Sen. Dawn White

Maddy summarySB 689 transfers governance of the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation (TSAC) to the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC), making THEC its governing board. It requires THEC's review committee to assist in developing or revising state financial aid programs. The bill also terminates two existing programs: the Tennessee Teaching Scholars program and the Minority Teaching Fellows program. These changes took effect July 1, 2025, altering how state student aid is administered and ending specific scholarship initiatives.

Maddy summarySB 1017 allows eligible disabled veterans in Tennessee to use a free parking placard instead of a special license plate for parking purposes. Veterans who qualify for a free license plate under existing law (TCA § 55-4-256) may apply for a free placard, while those already issued a free license plate can obtain a placard by paying the standard $20 fee. The placard must be displayed as directed and can be used in place of the license plate when parking. This policy change, effective July 1, 2026, directly affects disabled veterans who currently receive free license plates or qualify for them.

Maddy summaryThis Senate Resolution (SR 72) formally commends Omar Watkins for his service as a legislative intern with Senator Dawn White's Senate Education Committee during the 2025 legislative session. It recognizes his contributions to committee work, his prior civic experience with the Wilson County Civic League, and his academic achievements while studying political science at Tennessee Technological University. The resolution was unanimously adopted by the Tennessee Senate on April 3, 2025.

Maddy summarySB 683 allows Tennessee school districts to replace the DARE drug prevention program with a new "Law Enforcement Against Drugs and Violence" (L.E.A.D.) program in K-12 schools. The bill amends Tennessee statutes to update all references from "DARE" to include "DARE or L.E.A.D.," ensuring school districts can choose either program. This change directly affects local education agencies (school districts) operating public schools, providing them with an alternative to the existing DARE program under state law. The bill does not create new funding or requirements but modifies statutory language to accommodate the L.E.A.D. program as a permissible option.

Maddy summarySB 1026 changes the deadline for Tennessee's Commission on Children and Youth to submit its annual budget recommendations. Specifically, it moves the submission date from September 1 to October 1 each year. This affects the Commission, the governor, legislative finance committees, the legislative budget offices, and state departments that rely on these recommendations for planning. The bill makes a straightforward procedural adjustment to the timeline without altering the content or requirements of the budget recommendations.

Maddy summarySB 1025 deletes an outdated requirement from Tennessee law that previously mandated the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy at the University of Tennessee to conduct a study on statewide energy policy feasibility by December 15, 2014, and submit a report to the House energy task force. The bill removes this obsolete provision from Tennessee Code Annotated, Titles 4 and 49, with no new requirements or obligations created. This is a procedural change to eliminate a defunct legal mandate that expired over a decade ago. The bill does not affect current policy or create new obligations for any entity.

Maddy summarySB 684 amends Tennessee law to increase the timeframe from 30 to 45 days after a state university or community college system requests a city to stop enforcing traffic ordinances on campus. This change directly affects state institutions of higher education and local municipal governments. The bill specifies that cities must cease enforcing such traffic rules within 45 days of the request, rather than the previous 30-day period. It is a procedural amendment to Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, Section 49-7-105(c), with no new policy requirements.

Maddy summarySB 1023 removes an outdated requirement in Tennessee law that previously mandated the Department of Education to submit a report on exclusionary discipline practices for pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students to education committees by May 1, 2018. The bill amends Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, by deleting the specific reporting provision (Section 49-6-3024(d)) and adjusting related language. This change directly affects the Tennessee Department of Education, eliminating a reporting duty that expired years ago. The bill makes no new policy changes but updates the code to reflect the obsolete nature of the requirement.

Maddy summarySB 1067 requires all Tennessee local school districts (LEAs) to post their character education curriculum on their public website. The bill amends state law to mandate this online accessibility, directly affecting every public school district in Tennessee. Key provisions specify that districts must publish the full curriculum content, not just a summary, for public review. This is a procedural requirement focused on transparency, not changes to curriculum content or teaching methods. The bill does not alter what character education includes, only where it is made available to parents and community members.

Maddy summarySB 1066 requires Tennessee's State Board of Education to publish the curriculum used in the statewide DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program on its official website. This bill directly affects the State Board of Education by mandating online transparency for the DARE program's curriculum, making it publicly accessible. The key provision is a simple requirement for the board to post the curriculum online, with no changes to the DARE program's content or structure.