114 session

Public Employees - As enacted, establishes that a retiree who is a member of the Tennessee consolidated retirement system must have had a bona fide separation of service before the retiree is allowed to accept temporary reemployment without a loss or suspension of benefits in the retirement system; makes other changes to the present law relative to reemployment after retirement from public employment. - Amends TCA Section 8-25-213 and Title 8, Chapter 36, Part 8.

2025-05-02 — Comp. became Pub. Ch. 159

Treasurer, State - As enacted, sets the maximum award of compensation under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Act of 1976 at 105% of the national average of the maximum compensation award provided by the 50 states within the United States, the District of Columbia, and the United States Virgin Islands, rounded up to the nearest $100; requires the state treasurer to publish on the department of treasury website the maximum compensation award for claims filed for crimes occurring on or after July 1, 2025. - Amends TCA Section 29-13-106.

2025-05-13 — Comp. became Pub. Ch. 313

Marriage - As introduced, enacts the "Tennessee Covenant Marriage Act" to create covenant marriage, which is entered into by one male and one female, who understand and agree that marriage is a lifelong relationship; permits a spouse in a covenant marriage to obtain a judgment of divorce under certain circumstances. - Amends TCA Title 8; Title 10; Title 16; Title 36; Title 39; Title 67 and Title 68.

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

Consumer Protection - As introduced, reduces, from $100 billion to $50 billion, the amount of assets held by a state or national bank, savings and loan association, savings bank, credit union, industrial loan and thrift, or mortgage lender that are necessary to fall within the definition of a financial institution for purposes of the application of certain consumer protections. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 9; Title 45; Title 47 and Title 56.

2025-03-26 — Taken off notice for cal in s/c Banking and Consumer Affairs Subcommittee of Commerce Committee

Zoning - As enacted, makes certain changes to the powers and duties of county and municipal boards of zoning appeals. - Amends TCA Title 13, Chapter 7.

2025-05-13 — Comp. became Pub. Ch. 363

State Government - As enacted, prohibits the enforcement and recognition of requirements or mandates issued by the World Health Organization, United Nations, or World Economic Forum in this state or its political subdivisions. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 1, Part 4.

2025-05-13 — Comp. became Pub. Ch. 361

Taxes, Ad Valorem - As introduced, revises the definition of "residential property" for purposes of classification and assessment of property taxes to include property that can be sold and purchased as a single unit fee simple title, regardless of whether it is vacant, owner-occupied, rented, or detached or attached. - Amends TCA Title 67, Chapter 5.

2025-03-19 — Def. to Summer Study in Cities & Counties Subcommittee

Parks, Natural Areas Preservation - As introduced, designates the new swimming pool at Henry Horton State Park as the "Riley Gaines Aquatic Center." -

2025-02-03 — P2C, ref. to Naming & Designating Committee - Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee

Computers and Electronic Processing - As enacted, requires each department, agency, office, commission, institution, or instrumentality of the executive branch to accept electronic transmissions; defines the meaning of electronic transmission as applicable to this state's code; removes the terms "fax" or "facsimile" in certain statutes and replaces the terms with electronic transmission. - Amends TCA Title 1; Title 2; Title 3; Title 4; Title 5; Title 7; Title 8; Title 9; Title 10; Title 11; Title 12; Title 13; Title 16; Title 20; Title 22; Title 24; Title 31; Title 33; Title 36; Title 38; Title 39; Title 40; Title 43; Title 44; Title 45; Title 47; Title 48; Title 49; Title 50; Title 53; Title 54; Title 55; Title 56; Title 61; Title 62; Title 63; Title 64; Title 65; Title 66; Title 67; Title 68; Title 69 and Title 71.

2025-04-04 — Effective date(s) 01/01/2026

Criminal Offenses - As enacted, creates the offense of human smuggling; makes related changes. - Amends TCA Title 39.

2025-05-15 — Comp. became Pub. Ch. 424

Real Property - As introduced, changes from a preponderance of the evidence to clear and convincing evidence the burden of proof for a debtor to prove that property sold at a foreclosure sale for an amount materially less than the fair market value in order to rebut the presumption that the foreclosure sale price of the property was equal to the fair market value at the time of sale. - Amends TCA Title 35.

2025-03-04 — Sponsor change.

Governor - As enacted, prohibits orders, proclamations, or rules issued by the governor under the governor's emergency management powers from contravening, suspending, or conflicting with a provision of the Tennessee Constitution; restricts governor's ability under such powers to suspend certain procedural provisions of a law, order, rule, or regulation. - Amends TCA Title 4 and Title 58, Chapter 2.

2025-06-04 — Comp. became Pub. Ch. 153

Holidays and Days of Special Observance - As introduced, designates March 13 of each year as "Father Charles Strobel Day." - Amends TCA Title 15, Chapter 2.

2025-02-27 — Received from House, Passed on First Consideration

Holidays and Days of Special Observance - As introduced, designates March 3 of each year as "Sister Sandra Smithson Day." - Amends TCA Title 15, Chapter 2.

2025-02-27 — Received from House, Passed on First Consideration

Holidays and Days of Special Observance - As enacted, designates the month of June as "Celebration of Life" month, the month of July as "Celebration of Liberty" month, and the month of August as "Celebration of the Pursuit of Happiness" month in Tennessee. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 1, Part 4.

2025-05-13 — Comp. became Pub. Ch. 366

Parks, Natural Areas Preservation - As introduced, requires that veterans who are Tennessee residents be offered the same discounts at state parks at the same rates and with the same frequency as discounts offered to state employees at state parks. - Amends TCA Title 11, Chapter 3 and Title 58.

2025-04-09 — Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/14/2025

Insurance Companies, Agents, Brokers, Policies - As enacted, authorizes categorizing certain foreign multiple employer welfare arrangements as domestic multiple employer welfare arrangements if specific conditions are met. - Amends TCA Title 56, Chapter 26.

2025-05-02 — Comp. became Pub. Ch. 161

Taxes, Sales - As introduced, requires the department of economic and community development to revise and certify the population of each county and municipality, and the aggregate population of the state, prior to July 1 each year during the interim between the regular decennial federal census to ensure equitable allocation and distribution of the local share of state sales tax revenue; requires the Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Tennessee, through the Tennessee state data center, to generate annual population estimates for each county and municipality and provide the estimates to the department of economic and community development for review and certification. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 3, Part 7; Section 9-16-101 and Title 67, Chapter 6.

2025-02-03 — Assigned to s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee

Tennessee Housing Development Agency - As enacted, increases, from $4 billion to $5 billion, the maximum aggregate principal amount for which the agency may issue bonds and notes at any one time. - Amends TCA Section 13-23-121.

2025-05-08 — Effective date(s) 05/02/2025

State Government - As introduced, enacts the "Government Serves the People Act." - Amends TCA Title 4 and Title 8.

2025-02-03 — Assigned to s/c Departments & Agencies Subcommittee

Pensions and Retirement Benefits - As introduced, authorizes a firefighter with a rank equal to or higher than shift commander to continue in service beyond the mandatory retirement age of 62 years of age. - Amends TCA Title 8, Chapter 36.

2025-04-14 — Taken off notice for cal in s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee of Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

Public Officials - As introduced, requires the chief executive officer of a state agency or department to ensure that its policies, practices, and procedures relating to the recruitment, hiring, advancement, and retention of qualified individuals with disabilities are posted on the respective agency or department website. - Amends TCA Title 2; Title 3; Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 8; Title 12; Title 13; Title 14; Title 41; Title 52; Title 58; Title 66 and Title 67.

2025-02-03 — P2C, caption bill, held on desk - pending amdt.

Sullivan County - As enacted, requires the members of a utility district board of commissioners to serve without compensation for their services, except that, by resolution duly adopted by the board of commissioners, each commissioner may receive per diem payments for not more than 12 meetings of the board of commissioners in any calendar year, at rates not greater than $500 per meeting. - Amends TCA Title 2; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 12; Title 13; Title 66 and Title 67.

2025-05-13 — Comp. became Pub. Ch. 316

Campaigns and Campaign Finance - As introduced, increases from 4 percent to 5 percent the percentage of general assembly candidates and their committees who will be selected for an audit by the registry of election finance. - Amends TCA Title 2; Title 3 and Title 8.

2025-02-03 — P2C, caption bill, held on desk - pending amdt.

Local Government, General - As introduced, requires county and city attorneys to consult with and advise elected county and city officials, the officials' deputies, and the officials' employees as to the proper application and enforcement of federal and state laws that are pertinent to carrying out the duties of the officials' respective offices. - Amends TCA Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 8; Title 12 and Title 13.

2025-03-25 — Assigned to s/c Cities & Counties Subcommittee

State Government - As enacted, authorizes the commissioner of environment and conservation, notwithstanding agreements authorized by the commissioner of general services and with approval of the state building commission, to enter into agreements contemplated for the private development, redevelopment, construction, and operation of facilities on lands with Cumberland Mountain State Park, and the department of environment and conservation may supervise the construction. - Amends TCA Title 3; Title 4; Title 8; Title 9; Title 10; Title 12; Title 13; Title 14; Title 15; Title 41; Title 50 and Title 57.

2026-05-14 — Effective date(s) 05/07/2026

State Government - As introduced, requires the Tennessee advisory commission on intergovernmental relations to file its biennial report of its recommendations and findings with respect to intergovernmental relations with the governor. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 8; Title 41; Title 52; Title 57 and Title 58.

2025-02-03 — P2C, caption bill, held on desk - pending amdt.

State Employees - As introduced, requires each appointing authority of a state department or agency to electronically report to the commissioner of human resources the job performance evaluations for the employees in the appointing authority's department or state agency. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 8 and Title 50.

2025-02-03 — P2C, caption bill, held on desk - pending amdt.

DNA and Genetic Testing - As enacted, requires collection of a biological specimen from certain convicted offenders to be collected within 30 days of sentencing to be used for DNA analysis; requires a law enforcement agency to submit a biological specimen from an offender who dies while incarcerated and was previously convicted of a qualifying offense. - Amends TCA Title 40, Chapter 35, Part 3.

2025-04-08 — Comp. became Pub. Ch. 63

Veterans - As enacted, enacts the "Safeguarding American Veteran Empowerment (SAVE) Act." - Amends TCA Title 47 and Title 58.

2025-04-29 — Comp. became Pub. Ch. 223

Consumer Protection - As enacted, prohibits persons from selling, offering for sale, or offering a free sample of counterfeit lighters and unsafe lighters. - Amends TCA Title 39 and Title 47.

2025-03-21 — Comp. became Pub. Ch. 20

Military - As enacted, defines "working day" for purposes of determining the military leave and compensation available to state and local government employees who are members of any reserve component of the armed forces of the United States who are called to active military service. - Amends TCA Title 8, Chapter 33.

2025-04-29 — Comp. became Pub. Ch. 243

Abortion - As introduced, adds the chairs of the judiciary committee of the senate and the committee of the house of representatives with jurisdiction over criminal justice-related matters to whom the department of health shall submit a report of each abortion procedure and the disposition of the aborted fetus or aborted fetal tissue to no later than January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1 of each year. - Amends TCA Section 39-15-203.

2025-02-03 — Assigned to s/c Population Health Subcommittee

Naming and Designating - As introduced, names the desk of house chamber seat number 60 as the “Legislative Desk of Representative John J. Deberry, Jr.”; directs the chief clerk of the house of representatives, or the chief clerk’s designee, to design and provide for the installation of a commemorative plaque on the side of the desk of house chamber seat number 60 to recognize the official name of such desk. - Amends TCA Title 3, Chapter 1 and Title 4, Chapter 8.

2025-04-16 — Sponsor(s) Added.

Children - As enacted, clarifies that the economic disadvantage of a parent or guardian alone is not a ground for termination of parental rights; clarifies that, for purposes of laws relative to juvenile courts and proceedings, "neglect" does not exist solely on the basis of economic disadvantage. - Amends TCA Title 36; Title 37 and Title 39.

2025-05-13 — Comp. became Pub. Ch. 322

Education - As introduced, requires, if a local government adopts a budget that includes the required maintenance of effort for education funding but fails to appropriate or allocate the full amount budgeted to the LEA, the local government, in the following fiscal year, to appropriate and allocate the unfunded portion to the LEA; specifies that the maintenance of local funding effort required for a fiscal year following a fiscal year in which the local government failed to appropriate or allocate the full amount budgeted to the LEA must be determined based on the amount budgeted to the LEA for the previous fiscal year instead of the amount actually appropriated or allocated to the LEA by the local government. - Amends TCA Section 49-3-314.

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

Education - As introduced, deletes an antiquated section, which required 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 49.

2026-03-24 — Failed in s/c K-12 Subcommittee of Education Committee

Prisons and Reformatory Institutions - As introduced, adds the legislative librarian as a recipient of the report submitted by the commissioner of correction to the general assembly on the transactions of state correctional facilities during the two years preceding the report. - Amends TCA Title 3; Title 4; Title 8; Title 9; Title 27; Title 29; Title 38; Title 39; Title 40 and Title 41.

2025-02-03 — Withdrawn.

Jails, Local Lock-ups - As enacted, requires, if a prisoner is released for paid employment, the cost of the electronic monitoring device to be deducted from the prisoner's wages by the sheriff and paid directly to the electronic monitoring device provider by the county or state, as applicable; requires, if a prisoner is released for unpaid work, the entity utilizing the prisoner for work to pay the costs of the electronic monitoring device. - Amends TCA Title 41.

2025-05-13 — Comp. became Pub. Ch. 320

Highways, Roads and Bridges - As introduced, clarifies that the plans for an acquisition of a right-of-way by the state must be filed and recorded with the office of the register in each county where the project is located if the project is located in multiple counties. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 54 and Title 55.

2025-02-03 — Assigned to s/c Transportation Subcommittee

Financial Institutions, Dept. of - As introduced, reduces from 60 to 45 days, the time period following the end of each calendar year during which the commissioner must annually report to the governor. - Amends TCA Title 45.

2025-02-03 — P2C, caption bill, held on desk - pending amdt.

Tennessee Bureau of Investigation - As enacted, grants the bureau discretion to investigate reports of suspected elder financial exploitation. - Amends TCA Title 8; Title 38; Title 39; Title 45; Title 68 and Title 71.

2026-05-14 — Pub. Ch. 908

Local Education Agencies - As enacted, requires a public school under the jurisdiction of an LEA that offers students the opportunity to participate in interscholastic athletic competitions to allow the LEA's virtual school students to participate in interscholastic athletics at the public school in the LEA for which they are zoned and that they are otherwise eligible to attend. - Amends TCA Title 49.

2025-04-30 — Comp. became Pub. Ch. 173

Education - As introduced, requires local education agencies (LEAs) and public charter schools to recognize November 7 of each year as Victims of Communism Day to honor the people who have fallen victim to communist regimes across the world; requires LEAs and public charter schools to provide students enrolled in a world history and geography course with at least 45 minutes of instruction on Victims of Communism Day. - Amends TCA Title 15; Title 49, Chapter 1 and Title 49, Chapter 6.

2025-02-05 — Withdrawn.

Safety - As enacted, enacts the "Rescue Squad Recognition Act." - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 8 and Title 68.

2026-04-28 — Comp. became Pub. Ch. 782

Bail, Bail Bonds - As introduced, requires a court or magistrate to impose global positioning monitoring as a condition of release for a defendant accused of certain offenses, unless the court or magistrate enters written findings that the defendant does not pose a threat to the victim or public safety; requires the administrative office of the courts to compile an annual report of the number of defendants subject to such an order. - Amends TCA Title 39; Title 40; Title 55; Chapter 969 of the Public Acts of 2024 and Chapter 1033 of the Public Acts of 2024.

2025-03-25 — Def. to Summer Study in Criminal Justice Subcommittee