Senate Bill 2228, also known as House Bill 2533, proposes several amendments to the Tennessee Code Annotated, focusing on enhancing accountability and oversight within local education agencies (LEAs) and public charter schools. Key provisions include the stipulation that if a county's education department fails to maintain proper records, the comptroller of the treasury can remove it from the county financial management system. The bill also modifies the definition of "career and technical education" to "college, career, and military readiness," and introduces new policies for background checks on contract workers and volunteers, prohibiting the hiring of individuals listed on certain registries. Additionally, it mandates that funding for after-school programs must supplement existing educational funding rather than replace it.

The bill further establishes the "Energy Efficient Schools Initiative (EESI) of 2026," which dissolves the current energy efficient schools council and creates the Office of Energy Efficient Schools (OEES) within the Department of Education to oversee an energy efficient grant program. It also includes provisions for investigating antisemitic discrimination in educational institutions, requiring complaints to be handled by the Title VI coordinator before being reported to the Department of Education. The act aims to improve transparency, accountability, and operational standards in Tennessee's educational framework, with an effective date set for July 1, 2026.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 5-21-124, 8-50-814(a)(3)(B), 8-50-814, 8-50-814(g), 49-1-202, 49-11-805, 49-1-207(c)(3), 49-1-207, 49-1-227(a), 49-1-227, 49-1-229, 4-29-248(a), 4-29-248, 49-1-301(e), 49-1-301, 49-1-305(a), 49-1-305, 49-3-106(f)(3), 49-3-106, 49-3-111, 49-5-413(a), 49-5-413, 49-5-413(b), 49-5-413(c), 49-5-413(d), 49-5-413(d)(2), 49-5-413(e), 49-5-413(f), 49-5-413(g), 49-5-413(e)(7), 49-6-1015(c), 49-6-1015, 49-6-1503(c), 49-6-1503, 49-6-2201(a)(2), 49-6-2201, 49-6-2211, 49-6-2201(h), 49-6-2201(k), 49-6-2201(l)(2), 49-6-2201(l)(4), 49-6-2201(l)(6), 49-6-2201(l)(7), 49-6-2202, 49-6-2203(d)(2), 49-6-2203, 49-6-2203(d)(3)(C)(i), 49-6-2203(d)(4), 49-6-2203(h), 49-6-2302(a), 49-6-2302, 49-6-2302(b), 49-6-3004(a)(6)(A), 49-6-3004, 49-6-3004(c)(1)(A), 49-6-3004(f), 49-6-3404, 49-6-4204(a)(2), 49-6-4204, 49-6-4205(a)(2), 49-6-4205, 49-6-4212(a)(1), 49-6-4212, 49-6-4212(a), 49-6-8103(b), 49-6-8103, 49-10-105(e), 49-10-105, 49-10-1402(3), 49-10-1402, 49-10-1403(b), 49-10-1403, 49-11-106, 49-13-105, 49-15-102(4), 49-15-102, 49-15-109(b), 49-15-109, 49-16-211(b), 49-16-211, 49-16-213, 68-204-110, 49-2-203(a)(3)(G)(vi), 49-2-203, 49-50-1001(d), 49-50-1001, 49-50-1602(f)(3), 49-50-1602, 49-50-1602(g)(5), 49-50-1803(b), 49-50-1803, 49-50-1803(e)