House Bill 138 aims to establish a special fund known as the career and technical education curriculum fund within Tennessee's education system. This fund is intended to receive an annual recurring appropriation of five million dollars from the general fund, which will be exclusively used to provide grants to local education agencies (LEAs) and public charter schools. The grants will support the acquisition, retention, or expansion of digital career and technical education curricula, which must include comprehensive courses, lesson plans, media-rich content, and interactive assessments. The Department of Education will oversee the fund and set up application procedures, criteria for awarding grants, and reporting requirements to ensure accountability and measure the effectiveness of the funded programs.

Additionally, the bill stipulates that any unencumbered or unexpended balance of the fund at the end of a fiscal year will not revert to the general fund but will be carried forward for future use. It is important to note that this act does not appropriate funds; any expenditures must be specifically authorized by the general appropriations act. The provisions of this act are set to take effect on July 1, 2025.