114 session

Consumer Protection - As enacted, revises one of the definitions of a "nonprofit organization" for purposes of the Tennessee Information Protection Act to mean a public utility organized or regulated, instead of only organized, under the laws of this state. - Amends TCA Title 47.

2025-04-28 — Effective date(s) 07/01/2025

Education - As introduced, deletes an obsolete section requiring the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy at the University of Tennessee to, by December 15, 2014, perform a study on the economic feasibility of creating and utilizing a statewide comprehensive energy policy and submit its final report to the energy task force of the house of representatives. - Amends TCA Title 4 and Title 49.

2026-04-08 — No Action Taken

Election Laws - As enacted, requires a three-judge panel to hear any civil action in which it is alleged that a proposed charter amendment ordinance that is to be submitted to qualified voters at an election is in violation of the Constitution or state law; prohibits an amendment to the charter of a home rule municipality from being placed on any ballot if the amendment is in violation of the Constitution or state law. - Amends TCA Title 2; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7 and Title 20, Chapter 18.

2025-04-29 — Comp. became Pub. Ch. 249

Education, Curriculum - As introduced, requires each local education agency and public charter school to review any new family life curricula recommended by the joint task force on children's justice and child sexual abuse prior to the start of each school year. - Amends TCA Title 39 and Title 49.

2025-02-10 — Assigned to s/c Education Instruction Subcommittee

Salaries and Benefits - As enacted, grants eligible employees leave of up to six workweeks because the employee is caring for a family member with a serious health condition. - Amends TCA Section 8-50-813.

2025-05-15 — Comp. became Pub. Ch. 423

Campaigns and Campaign Finance - As introduced, requires, by September 1, 2025, the registry of election finance to issue a report to the speakers, the legislative librarian, and the office of legislative budget analysis on the use of digital currency being contributed to candidates and political campaign committees throughout the last five years. - Amends TCA Title 2, Chapter 10; Title 2, Chapter 19; Title 3, Chapter 6; Title 4, Chapter 29; Title 4, Chapter 55 and Title 8, Chapter 50, Part 5.

2025-02-06 — P2C, caption bill, held on desk - pending amdt.

Public Property - As enacted, clarifies exception to when a state entity must advertise for leasing space when the entity has requirements that are special and unique. - Amends TCA Section 12-2-114.

2025-04-28 — Effective date(s) 04/11/2025

Tennessee Fish & Wildlife Commission - As enacted, makes changes relative to temporary group hunting event permits. - Amends TCA Title 58 and Title 70.

2025-04-29 — Comp. became Pub. Ch. 216

Boards and Commissions - As enacted, makes various revisions to the governing boards of public higher education institutions. -

2025-05-15 — Comp. became Pub. Ch. 452

Criminal Procedure - As enacted, prohibits a defendant charged with certain offenses from being released on the defendant's personal recognizance or upon execution of an unsecured bond. - Amends TCA Title 40.

2026-05-15 — Pub. Ch. 933

Tennessee Fish & Wildlife Commission - As enacted, authorizes the commission to regulate the operation of sport shooting ranges rather than firing ranges; authorizes the Tennessee wildlife resources agency to establish fees for the use of such ranges in operation prior to July 1, 1998. - Amends TCA Title 70.

2025-04-28 — Effective date(s) 07/01/2025

Consumer Protection - As enacted, adds as unlawful under the Consumer Protection Act of 1977 the making of false statements or misrepresentations of fact to a consumer to indicate or imply that the consumer is a party to a civil lawsuit or a defendant in a criminal prosecution in order to induce the consumer to pay for services related to the purported lawsuit or prosecution or to pay costs, fines, penalties, or other assessments related to the purported lawsuit or prosecution. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 39; Title 47 and Title 65.

2025-04-30 — Comp. became Pub. Ch. 177

Human Rights - As enacted, enacts the "Dismantling DEI Departments Act." - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 8 and Title 49, Chapter 7.

2025-05-15 — Comp. became Pub. Ch. 458

Highways, Roads and Bridges - As introduced, requires the department of transportation to study the development of a new bridge crossing the Mississippi River and connecting to Arkansas. - Amends TCA Title 54.

2025-03-18 — Def. to Summer Study in Transportation Subcommittee

General Assembly - As introduced, entitles a member of the general assembly to expense and mileage allowances for a Saturday or Sunday during a regular or special session if the member is arriving on such day to attend, or in anticipation of attending, a meeting germane to the business of the general assembly for the regular or special session. - Amends TCA Title 3, Chapter 1.

2025-03-19 — Failed in s/c Public Service Subcommittee of State & Local Government Committee

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.

2025-03-19 — Failed in s/c Public Service Subcommittee of State & Local Government Committee

Insurance, Health, Accident - As enacted, clarifies that excepted benefits are not part of a requirement to provide coverage for a specific person, provider, treatment, service, condition, or disease, unless coverage of such excepted benefits is expressly required by law. - Amends TCA Title 56.

2025-04-29 — Comp. became Pub. Ch. 210

Food and Food Products - As introduced, prohibits the sale or offering for sale of any food that contains a live vaccine. - Amends TCA Title 47, Chapter 18 and Title 53.

2026-02-02 — Withdrawn.

Campaigns and Campaign Finance - As introduced, authorizes the use of campaign funds for the payment of fines, fees, and penalties assessed for the violation of campaign finance or ethics laws. - Amends TCA Title 2, Chapter 10.

2026-01-20 — Taken off notice for cal in s/c Elections & Campaign Finance Subcommittee of State & Local Government Committee

Housing - As enacted, authorizes any county having made loans in excess of the amount of funds in the initial capitalization of the loan fund pool for the county to terminate its participation in the homebuyers' revolving loan fund pool with notice to the Tennessee housing development agency and to retain all funds, including any funds used for initial capitalization or interest earnings on repayments. - Amends TCA Title 13, Chapter 23.

2025-05-15 — Comp. became Pub. Ch. 442

Criminal Offenses - As introduced, specifies that a person using force intended or likely to cause death or serious bodily injury from within the person's residence or dwelling is presumed to have acted in self-defense when that force is used against an individual armed with a deadly weapon who is unlawfully present on the person's property and outside of the enclosed structure of the person's residence or dwelling. - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 11 and Title 40.

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

Students - As enacted, requires local boards of education and public charter school governing bodies to adopt a policy to prohibit students from using wireless communication devices during instructional time, except in certain circumstances; makes related changes. - Amends TCA Title 49.

2025-04-04 — Effective date(s) 07/01/2025

Education, Dept. of - As introduced, requires the department to establish and administer a three-year artificial intelligence weapons detection system grant pilot program to award grants to eligible LEAs for the purchase of artificial intelligence weapons detection systems for schools without an artificial intelligence weapons detection system. - Amends TCA Title 49.

2025-03-18 — Taken off notice for cal in s/c Education Administration Subcommittee of Education Committee

Election Laws - As introduced, makes changes to the forms of identification used to verify a person's identity for voting purposes. - Amends TCA Title 2.

2026-03-10 — Taken off notice for cal in s/c Elections & Campaign Finance Subcommittee of State & Local Government Committee

County Government - As enacted, authorizes a county that has adopted the County Purchasing Law of 1957 to require a competitive bid process for insurance brokerage services. - Amends TCA Title 5 and Title 12, Chapter 3, Part 12.

2025-05-13 — Comp. became Pub. Ch. 381

Day Care - As introduced, treats nieces and nephews of the whole or half-blood of a primary caregiver as being related to the caregiver for purposes of present laws governing child care agencies. - Amends TCA Title 71, Chapter 3, Part 5.

2026-03-11 — Failed for lack of second in: Health Subcommittee

Election Laws - As introduced, establishes automatic restoration of voting rights for people who complete their sentence, including any parole or probationary period. - Amends TCA Title 2; Title 40 and Title 41.

2025-02-10 — Assigned to s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee

Licenses - As enacted, creates a bait privilege license to allow hunting or taking of whitetail deer using bait on privately owned or privately leased land. - Amends TCA Title 70.

2025-05-15 — Comp. became Pub. Ch. 444

State Employees - As introduced, requires the attorney general to annually report by January 15 of each year to the governor, speaker of the senate, and speaker of the house of representatives the number of injunctions brought against persons who committed harassment against a state employee in the preceding calendar year. - Amends TCA Title 50, Chapter 1.

2025-04-02 — Taken off notice for cal. in State & Local Government Committee

Boats, Boating - As enacted, generally increases from 12 to 14, the age that a person must be to lawfully operate a personal watercraft upon the waters of Tennessee without being under the direct supervision of an adult, except that persons 12 and 13 may continue to operate a personal watercraft upon the waters of Tennessee without being under the direct supervision of an adult on Monday through Friday, excepting legal holidays. - Amends TCA Title 69, Chapter 9.

2026-03-16 — Effective date(s) 01/01/2027

Taxes, Real Property - As introduced, revises the property tax relief program for elderly, low-income homeowners to provide tiered property tax reimbursements based on the taxpayer's age. - Amends TCA Title 67, Chapter 5, Part 7.

2025-02-06 — Assigned to s/c Cities & Counties Subcommittee

Alcoholic Beverages - As introduced, authorizes the issuance of a retail package store license to an operator within the general services district of a metropolitan government that has approved the retail sale of liquor for off-premises consumption by local option election. - Amends TCA Title 7 and Title 57.

2026-03-17 — Taken off notice for cal in s/c Departments & Agencies Subcommittee of State & Local Government Committee

Election Laws - As introduced, requires a candidate's name on a nominating petition to match the candidate's name as it appears on the candidate's voter registration record; prohibits the use of nicknames, abbreviations, and variations in spelling of candidates' names on ballots. - Amends TCA Title 2.

2025-03-11 — Failed in s/c Elections & Campaign Finance Subcommittee of State & Local Government Committee

Firearms and Ammunition - As introduced, prohibits the possession of an assault weapon; directs those in possession of an assault weapon before July 1, 2025, to apply for a certificate of possession; creates the Class E felony offense of purchasing, selling, possessing, or using a part, component, device, or attachment designed to accelerate the fire of a semiautomatic rifle and makes any semiautomatic rifle that includes an accelerated fire part, component, or device a prohibited weapon. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 54; Section 38-3-119 and Title 39, Chapter 17.

2026-03-25 — Taken off notice for cal in s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee of Judiciary Committee

Health, Dept. of - As introduced, requires the commissioner to report to the chairs of legislative committees having jurisdiction over health-related matters on the standards and policies for assisted reproductive technology in this state. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 29; Title 36; Title 63 and Title 68.

2025-03-18 — Failed in s/c Population Health Subcommittee of Health Committee

Energy - As introduced, requires an applicant and an electric utility service to perform and submit to the locality a site assessment prior to the approval of a rezoning request, special exception, or special use permit for the siting of a new high energy use facility (HEUF). - Amends TCA Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 13; Title 54; Title 65 and Title 68.

2026-03-18 — Action Def. in s/c Cities & Counties Subcommittee to January 2027 Calendar

Firearms and Ammunition - As introduced, enacts "Akilah's Law," which creates the offense of selling, offering to sell, delivering, or transferring a firearm to a person knowing the person has been a patient in a mental institution at any time within the previous five years. - Amends TCA Title 33 and Title 39, Chapter 17, Part 13.

2026-04-01 — Taken off notice for cal. in Judiciary Committee

Domestic Violence - As introduced, requires a person who is convicted of domestic assault or subject to an order of protection to dispossess any firearm in the person's possession by transferring the firearm to a law enforcement agency and to provide the court with an affidavit of dispossession of firearms and a receipt from the law enforcement agency. - Amends TCA Title 36; Title 39 and Title 40.

2026-02-18 — Failed in s/c Civil Justice Subcommittee of Judiciary Committee

Firearms and Ammunition - As introduced, creates a criminal offense of storing or keeping a firearm in any place if the firearm is not secured in a locked container or equipped with a tamper-resistant mechanical lock or other safety device that is properly engaged so as to render the firearm inoperable by any person other than the owner or another lawfully authorized user; punishes a violation of the offense as a Class A misdemeanor. - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 17, Part 13.

2026-03-25 — Taken off notice for cal in s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee of Judiciary Committee

Environmental Preservation - As introduced, creates a grant program to facilitate green spaces in urban areas; authorizes the technical secretary of the air pollution control board to establish a program to encourage community-led programs that reduce air pollution. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 3, Part 5; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 11; Title 43, Chapter 24 and Title 68, Chapter 201.

2025-02-24 — Sponsor(s) Added.

Energy - As introduced, enacts the "Clean Energy and Jobs Act"; creates the Clean Energy Workforce Training Grant Fund; establishes a tax credit for certain systems, methods, improvements, structures, devices, or appliances used by renewable energy businesses, and small businesses to implement or improve the business's sustainable practices. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 3, Part 5 and Title 67.

2025-02-11 — Assigned to s/c Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee

Economic and Community Development - As introduced, enacts the "Small Business Growth and Empowerment Act"; authorizes business tax credits for small businesses hiring locally or providing workforce training; creates grants for minority-owned and women-owned businesses in underserved areas. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 3, Part 7 and Title 67, Chapter 4.

2026-03-18 — Def. to Summer Study in Business & Utilities Subcommittee

Education - As introduced, enacts the "School Safety and Mental Health Act." - Amends TCA Title 49.

2026-03-10 — Taken off notice for cal in s/c Education Administration Subcommittee of Education Committee

Law Enforcement - As introduced, requires each law enforcement agency to develop and implement an alternative crisis response unit; requires the Tennessee peace officer standards and training commission to establish uniform training standards for alternative crisis response units in all law enforcement agencies. - Amends TCA Title 33 and Title 38.

2026-03-25 — Taken off notice for cal in s/c Public Service Subcommittee of State & Local Government Committee

Housing - As introduced, enacts the "Affordable Housing and Tenant Protection Act"; allows local governments to adopt ordinances and resolutions to control rent for private residential rental units; creates the increased housing program and increased housing fund; authorizes the Tennessee housing development agency to make grants from the fund to eligible developers and first-time homebuyers to assist in gap financing and down payment assistance. - Amends TCA Title 7, Chapter 53; Title 9; Title 12; Title 13; Title 66 and Title 67.

2026-03-18 — Action Def. in s/c Cities & Counties Subcommittee to January 2027 Calendar

Firearms and Ammunition - As introduced, requires, subject to certain exemptions, that a sale or transfer of a firearm be done through a federally licensed gun dealer; creates a Class B misdemeanor offense for sales or transfers that are not conducted through a gun dealer. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 54; Title 38, Chapter 3, Part 1 and Title 39, Chapter 17, Part 13.

2026-03-25 — Taken off notice for cal in s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee of Judiciary Committee