Image Credit: TN General Assembly
The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –
An amended bill that mandates that schools present anti-drug and violence prevention programs passed in a 16 to 1 vote in the House Education Committee on Tuesday.
Sponsored by Representative Renea Jones (R-Unicoi-District 4), House Bill 0902 (HB0902) progresses to the House Finance, Ways, and Means Committee where it may end up stalled due to the cost of starting and maintaining the program.
According to the Fiscal Note, there is an estimated one time cost of $1,499,982 to implement the program and ongoing costs of approximately $194,644 every year thereafter.
Article II, Section 24 of the Tennessee Constitution states that “no law of general application shall impose increased expenditure requirements on cities or counties unless the General Assembly shall provide that the state share in the cost” but with a tight budget and Governor Bill Lee’s desire to double the number of Education Freedom Scholarships, all bills with a fiscal note will be under increased scrutiny.
The program that schools select must meet several criteria and not replace existing programs like DARE.
Bill sponsor Representative Renea Jones (R-Unicoi-District 4) introduced an amendment that rewrote the bill making it a “Three-year pilot program to provide grants to five (5) LEAs to advance the LEA’s substance abuse and violence prevention program to avoid tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drug use by students. The pilot
program begins in the 2026-2027 school year and terminates on July 1, 2029.”
Jones said, “It would be taught every school year, which is something we don’t have right now… This is something we feel that if we start early and if we teach with repetition, we can break the cycles.”
The companion Senate Bill 0821 (SB0821), sponsored by Senator Joey Hensley (R-Hohenwald-District 28), has already been placed behind the budget in the Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee.
About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
