Tennessee Senate Bill SB1338

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/6/25

Caption

AN ACT to amend Chapter __ of the Public Acts of 2025 (1st Ex. Sess. – SB 6001 / HB 6004); and Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, Chapter 10, Part 14 and Title 49, Chapter 6, relative to students participating in a school choice program.

Summary

SB1338 requires the Office of Research and Education Accountability (OREA) in the Tennessee Comptroller’s office to produce an annual report on the state’s school choice program. The report must include the number of program recipients, how many have participated for two or more school years, how many were enrolled in a Tennessee public school the prior year, and how many were first-time eligible to enroll in a Tennessee public K-12 school. The bill ties this reporting requirement to the school choice program created in the 2025 Public Acts and directs OREA to submit the report to the General Assembly by October 30, 2025, and every October 30 thereafter. The act takes effect immediately upon becoming law.

Impact

The bill does not directly change eligibility rules or funding levels for the school choice program; instead, it adds an ongoing state reporting and oversight requirement. It amends the 2025 school choice act and references Tennessee Code Annotated Title 49, Chapter 10, Part 14 and Title 49, Chapter 6, reinforcing legislative monitoring of student participation and prior public-school enrollment patterns. OREA and the Comptroller’s office would be responsible for collecting and publishing the annual data for lawmakers.

Sentiment

Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee debate or votes in the provided materials, the measure appears to be a technical, oversight-oriented bill rather than a controversial policy change. Its purpose is informational and administrative, suggesting generally neutral or practical support for tracking the school choice program’s implementation and participation trends.

Contention

No specific points of contention are documented in the provided transcripts or voting history. If debated, likely areas of interest would be whether the reporting requirements are sufficient to evaluate the school choice program, whether the data collected should be broader or more detailed, and how the information might be used in future policy decisions. However, the available record does not identify any opposing members or formal objections.