Amends TCA Title 8 and Title 49, Chapter 13.

Under present law, teachers and other full-time permanent employees of a public charter school must participate in the group insurance plans selected by the governing body of the public charter school. Public charter schools authorized by the achievement school district or the commission are entitled to participate in state group insurance plans selected by the governing body of the public charter school in accordance with the present law provisions governing health insurance employees of local education agencies. This bill rewrites the above provisions to instead: (1) Require the governing body of a public charter school to select group insurance plans for teachers and other full-time permanent employees of the public charter school; (2) Authorize the governing body of a public charter school to elect to participate in the state group insurance plans, provided that the public charter school meets the requirements described in present law to be considered a quasi-governmental entity at the time of the school's application and throughout the school's enrollment on the plan. Those requirements are that the entity must demonstrate that it: was created by an act of the general assembly or by an ordinance or similar enactment of a local government; performs governmental functions; and is under governmental supervision by having government officials on its governing board, being subject to audit by the comptroller of the treasury, or subject to review by a committee of the general assembly; and (3) Authorizes teachers and other full-time permanent employees of a public charter school to participate in the group insurance plans selected by the governing body of the public charter school. ON MARCH 25, 2021, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 353, AS AMENDED. AMENDMENT #1 rewrites this bill to entitle all public charter schools to participate in the state group insurance plans selected by the governing body of the public charter school in accordance with present law, and authorize (instead of require) teachers and other full-time permanent employees of public charter schools to participate in such plans.