Tennessee House Bills

Motor Vehicles - As enacted, revises law relative to out-of-service orders issued to commercial drivers and related penalties. - Amends TCA Title 55 and Title 65, Chapter 15.

Millington - Subject to local approval, requires a candidate for the office of mayor to be a resident of the City of Millington for one year preceding the election rather than 60 days to qualify to run for such office. - Amends Chapter 238 of the Acts of 1903; as amended and rewritten.

Education, Curriculum - As enacted, establishes a pilot program that provides grants to local education agencies to advance substance abuse and violence prevention programs. - Amends TCA Title 49.

Utilities, Utility Districts - As enacted, establishes a process for a municipality that operates a sewerage system outside of its corporate boundaries and has imposed a moratorium on new sewer connections outside of its corporate boundaries for a period of five or more consecutive years to extend sanitary sewer service or allow sewer connection only to property located within an adjacency area if the property owner or developer agrees to pay, or the municipality assesses, a housing surcharge. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 8; Title 12; Title 13; Title 29; Title 54; Title 64; Title 65; Title 68 and Title 69.

Taxes, Real Property - As enacted, establishes the process for property tax assessment and valuation of multi-unit rental housing that receives a federal, state, or local incentive based on low-income renter restrictions. - Amends TCA Title 7; Title 13; Title 48; Title 49; Title 67 and Title 68.

Human Services, Dept. of - As enacted, requires the commissioner of human services to provide the commissioner of correction with a form application for food assistance for use by inmates who are preparing for release. - Amends TCA Title 71, Chapter 5, Part 3.

Education - As enacted, requires an educational oversight board tobe created for an LEA that meets certain criteria and is established to annually conduct a comprehensive needs assessment of the LEA to determine the factors that may be contributing to the LEA meeting such criteria; requires the oversight board to develop a transformation plan that identifies performance andoperational goals for the LEA and benchmarks for assessing the LEA's progress toward meeting such goals; makes other related changes. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7 and Title 49.

Election Laws - As enacted, authorizes the county election commission to designate restroom facilities in each building in which the election is held that are for the use of workers or volunteers working for a campaign with certain limitations on access. - Amends TCA Title 2, Chapter 7.

Safety - As enacted, enacts the "Riley Gaines Women's Safety and Protection Act." - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 37; Title 41; Title 49 and Title 68.

Education, Dept. of - As enacted, requires the department to provide at least one professional development course that provides asynchronous instruction on the use of artificial intelligence in the classroom and that is made available, at no cost, to teachers in grades 6-12; requires such teachers to complete at least one department-approved professional development course on the use of artificial intelligence in the classroom by the later of August 1, 2028, or within two years of becoming licensed as a teacher in this state. - Amends TCA Title 49.

State Government - As enacted, terminates the James K. Polk Memorial Association and requires the Tennessee historical commission to enter into good faith negotiations for the purchase and transfer of the James K. Polk Home in Columbia. - Amends TCA Title 4.

Criminal Procedure - As enacted, requires a defendant who is ordered to wear a transdermal monitoring device or alternative device, including other alternative alcohol or drug monitoring device, or global positioning monitoring device, as a condition of pretrial release, and who has not been determined by the court to be indigent, to pay all fees associated with the installation, monitoring, maintenance, and operation of the device. - Amends TCA Title 38; Title 39; Title 40 and Title 55.

Gleason - Subject to local approval, for the term beginning December 2028, increases the mayor's compensation from $200 to $400 per month and compensation for each alderman from $100 to $200 per month. - Amends Chapter 33 of the Private Acts of 1985; as amended.

Benton County - Subject to local approval, updates the system for the management of county finances, including, but not limited to, budgeting, investment oversight, debt management, and cash management oversight. - Amends Chapter 541 of the Private Acts of 1939; as amended and rewritten.

Monterey - Subject to local approval, deletes obsolete provisions authorizing the mayor to serve as the ex officio recorder for the town of Monterey; establishes the position of Town Administrator and prescribes the Administrator's powers, duties, and functions. - Amends Chapter 492 of the Acts of 1901; as amended.

Grundy County - Subject to local approval, creates the Southern Cumberland Plateau Regional Water and Wastewater Authority. -

Shelby County - Subject to local approval, changes the conditions under which the occupancy tax will no longer be levied; changes the allocation of the revenue from the occupancy tax if the tenant of the indoor sports facility no longer occupies such facility. - Amends Chapter 131 of the Private Acts of 1969; as amended.

Haywood County - Subject to local approval, for county attorney, requires state law license; hiring preference to be given to a resident; oath of office; to advise and represent county commission, the county mayor, and other county officials; authorizes county commission to employ legal counsel other than county attorney; replaces "quarterly county court" with "county commission"; and replaces "county judge" with "county mayor." - Amends Chapter 350 of the Private Acts of 1945; as amended.

Stanton - Subject to local approval, revises the general powers of the town; revises provisions related to the town judge. - Amends Chapter 142 of the Private Acts of 1990.

Tullahoma - Subject to local approval, allocates 3.8 percent of each annual operating budget, but not less than $1.5 million, to the maintenance of streets and roads within the city limits of the City of Tullahoma. - Amends Chapter 553 of the Acts of 1903.

Lexington - Subject to local approval, clarifies the duties of the mayor as the chief executive officer of the city; authorizes the mayor to suspend an employee; clarifies that office of mayor is a full-time position. - Amends Chapter 402 of the Acts of 1901; as amended and rewritten.

Niota - Subject to local approval, rewrites the charter of the City of Niota. - Amends Chapter 48 of the Private Acts of 1919; as amended and rewritten.

Lafayette - Subject to local approval, moves the date of elections from coinciding with the primary in May to coinciding with the general election in November; increases the compensation of the council members from $100 to $150 for each council meeting and from $50 to $75 for each committee meeting; increases the annual salary of the mayor from $45,000 to $75,000; authorizes the mayor, subject to confirmation of the city council, a superintendent of streets and a superintendent of sanitation. - Amends Chapter 325 of the Private Acts of 1945; as amended.

Sardis - Subject to local approval, removes archaic references to debtor's prisons, city marshal, the original members of the board of mayor and aldermen, and city recorder authority; sets salaries of board members by ordinance rather than by charter; authorizes the board to set meeting dates by ordinance rather than by charter, increases terms of the mayor and aldermen from two to four years; and removes certain residency requirements for legal qualified voters who live within the municipality. - Amends Chapter 833 of the Private Acts of 1949; as amended.

Obion County - Subject to local approval, clarifies that the county highway superintendent of the county highway department be appointed by the county commission pursuant to state law. - Amends the private acts of Obion County.

Bristol - Subject to local approval, revises election provisions for city council and the board of education to comply with changes to general election law; reduces the time after final passage for an ordinance to take effect from 17 days to seven days; changes the due dates for property taxes; creates a department of education. - Amends Chapter 84 of the Private Acts of 1991; as amended.

Jonesborough - Subject to local approval, authorizes the board of mayor and alderman for the Town of Jonesborough to elect a mayor from among the aldermen to fill a vacancy; authorizes the Town recorder to carry liability insurance rather than be bonded in an amount prescribed by Town ordinance; updates the election dates for the mayor and board of aldermen. - Amends Chapter 135 of the Acts of 1903; as amended.

Winchester - Subject to local approval, expands the board of public utilities' jurisdiction to wastewater treatment systems; requires the mayor to serve as a standing member of the board during the mayor's term; creates four-year terms for members; and makes various other changes. - Amends Chapter 34 of the Private Acts of 2019.

Hamblen County - Subject to local approval, updates appointment provisions, qualifications, and compensation for the office of county attorney. - Amends Chapter 677 of the Private Acts of 1949; as amended.

Hamblen County - Subject to local approval, abolishes the Hamblen County Road Commission, effective August 31, 2028. - Repeals Chapter 313 of the Private Acts of 1949; as amended.

Charlotte - Subject to local approval, revises various provisions of the charter of the City of Charlotte relating to its corporate powers; the city council; the city clerk; codification of ordinances; duties of mayor; city court, judge, and court clerk; and budgeting, centralized purchasing, and taxes. - Amends Chapter 154 of the Private Acts of 1955; as amended.

Appropriations - As enacted, makes appropriations for the fiscal years beginning July 1, 2025, and July 1, 2026. -

Bond Issues - As enacted, authorizes the state to issue and sell bonds. -

Open Meetings - As enacted, authorizes a governing body to conduct an executive session for the purpose of interviewing applicants for employment as director-level staff of the body without providing public notice of such session. - Amends TCA Title 8.

State Government - As enacted, designates the Rhododendron and the Fall-O-Dendron festivals of Roan Mountain as the official Rhododendron and the Fall-O-Dendron festivals in this state in recognition of the festivals' contributions to the preservation of the heritage, history, and beautiful landscapes of this state. - Amends TCA Title 3; Title 4; Title 8 and Title 9.

Driver Licenses - As enacted, requires driver license station staff to inquire of applicants whether the applicant would like a driver license that complies with the federal REAL ID Act of 2005 or does not comply with such act; makes other related revisions. - Amends TCA Title 55, Chapter 50.

Public Utility Commission - As enacted, requires, for an electric utility providing services outside the corporate limits of the home municipality, expansion of the utility board to provide representation on the board for such outside locality. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 8; Title 12; Title 13; Title 54; Title 64; Title 65; Title 68 and Title 69.

DUI Offenses - As enacted, clarifies present law regarding the revocation of a person's driver license for an implied consent violation. - Amends TCA Section 55-10-407.

Civil Emergencies - As enacted, creates the department of Tennessee emergency management assistance ("TEMA") to authorize the creation of local organizations for emergency management in the political subdivisions of the state, and to authorize cooperation with the federal government and the governments of other states. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 9; Title 13; Title 16; Title 39; Title 55; Title 58; Title 62; Title 65; Title 68 and Title 71.

Local Government, General - As enacted, requires a local government responsible for reviewing a development application, development plan, or a site inspection submitted by a developer for the purpose of developing real property in this state, within 60 business days of the submission, to approve the application, plan, or site inspection or add the submission to the next available agenda of either the planning commission or the governing body; makes other related changes. - Amends TCA Title 7.

Unemployment Compensation - As enacted, removes a requirement that work be deemed suitable for a claimant if certain criteria are met and a claimant's gross weekly wages equal or exceed certain threshold percentages of the claimant's weekly wage for insured work for the quarter of the base period when the claimant's wages were greatest. - Amends TCA Section 50-7-303.

Salaries and Benefits - As enacted, expresses the public policy that the prevailing wage rate be paid to workers on non-state contracts for construction projects on public highways; makes other revisions to the Prevailing Wage Act for State Highway Construction Projects. - Amends TCA Title 12, Chapter 4, Part 4.

Health Care - As enacted, makes revisions to health law, including, but not limited to, revising certain reporting requirements, requiring a person licensed by the board of examiners in psychology to complete certain suicide prevention training, defining palliative care, and clarifying certain rulemaking authority of health boards and the commissioner of health. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 8; Title 33; Title 36; Title 37; Title 48; Title 49; Title 52; Title 53; Title 55; Title 56; Title 62; Title 63 and Title 68.

Education - As enacted, makes various revisions to education law, including, but not limited to, prohibiting parents from using funds deposited in a participating student's IEA to make contributions to an achieving a better life experience account for purposes of the "ABLE Act," and requiring the Title VI coordinator for a LEA or public charter school to investigate certain complaints of antisemitic discrimination and harassment reported to the LEA or public charter school before formally reporting the incidents and complaints to the Title VI coordinator designated by the department of education. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 29; Title 5, Chapter 21; Title 8, Chapter 50, Part 8; Title 49, Chapter 10, Part 1; Title 49, Chapter 10, Part 14; Title 49, Chapter 11, Part 1; Title 49, Chapter 11, Part 8; Title 49, Chapter 13; Title 49, Chapter 15, Part 1; Title 49, Chapter 16, Part 2; Title 49, Chapter 17; Section 49-2-203; Title 49, Chapter 3, Part 1; Title 49, Chapter 5, Part 4; Title 49, Chapter 50, Part 10; Title 49, Chapter 50, Part 16; Title 49, Chapter 50, Part 18; Title 49, Chapter 6, Part 10; Title 49, Chapter 6, Part 15; Title 49, Chapter 6, Part 22; Title 49, Chapter 6, Part 23; Title 49, Chapter 6, Part 30; Title 49, Chapter 6, Part 34; Title 49, Chapter 6, Part 42; Title 49, Chapter 6, Part 81; Title 49, Chapter 1, Part 2; Title 49, Chapter 1, Part 3 and Section 68-204-110.

Boards and Commissions - As enacted, revises law regulating professions under the department of commerce and insurance. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 29, Part 2; Title 20, Chapter 9, Part 6; Title 55, Chapter 17, Part 1; Title 62, Chapter 13; Title 62, Chapter 18; Title 62, Chapter 2; Title 62, Chapter 20; Title 62, Chapter 27; Title 62, Chapter 35; Title 62, Chapter 4; Title 62, Chapter 6; Title 62, Chapter 76; Title 68, Chapter 102 and Title 68, Chapter 105.

Children's Services, Dept. of - As enacted, requires a child placed in the custody of the department to remain in custody so long as necessary to complete treatment or services, which must be evidence-based and provided by a qualified provider; makes other changes to child custody law; creates a juvenile commitment review task force to examine system issues and service gaps for certain children committed to the custody of the department. - Amends TCA Title 37, Chapter 1, Part 1.

Recycling - As enacted, establishes the office of cooperative marketing for recyclables and the recycling market development and diversion advisory council. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7 and Title 68, Chapter 211.

Taxes, Sales - As enacted, extends the deadline by which a county that borders at least three distressed rural counties must apply to be eligible to retain the sales and use tax generated from a commercial development district from December 31, 2026, to December 31, 2040; extends the deadline for the commissioner of finance and administration to approve a commercial development district from June 30, 2031, to June 30, 2041. - Amends TCA Title 67, Chapter 6.

Housing - As enacted, establishes the community workforce housing innovation pilot program to be administered by the Tennessee housing development agency; authorizes the agency to provide loans to an applicant for construction or rehabilitation of workforce housing in each of the three grand divisions; requires the housing to be affordable to natural persons or families who meet certain criteria. - Amends TCA Title 7, Chapter 53; Title 13; Title 48, Chapter 101, Part 3; Title 56 and Title 67.

Regional Authorities and Special Districts - As enacted, vacates the present board of commissioners of each existing authority for metropolitan and regional airports, and reconstitute a new governing body; makes related changes. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 7 and Title 42.

Insurance, Health, Accident - As enacted, authorizes a health insurance entity to offer a short-term limited-duration plan and hospital indemnity coverage on the marketplace. - Amends TCA Title 3; Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 8; Title 10; Title 12; Title 29; Title 35; Title 36; Title 37; Title 39; Title 40; Title 41; Title 42; Title 45; Title 47; Title 49; Title 50; Title 52; Title 53; Title 56; Title 58; Title 63; Title 67; Title 68 and Title 71.

Banks and Financial Institutions - As enacted, clarifies that the service of transmitting money from a location originating in this state to a location outside of the United States or its territories is a taxable service and that such a tax is generally levied on the amount of money transmitted; requires revenues generated from such a tax to be allocated to certain funds and purposes. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 38; Title 39; Title 45; Title 47; Title 49 and Title 67.

Taxes - As enacted, adds to the definition of a "qualified public use facility" as used in the Local Tourism Development Zone Business Tax Act a mixed-use development containing a performance venue with a seating capacity of at least 2,500; authorizes a municipality or public authority that has financed a qualified public use facility within a tourism development zone and that qualifies for an allocation of sales tax revenue from within that zone under the Convention Center and Tourism Development Financing Act of 1998 and under other provisions of sales tax law to use the revenue for purposes authorized in the act or other law. - Amends TCA Title 7 and Title 67.

District Attorneys - As enacted, eliminates the fraud and economic crimes fees and assessments in criminal prosecutions for counties that have enacted a $12.50 court cost to be used for supplemental funding for the district attorney general's office; requires existing funds in fraud and economic crimes prosecution fund to be remitted back to the county government of original assessment and collection. - Amends TCA Title 40, Chapter 3.

Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) - As enacted, requires the TISA review committee to study and include in its annual report recommendations for how this state may revise the ways in which it identifies economically disadvantaged students to ensure this state is accurately identifying the students in need of additional resources and recommendations for how this state may better support economically disadvantaged students through the TISA. - Amends TCA Title 49, Chapter 1 and Title 49, Chapter 3.

Public Funds and Financing - As enacted, revises law relative to pension plans and proxy advisors. - Amends TCA Title 9, Chapter 4.

Fire Prevention and Investigation - As enacted, requires the commissioner of commerce and insurance to fulfill certain duties for the volunteer firefighter vehicle grant program, which is established to annually provide grants to select volunteer fire departments to assist with local match requirements for federal grants to purchase vehicles. - Amends TCA Title 68.

Criminal Offenses - As enacted, increases the penalty for assaulting a first responder from a Class A misdemeanor with a mandatory fine of $5,000 and a mandatory minimum of 30 days incarceration to a Class E felony with a mandatory fine of $10,000 and a mandatory minimum of 60 days incarceration. - Amends TCA Title 39 and Title 40.

Education - As enacted, creates an early educator workforce development resource task force. - Amends TCA Title 4 and Title 49.

Recreational Areas - As enacted, expands the purposes for which monies from the Ocoee River recreation and economic development fund may be expended by the Ocoee River recreation and economic development fund board; replaces the park manager member of the board with the director of the division of state parks. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 3, Part 10 and Title 11, Chapter 8.