Fire Prevention and Investigation - As enacted, creates the rescue squad grant program to provide annual grants to rescue squads for the purchase of firefighting equipment and training; directs the commissioner of commer, the official text

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      State f/Je!ill&Ssee

                              PUBLIC CHAPTER NO. 652

                                                    SENATE BILL NO. 1865

                     By Johnson, Bailey, Yager, Massey, Powers, Seal, Crowe, Walley

                                           Substituted for: House Bill No. 2531

                             By Lamberth, Cochran, Sherrell, Russell, Doggett, Howell

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 68, Chapter 102, relative to grants.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:

          SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 68-102-154, is amended by deleting the
section and substituting:

                    (a) As used in this section:

                              (1) "Firefighting equipment":

                                        (A) Means the equipment used by a firefighter to contain or extinguish
                              fires and to protect the life of the firefighter; and

                                        (B) Does not include fire trucks or vehicles;

                              (2) "Rescue equipment":

                                        (A) Means equipment used by a rescue squad for the purposes of
                              performing rescue services or other emergency response; and

                                        (8) Does not include vehicles;

                              (3) "Rescue squad" means a department of a municipality, county, or political
                    subdivision, or a nonprofit organization that offers its services, for or without pay, for
                    the purposes of performing rescue services or other emergency response; and

                              (4) "Volunteer fire department" means a fire department recognized by the
                    state fire marshal's office, pursuant to§ 68-102-304, as a volunteer fire department.

                    (b) The following grant programs are established:

                              (1) The volunteer firefighter equipment and training grant program, to annually
                    provide grants to select volunteer fire departments to be used for the purchase of
                    firefighting equipment or to meet local match requirements of federal grants for the
                    purchase of firefighting equipment and training; and

                              (2) The rescue squad grant program, to annually provide grants to select
                    rescue squads to be used for the purchase of firefighting equipment and rescue
                    equipment.

                    (c) The department shall endeavor to distribute funding for the grant established in
          subdivision (b)(1) proportionally based on the number of recognized volunteer fire
          departments serving each of the three (3) grand divisions of the state.

                    (d) It is the legislative intent to fund the grant programs created by subsection (b) by
          providing a sum-sufficient appropriation in each fiscal year's annual appropriation bill.
S81865
                   (e) The commIssIoner of commerce and insurance shall promulgate rules in

         accordance with the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act, compiled in title 4, chapter 5, to
         establish guidelines for evaluating grant requests and determining which volunteer fire
         departments or rescue squads will receive grants pursuant to this section.

                   (f) The commissioner of commerce and insurance shall decide which grants to award
         and shall disburse the grants to the selected volunteer fire departments and rescue squads.
         The commissioner shall endeavor to expend all funds appropriated to the grant programs
         each year, and any funds remaining must not revert to the general fund but remain available
         for expenditure in subsequent fiscal years.
          SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2026, the public welfare requiring it.

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         SENATE BILL NO. 1865

PASSED:  March 19, 2026

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                                     SPEAKER OF Th

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                               CAMERON SEXTON, SPEAKER
                               HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

APPROVED thisl'bl-  day of _ljp..ru          2026

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                         BILL LEE, GOVERNOR