Why It Matters: Exposing young people to the fundamentals of our time-honored traditions is essential in recruiting the next generation of hunters. Bringing hunter safety education classes into schools offers a controlled and safe environment for students to learn the fundamentals needed to safely participate and enjoy our favorite pastimes and continue funding conservation through the purchase of hunting licenses, as hunters have done for generations and will continue to do well into the future.
Highlights:
- Tennessee Senate Bill 2369 (SB 2369) and House Bill 2588 (HB 2588), sponsored by Tennessee Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus (Caucus) Co-Chairs Senator Paul Rose, Representative Chris Todd and Caucus Co-Chair and NASC Executive Council Member Representative Jesse Chism, would allow schools to offer students in grades 5–12 a hunter education course as part of the student’s physical education, health, or safety instruction curriculum.
- Last week, HB 2588 passed the House unanimously, and the Senate subbed SB 2369 for HB 2588 as they’re companion bills. The legislation will soon be heading to Governors Sportsmen’s Caucus (GSC) Member Governor Bill Lee’s desk for his signature.
- The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) spearheaded the introduction of both bills and organized a coalition letter of support, which aligned 16 other sporting-conservation organizations in support of the effort throughout the 2026 legislative session.
February and March offer a lull in hunting opportunities in many parts of the country, Tennessee included, as sportsmen and women reflect on recently closed waterfowl and deer seasons and look forward to the upcoming spring turkey season. However, as Tennessee hunters are dealing with cabin fever, the Tennessee General Assembly is going full steam ahead, working on issues that impact sportsmen and women across the state.
Of the thousands of bills that are considered in the Volunteer State each year, only a small percentage becomes law each year. Thanks to the strong efforts made by the Caucus, this important initiative successfully navigated the legislature and awaits Governor Lee’s signature.
SB 2369/HB 2588 allows students to receive school credit and complete the mandatory hunter safety education curriculum required for all hunters to head afield. This curriculum would be offered as part of a student’s physical education, health, or safety instruction curriculum in grades 5 – 12. The course will be approved by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and, if completed, satisfy the required hunter safety education requirement in Tennessee while simultaneously allowing students to earn school credit for their efforts.
CSF commends the Caucus for their efforts on SB 2369/HB 2588, and we look forward to continuing to lead this effort across the finish line.
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