News & Press: Policy Update

Policy Update | April 25, 2025

Friday, April 25, 2025
Posted by: TICUA

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TICUA Policy Update

Weekly updates from TICUA President Cameron Conn during session

Friday, April 25

Summary of the First Session of the 114th TN General Assembly

House Speaker Cameron Sexton and Rep. William Lamberth R- Portland during the final days of session at Tennessee State Capitol Building in Nashville, Tenn., Monday, April 21, 2025.

Nicole Hester / The Tennessean

The first session of the 114th Tennessee General Assembly closed on Tuesday, April 22. The session began in January with a focus on Governor Bill Lee’s school choice initiative. During a special session, the Education Freedom Act passed, allowing school vouchers and will allow sports wagering revenue to be redirected to K-12, which previously supported higher education student aid. Furthermore, early in the session the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) staff testified in both education committees to inform lawmakers of expected shortfalls in lottery revenues.

These two budget challenges certainly impacted hopes for increases to state student aid programs this year. However, the Governor’s final budget did include a $12 million recurring improvement to support the THEC budget for the Tennessee Student Assistance Award, a grant program for Tennessee’s most financially needy students. THEC plans to ask for the same increase for the upcoming two fiscal years so that the program will be fully funded for all eligible students.

Without the possibility of additional funds for the state’s student aid programs, TICUA took a largely defensive posture when monitoring legislation. TICUA closely scrutinized bills seeking to alter student aid programs, reorganize THEC, address concerns about DEI on college campuses, and more. Below is a summary of select measures followed by TICUA. The summary is broken down between those proposals which passed the General Assembly and those which failed.

Measures Passed by the General Assembly

Education Bills Impacting TICUA Institutions

HB0504/SB0682 makes various positive changes and improvements to the Tennessee Future Teacher Scholarship Act of 2023. Changes include reducing the time commitment for teaching in a target area and/or high demand specialty from four years down to two years; changing the scholarship from last dollar to a flat $3,500 per year for two years, and expanding eligibility to most all Tennessee residents who are enrolled in a teacher preparation program, not only current HOPE recipients.

HB0114/SB1291 makes changes to the Tennessee Support, Training, and Renewing Opportunity for National Guardsmen (STRONG) Act to allow for expanded use of the scholarship on fees and additional credit hours. This bill increases the maximum allowable tuition reimbursement for eligible Guard members from 120 to 130 semester hours and requires the Department of Military to reimburse 100% of undergraduate course fees and master’s degree program fees for recipients.

HB0377/SB0376 prohibits the exclusion of persons from participating in, being denied the benefits of, or being subject to discrimination by a four-year public or private institution of higher education in this state on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, and national origin; prohibits such institutions from using race, color, ethnicity, or national origin in determining whether a prospective student qualifies for admission into the institution, or receives scholarships or financial aid; creates a private cause of action against an institution and its officers, employees, and agents for such unlawful practices. An amendment was added in consultation with higher education constituents that inserted the word “solely” to the prohibition of scholarship awarding based on race, giving some latitude for institutions. The amendment also limits the liability if an admissions or financial aid staff member views student racial information in data systems and requires training about this new law to those employees once the bill becomes law.

HB0194/SB0536, as amended, traveling with it focuses on updating the state’s Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) laws for student athletes and universities. The bill allows institutions to directly pay student athletes, adds multiple provisions to protect students’ confidentiality, and ensures the NCAA’s liability cannot be transferred to the state.

Democrat lawmakers hold a press conference on the last day of session at The Tennessee State Capitol building in Nashville , Tenn., Tuesday, April 22, 2025.

Nicole Hester / The Tennessean

HB0408/SB0689, as amended, dissolves the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation (TSAC) governing board and transfers its responsibilities to the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) Board. By statute, the TICUA chief executive officer is a member of the TSAC Board. To ensure that the private higher education sector maintains a voice and advisory role in the state’s higher education priorities and financial aid programs, the amendment also adds the president of TICUA as a member of a currently existing review committee charged with the development and revision of the higher education master plan and state financial aid. The TICUA president will join the review committee currently comprised of the THEC executive director, the chancellor of the board of regents, the president of the University of Tennessee system, each president of a locally-governed state university, and select members of the legislative and executive branches of state government.

HB0064/SB0472 requires all residential educational programs in this state, regardless of type or duration, that allow minors to participate or to access residential facilities to segregate multiuse restrooms, changing areas, and showers by immutable biological sex. The higher education community worked with the sponsor to add an amendment to edit the original language to more precisely narrow the focus of the bill to overnight camps and programming for minors on college campuses.

House Joint Resolution HJR0175 urges Tennessee universities to adopt principles of institutional neutrality, free expression and civil discourse, and the preservation of a safe and respectful campus.

HB0995/SB0940 furthers current Good Samaritan laws to encourage citizens to call for medical care by expanding the immunity from prosecution when seeking medical assistance for a person experiencing, or believed to be experiencing, an overdose to include alcohol-related offenses, in addition to drug overdose. It also extends limited immunity to those reporting underage drinking.

Education Bills Impacting Public Higher Education

HB1188/SB1209 prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, disability, religion, or marital status against a student or an employee in a public institution of education; requires public institutions of education to treat harassment or discrimination against students or employees, or resulting from institutional policies or programs on their campuses, motivated by or including antisemitic intent in an identical manner to discrimination motivated by race; requires Title VI coordinators to be designated to monitor antisemitic discrimination and harassment at K-12 schools and institutions of higher education.

Rep. Aron Maberry R- Clarksville, looks on as the votes come in on the “Dismantling DEI Departments Act’ on the last day of session at The Tennessee State Capitol building in Nashville , Tenn., Tuesday, April 22, 2025.

Nicole Hester / The Tennessean

HB0622/SB1083 enacts the "Dismantle DEI Act," which prohibits local governments and public institutions of higher education from basing hiring decisions on any metrics that consider an applicant's race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or disability, or hiring a particular candidate in order to achieve any goals to increase diversity, equity, or inclusion in the workplace.

SB0937/HB1270 specifies that students, employees, faculty members and contractors of public K-12 schools and institutions of higher education are not required to use another's preferred name or pronoun, if the preferred name or pronoun is not consistent with the individual's legal name or sex.

HB1056/SB0989, as amended, provides a 25% tuition discount at the state’s public colleges and universities for children of all public school employees. The current code provides this benefit exclusively to teachers.

HB0919/SB0933 modifies the appointing authority of the governor, the speaker of the Senate, and the speaker of the House of Representatives to state college and university boards. The bill adds two additional appointments to the boards of public colleges and universities and gives the Speaker of the House and the Lieutenant Governor authority to appoint two members each to each board, in addition to the board members currently appointed by the governor. The bill also allows a limited number of board members to be nonresidents of TN.

HB1036/SB1024, as amended allows state college and universities boards to conduct limited business privately, without the public present. Examples included contract negotiations and senior leadership performance reviews.

HB1344/SB1359, amended, focuses on releasing previously allocated state funds (approximately $90M) for Tennessee State University to use for operational expenses rather than capital, as previously approved.

Measures Which Failed

SB1387/HB0645 added Western Governors University (WGU) as a postsecondary institution at which Tennessee students may receive the Senator Ben Atchley Opportunity Grant, an additional $2,000 per year for low-income students who qualify for the Tennessee Student Assistance Award (TSAA).

HB1006/SB0913 expanded the list of those who are prohibited from serving on a state university board to include those who hold the position of a member of a governing body for another institution of higher education.

Representatives on the last day of session at The Tennessee State Capitol building in Nashville , Tenn., Tuesday, April 22, 2025.

Nicole Hester / The Tennessean

Given the projected decline in lottery revenues in the current fiscal year, the House Higher Education Subcommittee moved five bills to next year’s lottery calendar. The bills postponed till 2026 include:

HB1121/SB1409: High school sophomores eligible dual enrollment students.

HB789/SB1151: Extended eligibility for Tennessee STEP UP scholarship.

HB0738/SB0803: Extends TN Promise eligibility to TN institutions accredited by the National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and Sciences.

HB0704/SB0719: Moore Tech eligible for Wilder-Naifeh grants.

HB0777/SB1085: Extends lottery scholarship eligibility to institutions with SACSCOC candidate status.

Behind the Budget

The following bills passed through committees but did not receive funding in this year’s budget. The General Assembly can choose to fund them next session.

HB0007/SB0172 establishes the hunger-free campus grant program that could provide grants to higher education institutions to address student hunger.

HB0148/SB0686makes the four-year pilot Tennessee Promise completion grant program established by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission a permanent program.

HB1324/SB1312 changed the name of the "Wilder-Naifeh technical skills grant" to "TennesseeWORKS scholarship," as proposed in the Governor’s State of the State address. The retitled scholarship would cover all the required equipment and supplies, in addition to tuition and fees, for all the TCATs.

House Speaker Cameron Sexton leaves after the last day of session at The Tennessee State Capitol building in Nashville , Tenn., Tuesday, April 22, 2025.

Nicole Hester / The Tennessean

Finally, three of the most controversial bills that the 114th General Assembly addressed, all of which focused on K-12 education, have been tabled until next session HB0793/SB0836 authorized public K-12 schools to refuse to enroll students who are unlawfully present in the US; HB0025/SB0016 seeks to codify in state law transfer rules for high school athletes; and HB662/SB714, as amended, which allows for state intervention in the governance of Shelby County Schools, passed along party lines.