114 session

Criminal Offenses - As introduced, increases the amount of marijuana that may be possessed, from one-half ounce to five ounces, for it to be considered a small amount of marijuana and punishable as a Class A misdemeanor; revises penalty to make it punishable by a $500 fine for a first offense and a $1,000 fine for a second or subsequent offense. - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 17.

2026-04-07 — Reset on Final cal. 4 of Criminal Justice Subcommittee

General Assembly - As introduced, requires the speakers of the senate and house of representatives to determine an equivalent number of legislative conferences, or number of legislative conference days, for which a member of the senate or house of representatives is entitled to attend for purposes of receiving expense and mileage allowances. - Amends TCA Title 3, Chapter 1.

2026-04-08 — Taken off notice for cal. in State & Local Government Committee

Firearms and Ammunition - As introduced, repeals the criminal offenses of unlawfully carrying a firearm or club with the intent to go armed and carrying or possessing a weapon in or on public parks, playgrounds, civic centers, and other public recreational buildings and grounds; allows persons convicted of stalking or a misdemeanor domestic violence offense to possess a firearm after five years from the date of conviction. - Amends TCA Title 16; Title 36; Title 37; Title 39; Title 40; Title 49 and Title 65.

2026-04-14 — No Action Taken

Criminal Offenses - As introduced, expands the offense of aggravated criminal trespass to include trespassing that results in the disruption of a religious assembly, which is a Class A misdemeanor. - Amends TCA Title 39.

2026-04-15 — Taken off notice for cal in s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee of Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

Environment and Conservation, Department of - As introduced, changes from January 31 to January 15, the date by which the commissioner must submit an annual report to the chair of the energy, agriculture and natural resources committee of the senate and the chair of the agriculture and natural resources committee of the house of representatives. - Amends TCA Title 4 and Title 69.

2026-02-04 — P2C, caption bill, held on desk - pending amdt.

Education, Curriculum - As introduced, authorizes LEAs and public charter schools to offer students in any of the grades five through 12 a hunter education course that is approved by the wildlife resources agency as part of physical education, health, or safety instruction. - Amends TCA Title 49 and Title 70, Chapter 2, Part 1.

2026-02-02 — Withdrawn.

Zoning - As introduced, prohibits the adoption or enforcement of zoning regulations that have the effect of diminishing the value of a property; authorizes property owners to seek compensation for such diminished value. - Amends TCA Title 5; Title 6; Title 7 and Title 13, Chapter 7.

2026-02-04 — Assigned to s/c Cities & Counties Subcommittee

Local Government, General - As introduced, requires proposed contingent fee contracts for legal services between a political subdivision of this state and a private-sector attorney to be approved by the attorney general and reporter prior to execution of the contract. - Amends TCA Title 7; Title 8 and Title 29.

2026-04-14 — Taken off notice for cal. in Judiciary Committee

Energy - As enacted, creates the "Tennessee Energy Freedom Act." - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 60 and Title 68.

2026-04-24 — Effective date(s) 07/01/2026

State Government - As introduced, beginning on the second Sunday in March of 2027, requires this state and its political subdivisions to observe standard time throughout the year. - Amends TCA Section 4-1-401.

2026-02-04 — Assigned to s/c Departments & Agencies Subcommittee

Election Laws - As introduced, requires election officials to meet at the polling place at least one hour ahead of the time for opening the polls rather than 30 minutes. - Amends TCA Title 2.

2026-02-04 — P2C, caption bill, held on desk - pending amdt.

Lobbying, Lobbyists - As introduced, provides that a school board, municipal utility, utility district, and department, agency, or entity of county or municipal government that employs a contractor, subcontractor, or representative for purposes of lobbying is deemed to be an employer of a lobbyist. - Amends TCA Title 2; Title 3 and Title 8.

2026-04-15 — Taken off notice for cal in s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee of Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

Employees, Employers - As enacted, requires a public safety employer to provide an employee or prospective employee with reasonable access to the employee's or prospective employee's full employment record, including the results of any mental health evaluation or screening; makes certain other changes relative to employment by a public safety employer. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 8; Title 38; Title 50; Title 62 and Title 68.

2026-05-05 — Comp. became Pub. Ch. 849

Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services, Dept. of - As enacted, enacts the "HOPE Treatment Act." - Amends TCA Title 9; Title 33; Title 53; Title 63 and Title 68.

2026-05-27 — Comp. became Pub. Ch. 1119

General Assembly, Directed Studies - As introduced, establishes a nine-member Tennessee K-12 nutrition task force to evaluate the prevalence of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and other substances in public school meal programs and the impact of UPFs on student health, to report its findings by December 1, 2026, and to terminate January 31, 2027. - Amends TCA Title 49.

2026-04-15 — Taken off notice for cal in s/c Finance, Ways and Means Subcommittee of Finance, Ways and Means Committee

Human Rights - As enacted, repeals rules transferred from the defunct human rights commission to the attorney general and reporter; clarifies that complaints filed with the attorney general pursuant to a human rights investigation must not be produced for inspection by or disclosed to a person, other than an authorized representative of the attorney general, without the consent of the person who filed the complaint. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 21.

2026-04-06 — Comp. became Pub. Ch. 662

Courts - As enacted, enacts the "Parental Rights Protection Act." - Amends TCA Title 36, Chapter 8 and Title 40, Chapter 11.

2026-05-04 — Comp. became Pub. Ch. 732

Criminal Offenses - As enacted, creates a Class E felony offense when a person, for the purpose of deriving a pecuniary benefit, engages in conduct intended to influence the occurrence or nonoccurrence of an event while the person, or another acting in active concert with the person, is a party to a contract traded on a prediction-market by which the person will derive such pecuniary benefit directly from the settlement of that contract based on the occurrence or a nonoccurrence of the event. - Amends TCA Title 39.

2026-05-27 — Comp. became Pub. Ch. 1109

Lottery, Corporation - As enacted, vacates and reconstitutes the board of directors of the Tennessee education lottery corporation; requires certain information maintained by the corporation to be subject to a public records request; terminates the lottery corporation on June 30, 2030. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 10 and Title 49.

2026-05-27 — Comp. became Pub. Ch. 1084

Children - As enacted, adds the commissioner of mental health and substance abuse services, and one at large member with experience advocating for children, to the Tennessee second look commission; revises certain severe and aggravated child abuse offenses to include offenses involving strangulation; authorizes a court to order a child's custodian to submit certain documentation of compliance with preventative pediatric care consistent with the periodicity schedule of the American Academy of Pediatrics in certain situations; authorizes the department of children's services to initiate a visit to ascertain the wellbeing of a child if such documentation contains allegations of abuse or neglect. - Amends TCA Title 37; Title 38; Title 39 and Title 40.

2026-05-26 — Effective date(s) 05/19/2026, 07/01/2026, 01/01/2027

Children - As enacted, specifies that a parent's or legal guardian's action of raising, guiding, or instructing the parent's or legal guardian's child in a manner consistent with the child's biological sex is not a basis for certain findings or actions by the court, does not constitute the criminal offense of child abuse, child neglect, or child endangerment, and must not be considered as a negative factor by a court in determining a custody arrangement in the best interest of the child. - Amends TCA Title 36, Chapter 6; Title 37, Chapter 1 and Title 39, Chapter 15.

2026-05-05 — Comp. became Pub. Ch. 846

Courts, Juvenile - As enacted, expands the goals of zero to three court programs to include cases involving children five years of age or younger, with priority given to cases involving children younger than three years of age. - Amends TCA Title 37.

2026-04-06 — Comp. became Pub. Ch. 611

Education, Higher - As introduced, increases, from 30 to 45 days before the start of the academic term, the time by which a state government entity that establishes a scholarship using an educational investment plan must select the scholarship beneficiary and notify the board of trustees of the college savings trust fund program of the beneficiary. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 8; Title 9; Title 10; Title 12; Title 49 and Title 50.

2026-02-04 — P2C, caption bill, held on desk - pending amdt.

Public Funds and Financing - As enacted, creates the joint capital tourism board; makes other related changes. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 8; Title 9 and Title 67.

2026-05-27 — Comp. became Pub. Ch. 1079

Taxes, Sales - As introduced, exempts the retail sale of fresh fruit and vegetables for human consumption from the food retail sales tax. - Amends TCA Title 67, Chapter 6.

2026-04-15 — Taken off notice for cal in s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee of Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

Consumer Protection - As introduced, reduces from 15 to 10 days, the time within which a person licensed to provide deferred presentment services must file a written report with the commissioner of financial institutions following the occurrence of the filing for bankruptcy or reorganization; the institution of revocation or suspension proceedings by any state or governmental authority; the denial of the opportunity to engage in deferred presentment services by any state or governmental authority; any felony indictment or conviction of the licensee or any of its directors, officers, or principals; and other events that the commissioner may determine and identify by rule. - Amends TCA Title 45 and Title 47.

2026-03-18 — Taken off notice for cal in s/c Banking and Consumer Affairs Subcommittee of Commerce Committee

Health Care - As introduced, exempts a nurse who provides home health services to four or less patients from hiring staff or maintaining an office in order to qualify for licensure as a home care organization by the health facilities commission; requires a nurse who does not hire staff or maintain an office to submit a request to the department of health for space at a location deemed appropriate by the department to securely store patient records. - Amends TCA Title 63 and Title 68.

2026-03-04 — Failed in s/c Health Subcommittee of Health Committee

Education - As enacted, requires LEAs and public charter schools to recognize Victims of Communism Day to honor the people who have fallen victim to communist regimes by providing high school students enrolled in a world history and geography course with at least 45 minutes of instruction on such topic. - Amends TCA Title 15; Title 49, Chapter 1 and Title 49, Chapter 6.

2026-04-24 — Effective date(s) 04/16/2026

Health, Dept. of - As introduced, excludes from the definition of a public swimming pool subject to regulation in the same manner as a hotel or public swimming pool by the department of health any privately owned, controlled-access, above-ground swimming pool that is installed indoors at a fitness facility and used only by facility staff and students for the purpose of swimming instruction if the pool meets certain criteria. - Amends TCA Title 68.

2026-03-18 — Failed in s/c Health Subcommittee of Health Committee

Tennessee Fish & Wildlife Commission - As enacted, establishes a statutory schedule of permit fees for the operation of off highway vehicles at North Cumberland Wildlife Management Area. - Amends TCA Title 70, Chapter 9.

2026-05-27 — Comp. became Pub. Ch. 1120

Health, Dept. of - As introduced, directs the department to create an outreach campaign regarding the ongoing research of Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease; terminates the outreach campaign on July 1, 2027. - Amends TCA Title 68.

2026-04-15 — Taken off notice for cal in s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee of Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

Managed Care Organizations - As enacted, prohibits a managed care organization from including a provision in the managed care organization's contract with a qualified nursing facility to provide medicaid nursing facility services, that permit actual or constructive termination by the MCO without cause, for convenience, or termination without specifying the grounds for termination; requires the bureau of TennCare, in conjunction with the department of commerce and insurance, to review and approve all standard contract templates used by MCOs for facility contracting to ensure compliance. - Amends TCA Title 56; Title 68, Chapter 11 and Title 71, Chapter 5.

2026-05-26 — Effective date(s) 07/01/2026

Highways, Roads and Bridges - As introduced, requires the department of transportation to allocate federal and state funds to rural planning organizations in parity with its allocation of such funds to metropolitan planning organizations. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 54 and Title 64, Chapter 8.

2026-03-17 — Taken off notice for cal in s/c Transportation Subcommittee of Transportation Committee

Education, Higher - As enacted, removes various dates by which various reports must be submitted by various entities; makes various changes to the Tennessee student assistance award; requires new and existing transfer pathways to be reviewed on a rotating basis; authorizes the Tennessee higher education commission to conduct private meetings for certain purposes; makes various other changes related to financial aid and higher education. - Amends TCA Title 43, Chapter 6, Part 5 and Title 49.

2026-05-18 — Comp. became Pub. Ch. 899

Education - As enacted, revises the requirements for electronic participation in school board meetings under certain circumstances. - Amends TCA Title 49.

2026-05-05 — Comp. became Pub. Ch. 852

TennCare - As enacted, extends the ground ambulance service annual assessment to June 30, 2027; changes the penalty imposed by the bureau on an ambulance provider for each day an assessment remains unpaid from $50 per calendar day to 5 percent of the principal amount owed per month for each month. - Amends TCA Title 71, Chapter 5, Part 15.

2026-05-27 — Comp. became Pub. Ch. 1123

State Employees - As introduced, creates a procedure for a state employee who has reasonable cause to suspect that improper government conduct or a crime has occurred to report the matter to a supervisor and for the supervisor to report that information to the attorney general and reporter. - Amends TCA Title 8 and Title 50.

2026-03-18 — Taken off notice for cal. in State & Local Government Committee

Evidence - As introduced, adds a rebuttable presumption that the criteria for a child victim to testify by two-way closed circuit television in a criminal matter involving certain offenses are met if the child is under 13 years of age. - Amends TCA Title 24, Chapter 7 and Title 39.

2026-02-05 — Assigned to s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee

Opioids - As introduced, removes nonresidential substitution-based treatment centers for opiate addiction from the requirement of obtaining a certificate of need beginning July 1, 2026. - Amends TCA Title 68, Chapter 11 and Chapter 985 of the Public Acts of 2024.

2026-03-25 — Taken off notice for cal in s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee of Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

Taxes, Exemption and Credits - As introduced, authorizes an excise tax credit for brewers that donate spent grain byproducts for agricultural use. - Amends TCA Title 43; Title 57 and Title 67.

2026-04-15 — Taken off notice for cal in s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee of Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

Animal Control - As introduced, requires the owner of a dangerous dog to register the dangerous dog with the animal control authority for the area in which the dog is kept for a period of three years, restrain the dangerous dog at all times on a leash or in a secure enclosure, and obtain liability insurance coverage; establishes a public dangerous dog registry. - Amends TCA Title 39 and Title 44.

2026-03-18 — Def. to Summer Study in Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee

Homestead Exemptions - As enacted, adds a child who is 18 or older and has a developmental or intellectual disability to whom the homestead exemption extends upon the death of the head of the household. - Amends TCA Title 26; Title 30; Title 33 and Title 52.

2026-05-05 — Comp. became Pub. Ch. 709

Children - As enacted, requires certain procedures, currently found in the federal Indian Child Welfare Act, to be applied by courts in child custody proceedings involving an Indian child. - Amends TCA Title 36 and Title 37.

2026-04-24 — Comp. became Pub. Ch. 682

Nurses, Nursing - As enacted, enacts the "Tennessee Nursing Education Integrity and Oversight Act." - Amends TCA Title 49 and Title 63.

2026-05-05 — Comp. became Pub. Ch. 848

Pensions and Retirement Benefits - As enacted, requires retirement credit established for a period of disability for a commissioned member of the department of safety or agent of the Tennessee bureau of investigation to be at no cost to that member; authorizes political subdivisions that pass a resolution to establish retirement credit for its employees to allow the credit for a period of disability for any member who is subject to mandatory retirements to be at no cost to such person. - Amends TCA Title 8, Chapter 34, Part 6.

2026-05-27 — Comp. became Pub. Ch. 1110

Pensions and Retirement Benefits - As enacted, revises provisions relating to the production of documents in certain proceedings relating to the retirement of a member of the Tennessee consolidated retirement system (TCRS); revises provisions relating to the temporary reemployment of such a member upon retirement. - Amends TCA Title 8, Chapter 25; Title 8, Chapter 34; Title 8, Chapter 35 and Title 8, Chapter 36.

2026-04-06 — Comp. became Pub. Ch. 658