Address, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter from Birmingham Jail, and at least one additional document central to the African-American freedom struggle. Beginning no later than the 2025-2026 academic year, each public institution offering baccalaureate degrees must offer a course using the developed curriculum and must include a cumulative final exam testing students on the required documents. Starting with entering freshmen in that same academic year, students must complete at least three semester hours of this instruction before earning a bachelor’s degree, although AP, IB, or dual-credit coursework that covers the same material and includes a final exam can satisfy the requirement. The bill directs governing boards to incorporate the requirement into degree programs without increasing total credit hours or conflicting with accreditation, and it requires annual compliance reports to legislative committee chairs.

Impact

The bill would amend Tennessee Code Annotated Titles 49-7, 49-8, and 49-9 by creating a statewide general education requirement tied to American civics and history for public higher education. It would affect public universities and their governing boards by mandating curriculum adoption, course availability, testing, and reporting, while also giving students an alternative path to satisfy the requirement through qualifying AP, IB, or dual-credit courses. The measure is designed to be implemented without adding credit hours to degree programs or interfering with accreditation processes.

Sentiment

The available voting history suggests strong support in committee, with the Senate Education Committee recommending passage by a 9-0 vote. No committee transcript is available, but the unanimous vote indicates broad agreement on the bill’s general purpose of strengthening civics and history instruction in public higher education. The bill’s structure also suggests an effort to balance educational requirements with flexibility for institutions and students.

Contention

The main points of potential contention are the mandate itself and how it will be implemented across diverse public institutions. Concerns could include whether the required course content is sufficiently prescriptive, whether the new requirement could complicate degree planning or accreditation compliance, and how institutions will integrate the course without increasing credit-hour totals. Another possible issue is the selection of required historical documents, particularly the inclusion of specific texts tied to American founding principles and the African-American freedom struggle, though no recorded transcript reflects direct opposition in the materials provided.