Tennessee Bills

Taxes, Ad Valorem - As introduced, adds a 5 percent penalty on delinquent property taxes with the penalty to be used to provide tax relief for the homeowners who are elderly low-income, disabled, or a disabled veteran or widow of a disabled veteran. - Amends TCA Title 67, Chapter 5.

Business Organizations - As introduced, changes, from January 1 to January 15, the beginning of the time frame during which a domestic professional corporation or foreign professional corporation authorized to transact business in this state must deliver for filing to each licensing authority having jurisdiction over a professional service described in the corporation's charter an annual statement of qualification. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 39; Title 47; Title 48; Title 62 and Title 63.

Economic and Community Development, Dept. of - As introduced, requires that a broadband ready community’s ordinance or policy for reviewing applications must contain a provision that all applications related to the project be either approved or denied within 30 calendar days, rather than 30 business days, after the applications are submitted. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 7; Title 13; Title 65 and Title 67.

Scholarships and Financial Aid - As introduced, extends from March 1 to March 30, the date by which not-for-profit corporations and associations that administer an educational cooperative plan or scholarship plan must file a statement of financial condition with the commissioner of commerce and insurance. - Amends TCA Title 49, Chapter 4.

Education - As introduced, requires the department of education to submit an early grades reading report to legislative committees with jurisdiction over subject matter pertaining to education by December 31 of each year. - Amends TCA Title 49.

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.

Public Records - As introduced, authorizes records custodians to charge a fee to view records if the records requested reasonably require more than one hour of an employee's time to collect for inspection by the requestor; specifies that the hourly rate for inspection be set in proportion to the rate of pay of the employee who is collecting the records. - Amends TCA Title 10, Chapter 7.

Alcoholic Beverage Commission - As introduced, requires the commission to submit its biennial report on underage drinking, drunk driving, and other harmful uses of alcohol to the governor in addition to members of the general assembly. - Amends TCA Title 57.

Parks, Natural Areas Preservation - As introduced, removes the two-mile buffer between class II scenic rivers and new and expanded landfill sites. - Amends TCA Title 11, Chapter 13 and Title 68.

Public Employees - As introduced, provides a five-day grace period for assistant district attorneys general and criminal investigators to submit expense accounts. - Amends TCA Title 8, Chapter 7.

Codes - As introduced, extends the period in which the fire marshal is required to provide a decision on an appeal regarding building or fire codes involving a county building located in a city when there is a conflict between city and county from 10 working days to 15 calendar days. - Amends TCA Title 68, Chapter 102 and Title 68, Chapter 120.

Health Care - As introduced, extends from January 15 to March 1, the date by which the commissioner of health, in consultation with the department of finance and administration and any other state agency involved in the administration of the safety net program, must annually report to the general assembly on data relating to access to care and safety net adequacy related issues. - Amends TCA Title 49; Title 63; Title 68 and Title 71.

Criminal Offenses - As introduced, requires the punishment for the offense of misuse of official information to include at least 30 hours of community service work to be determined by the court, in addition to any other punishment authorized by law. - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 16, Part 4.

Environmental Preservation - As introduced, enacts the "Climate Resiliency Fund Act." - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 3, Part 5; Title 9; Title 60; Title 67 and Title 68.

Soil Conservation - As introduced, enacts the "Healthy Soil Act." - Amends TCA Title 4 and Title 43, Chapter 14.

Education - As introduced, enacts the "Student Comfort through Alternative Restorative Environments (CARE) Act"; requires local education agencies and public charter schools to allow students of a school in the LEA or public charter school where an act of mass violence occurs to voluntarily participate in remote instruction or a virtual education program for at least 31 calendar days. - Amends TCA Title 33; Title 37 and Title 49.

Public Health - As introduced, requires the attorney general to report to the speaker of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives certain information regarding violations of the prohibition against using medical procedures to enable a minor to identify with, or live as, a purported identity inconsistent with the minor's sex or to treat purported discomfort or distress from discordance between the minor's sex and asserted identity. - Amends TCA Title 9; Title 14; Title 28; Title 29; Title 33; Title 34; Title 36; Title 37; Title 39; Title 40; Title 49; Title 50; Title 56; Title 63; Title 68 and Title 71.

Redistricting, Legislative - As introduced, requires the comptroller of the treasury to report to the general assembly which counties, if any, redrew precinct lines to ensure no split precincts in legislative districts. - Amends TCA Section 2-16-103; Section 3-1-102 and Section 3-1-103.

Education, Higher - As introduced, increases, from 30 to 45, the number of days after which a municipal corporation must cease to prescribe and enforce traffic ordinances on the campus of a state institution after a state university and community college system or the board of trustees of the University of Tennessee requests the governing body of the municipal corporation to cease prescribing and enforcing such traffic ordinances on the campus of the state institution. - Amends TCA Title 49.

Election Laws - As introduced, increases the time a person may be absent from work to vote, from three hours to four hours. - Amends TCA Title 2; Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7 and Title 8.

Hospitals and Health Care Facilities - As introduced, requires the executive director of the health facilities commission to submit a report no later than July 1, rather than February 1, of each year to the governor, the chief clerk of the house of representatives, and the chief clerk of the senate, regarding the commission's nursing home inspection and enforcement activities during the previous year. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 8; Title 33; Title 53; Title 56; Title 63; Title 68 and Title 71.

Consumer Protection - As introduced, authorizes a consumer to designate an authorized agent who may opt the consumer out of the processing of the consumer’s personal data; requires a controller to comply with an opt-out request from an authorized agent if certain conditions are met. - Amends TCA Title 47, Chapter 18.

Election Laws - As introduced, requires acceptable forms of identification to cast a vote in an election in this state to be valid and unexpired; prohibits the registration of an applicant to vote without such a valid, unexpired identification. - Amends TCA Title 2.

Local Education Agencies - As introduced, authorizes recall elections in all counties for members of local boards of education. - Amends TCA Title 2 and Title 49, Chapter 2.

Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) - As introduced, prohibits the use of the power of eminent domain over real property in an expedited manner during a declared emergency. - Amends TCA Title 29, Chapter 16; Title 29, Chapter 17; Title 54 and Title 58, Chapter 2.

Right to Die - As introduced, creates a process whereby an adult suffering from a terminal disease may request medication for the purpose of ending the adult's life in a humane and dignified manner if certain requirements are met. - Amends TCA Title 32; Title 39; Title 56; Title 63 and Title 68.

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.

Regional Authorities and Special Districts - As introduced, requires the department of economic and community development to submit an annual report to certain legislative committees that includes the names of the municipalities involved in the creation of an authority in the prior calendar year, the amount of land acquired and improved, specific details about the financing of the project, and any other information the department deems relevant. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 49 and Title 64.

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.

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.

Education - As introduced, designates October as "Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Month" in all public schools; requires local education agencies and public charter schools to provide age-appropriate, research-based instruction related to fentanyl abuse prevention and drug poisoning awareness to students in grades six through 12. - Amends TCA Title 15 and Title 49.

TennCare - As introduced, requires TennCare to provide eligible covered enrollees with continuous glucose monitoring; establishes criteria for eligibility. - Amends TCA Title 56 and Title 71.

Real Property - As introduced, extends from 10 to 20 days, the time within which a non-contracting spouse must serve the prime contractor with written notice of that spouse's objection to a contract for improving real property after learning of the contract when the contract is made with a husband or a wife who is not separated and living apart from that person's spouse, and the property is owned by the other spouse or by both spouses, in order to avoid the other spouse being deemed the agent of the objecting spouse. - Amends TCA Title 66, Chapter 11.

Public Utilities - As introduced, extends from January 1 to February 1, the deadline for local governments that have adopted local legislation related to wind energy facility siting to submit an annual report. - Amends TCA Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 13; Title 65 and Title 68.

Health Care - As introduced, requires, by January 15 of each year, the commissioner of health to annually report to legislative committees on the progress of its statewide strategy for the provision of adult emergency oral health care, utilizing public and private sector resources. - Amends TCA Title 68.

Criminal Procedure - As introduced, restores the right of suffrage for persons convicted of an infamous crime after expiration of the sentence imposed for the infamous crime; removes requirement that the person pay restitution and court costs and be current in all child support obligations before having the person's right of suffrage restored; permits a person to have the right of suffrage restored without having the person's full rights of citizenship restored. - Amends TCA Title 2 and Title 40.

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.

Day Care - As introduced, requires the governor's office of faith-based and community initiatives to establish a grant program for the purpose of supporting and funding nonprofit and faith-based child care programs for children four years of age and younger. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 32; Title 8; Title 9 and Title 71.

Taxes, Privilege - As introduced, reduces the rate of tax on bottled soft drinks and barrels of beer; changes the distribution of the revenue from such taxes; provides for the eventual repeal of such taxes. - Amends TCA Title 57, Chapter 5 and Title 67, Chapter 4.

Health Care - As introduced, requires LEAs and public charter schools to provide free feminine hygiene products in all women's and girl's bathrooms and locker rooms used by students in grades four through 12 in certain schools; requires a public health campaign dedicated to encouraging individuals and nonprofit organizations to contribute or drop off feminine hygiene products to eligible schools. - Amends TCA Title 49; Title 63; Title 67 and Title 68.

Evidence - As introduced, increases from $4,000 to $10,000 the amount of medical, hospital, or doctor bills that may be attached as an exhibit in a civil complaint or civil warrant as prima facie evidence that the bills so paid or incurred were necessary or reasonable. - Amends TCA Title 16 and Title 24.

Education, Higher - As introduced, deletes an obsolete requirement for the University of Memphis and certain other collaborators on the Memphis Research Consortium to provide a progress report to the general assembly. - Amends TCA Title 3; Title 4; Title 8; Title 9; Title 11; Title 12; Title 49; Title 58; Title 67; Title 68 and Title 71.

Election Laws - As introduced, makes certain election documents available for public inspection after an election. - Amends TCA Title 2.

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.

Tobacco, Tobacco Products - As introduced, regulates retail vapor product stores and makes various changes to provisions regarding youth access to tobacco, smoking hemp, and vapor products. - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 17, Part 15 and Title 43, Chapter 27, Part 2.

Highways, Roads and Bridges - As introduced, requires TACIR to study transportation user fee alternatives and submit its recommendations to the chair of the committee in the house of representatives with jurisdiction over transportation issues, the chair of the transportation and safety committee of the senate, and the legislative librarian on or before January 1, 2026. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 9; Title 54; Title 55 and Title 67.

Human Services, Dept. of - As introduced, requires the department to annually report by December 1 of each year to legislative committees with jurisdiction over the subject matter pertaining to health concerning the effectiveness of the drug testing program for TANF applicants. - Amends TCA Title 53; Title 68 and Title 71.

Pensions and Retirement Benefits - As introduced, extends, from June 30, 2025, to June 30, 2028, the authorization for an emergency medical service employee who has been retired for at least 60 days from TCRS to accept employment as an emergency medical services employee without loss or suspension of retirement benefits if certain conditions are met. - Amends TCA Title 8, Chapter 36, Part 8 and Title 68, Chapter 140, Part 3.

Insurance, Liability - As introduced, requires the board of claims to review, consider, and approve insurance policies recommended by the board that are designed to pay liability claims against the state or its agencies and employees; defines "state agency" for purposes of such policies. - Amends TCA Title 8; Title 9 and Title 56.

Criminal Procedure - As introduced, specifies that for purposes of carrying out a sentence of death, lethal injection protocol may include the use of pharmaceutical fentanyl. - Amends TCA Title 40.

Local Government, General - As introduced, removes abandonment as an option for a property owner after a municipality determines the structure located on the property is unfit for human occupation or use; authorizes all municipalities to adopt ordinances to inspect residential dwelling units that are deteriorated. - Amends TCA Title 13, Chapter 21.

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.

Insurance, Health, Accident - As introduced, enacts the "Freedom to Grow Our Tennessee Families Act." - Amends TCA Title 56 and Title 71.

Public Health - As introduced, adds the legislative librarian as a party to which the department of health must submit an annual report based on data received by a county or district health department that operates a needle and hypodermic syringe exchange program, including the number of people served, number of needles, syringes, and supplies dispensed and returned to the program, number of naloxone kits distributed, and the number and type of treatment referrals provided. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 8; Title 14; Title 29; Title 33; Title 37; Title 39; Title 53; Title 56; Title 63; Title 68 and Title 71.

Highways, Roads and Bridges - As introduced, requires TACIR to study overall road safety and submit its recommendations to the chair of the committee in the house of representatives with jurisdiction over transportation matters, the chair of the transportation and safety committee of the senate, and the legislative librarian on or before January 15, 2026. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 54 and Title 55.

Health Care - As introduced, requires a healthcare provider to provide to a patient or a patient's authorized representative a copy of the patient's medical records within 20 working days of receipt of a written request by the patient or representative instead of 10 working days. - Amends TCA Title 63 and Title 68.

Assessors - As introduced, requires assessors of property to correct an assessment of property for any real property destroyed, demolished, or substantially damaged by disaster between September 1 and December 31 of any year by prorating the assessment for that portion of the year and applying it to the subsequent tax year. - Amends TCA Title 67, Chapter 5, Part 6.

Pharmacy, Pharmacists - As introduced, permits the services authorized in a collaborative pharmacy practice agreement to include weight management services. - Amends TCA Title 63, Chapter 10 and Title 71, Chapter 5.

Employees, Employers - As introduced, increases, from two to three, the number of conspicuous places in which an employer is required to post and maintain notices setting forth the regular pay day established by the employer. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 8; Title 39; Title 49; Title 50 and Title 62.

Zoning - As introduced, prescribes a process by which a local zoning authority may notify a state department, agency, or officer of a local zoning violation by a business resulting in the revocation or suspension of a license, permit, or certificate of a business in violation of a local zoning ordinance, resolution, or law; prescribes the process for reinstatement or appeal, including the assessment of a reinstatement fee. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 13, Chapter 7; Title 62 and Title 68.