Tennessee Senate Bills

Obscenity and Pornography - As introduced, expands the definition of "adult-oriented establishment", for purposes of imposing certain requirements, to include commercial establishments that offer sexually oriented material, devices, or paraphernalia, adult cabaret entertainment, or specified sexual activities, but for which such materials, devices, paraphernalia, entertainment, or activities are not the principal or predominant stock or trade. - Amends TCA Title 7, Chapter 51, Part 14.

Agriculture - As introduced, enacts the "Tennessee Agriculture Recovery and Investment in Family Farm (TARIFF) Relief Act," which creates a fund within the state treasury for the purpose of making grants to family farmers who have struggled with high input costs and market losses resulting from tariffs on agricultural goods, equipment, and machinery. - Amends TCA Title 9 and Title 43.

Environmental Preservation - As introduced, enacts the "Climate Resilient Tennessee Act." - Amends TCA Title 4 and Title 68.

Agriculture, Dept. of - As introduced, requires the department to prohibit the sale of a food product that includes certain chemical ingredients, unless it has a warning label, if the FDA requires the ingredient to be disclosed and the food product is intended to be consumed by humans. - Amends TCA Title 47, Chapter 18 and Title 53.

Military - As introduced, enacts the "Bring Our National Guard Home Act," which requires, no later than five business days after the effective date of this bill, the governor to rescind each order of deployment of members of the Tennessee national guard outside of this state and recall all members of the Tennessee national guard who are deployed outside of this state. - Amends TCA Title 4 and Title 58.

Education - As introduced, requires each elementary and secondary school to post the toll-free telephone number operated by the department of children's services to receive reports of child abuse or neglect in a conspicuous location on the school's website. - Amends TCA Title 49.

Economic and Community Development - As introduced, creates the "Automotive Supply Chain Resilience and Expansion Act." - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 3, Part 7; Title 9; Title 12 and Title 67.

Public Contracts - As introduced, enacts the "Tennessee Businesses First Act," which requires local governmental entities to provide a 30-day local bidding period for certain contracts, during which only local businesses may submit bids; creates a bidding preference for local businesses. - Amends TCA Title 9 and Title 12.

Insurance, Motor Vehicles - As introduced, enacts the "Community Faith Transportation and Service Protection Act," which establishes secondary vehicle liability insurance provided by the state to a faith-based organization for vehicles used by the faith-based organization for community service use. - Amends TCA Title 9, Chapter 8; Title 55 and Title 56.

Education - As introduced, requires each elementary and secondary school to post two, rather than one, signs that contain the toll-free telephone number operated by the department of children's services to receive reports of child abuse or neglect. in clearly visible locations in public areas of the school that are readily accessible to students. - Amends TCA Title 49.

Elder Abuse - As introduced, requires the court to set a date for a deposition to preserve testimony in a case in which an alleged offense against an elderly or vulnerable adult has been committed within 45 days, rather than 60 days, of the filing of the original motion to preserve testimony. - Amends TCA Title 39 and Title 71.

Personal Property - As introduced, extends from 10 to 100 years the initial statutory period of the postmortem right to commercial exploitation of a deceased individual's property rights in such individual's name, photograph, voice, or likeness by an executor, assignee, heir, or devisee. - Amends TCA Title 8, Chapter 3; Title 47, Chapter 25 and Title 47, Chapter 18.

Highways, Roads and Bridges - As introduced, designates East Robertson Road in Robertson County as a state route. - Amends TCA Title 54.

Cemeteries - As introduced, requires a cemetery company to include in its record of each burial in the cemetery the precise geographical location using latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates; requires the cemetery company to transmit a copy of the record to the funeral establishment responsible for the arrangements of the person buried at the interment site within 15 days after the date of burial. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 46 and Title 62, Chapter 5.

Education, Dept. of - As introduced, requires the department, by July 1 each year, to provide the chairs of the finance, ways, and means committees of the senate and house of representatives, the chairs of the education committees of the senate and house of representatives, and the directors of the office of legislative budget analysis a report to assist the general assembly in evaluating the availability of the individualized education account program. - Amends TCA Title 49.

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.

Commerce and Insurance, Dept. of - As introduced, increases, from 20 to 25 business days, the time within which the required inspection of an installed manufactured home must occur after the commissioner's receipt of the installer's report. - Amends TCA Title 4 and Title 68.

Computers and Electronic Processing - As introduced, requires the joint chairs of the artificial intelligence advisory council to publish their annual findings regarding the economic, labor, and ethical impacts of artificial intelligence on an appropriate page of the general assembly's website, in addition to the existing requirement to submit these reports to the governor and legislative speakers. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 10; Title 16; Title 36; Title 37; Title 38; Title 39; Title 40; Title 45; Title 47; Title 48; Title 49; Title 53; Title 63; Title 67; Title 68 and Title 71.

Consumer Protection - As introduced, requires the district attorneys general conference to collect data and submit a report to the governor, speakers of the senate and house of representatives, and legislative librarian by December 15, 2026, regarding the number of prosecutions and convictions for unlawful automated calls. - Amends TCA Title 2; Title 4; Title 8; Title 29; Title 38; Title 39; Title 47; Title 62 and Title 65.

Judges and Chancellors - As introduced, permits a current or retired chancery, circuit, or appellate court judge, who is an enhanced handgun carry permit holder and has successfully completed firearms training in accordance with POST certification, to carry a firearm in the same manner and locations that a law enforcement officer may carry a firearm; requires the administrative office of the courts to develop a uniform identification system clearly identifying that a person is qualified to carry a firearm; requires the judge or retired judge to carry the identification at all times when carrying a firearm. - Amends TCA Title 38 and Title 39, Chapter 17, Part 13.

Autopsies - As introduced, requires a county medical examiner to report certain instances of the natural death of an infant or young person under 20 to the federal Sudden Unexpected Infant Death and Sudden Death in the Young Case Registry; requires the county medical examiner to review the deceased infant's or young person's immunization and medical records; authorizes civil penalties and license sanctions for violations. - Amends TCA Title 38; Title 63 and Title 68.

Agriculture - As introduced, under certain conditions, requires the department of agriculture to purchase and distribute round hay baling machines to applicants in the hay equipment portion of the Tennessee agricultural enhancement program in lieu of making cost-share grants associated with the purchase of the machines. - Amends TCA Title 43.

Codes - As introduced, increases the period of temporary validity of a service release inspection from 45 days to nine months. - Amends TCA Title 68, Chapter 102.

Motor Vehicles - As introduced, requires the department of safety to update the advisory guidelines for best behaviors of drivers during traffic stops developed under present law; requires the updated guidelines to be included in driver education programs, driver improvement courses, and in the driver license manual. - Amends TCA Title 39; Title 40 and Title 55.

Annexation - As introduced, authorizes municipalities to annex territory outside of their urban growth boundaries so long as the territory is not within another municipality's urban growth boundary. - Amends TCA Title 6, Chapter 51 and Title 6, Chapter 58.

Election Laws - As introduced, reduces the period for early voting from 15 days to seven days. - Amends TCA Title 2.

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.

Health, Dept. of - As introduced, requires the commissioner to use existing resources to conduct a study of the requirements to obtain prescription medications via telehealth in neighboring states in order to determine the restrictions upon prescribers issuing prescription medications via telehealth and compare such restrictions to those on prescribers in this state; requires the commissioner to compile the findings from the study into a report and transmit a copy of the report to the general assembly no later than December 31, 2026. - Amends TCA Title 39; Title 53; Title 56; Title 63; Title 68 and Title 71.

Local Education Agencies - As introduced, requires each LEA to compile a list of all school buildings in the district that use natural gas for the provision of one or more utilities and to post the list on its website no later than October 1 of each year. - Amends TCA Title 7; Title 49 and Title 65.

Controlled Substances - As introduced, permits a person to possess cannabis that was obtained directly from, or pursuant to a diagnosis of a qualifying medical condition by, a licensed physician; specifies the sentences permitted for possessing certain amounts of cannabis that was not obtained directly from, or pursuant to a diagnosis of a qualifying medical condition by, a licensed physician. - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 17, Part 4.

Environment and Conservation, Department of - As introduced, requires an operator seeking a permit for the removal of minerals by surface mining and a person who applies for permits under the water quality control act to provide documentation from the county or counties in which the proposed project is located, certifying that the project is in compliance with all relevant zoning laws of such county or counties as a condition to the receipt of such permits. - Amends TCA Title 59, Chapter 8 and Title 69, Chapter 3.

Election Laws - As introduced, repeals convenience voting; provides requirements for satellite voting locations during early voting. - Amends TCA Title 2.

Anatomical Gifts - As introduced, prohibits a procurement organization from contacting a deceased individual's family, next of kin, or authorized representative to procure an anatomical gift from the deceased unless the deceased authorized such a gift in a documented anatomical gift authorization. - Amends TCA Title 68, Chapter 30.

Public Records - As introduced, revises provisions relating to the assessment and collection of fees for the inspection and copying of public records. - Amends TCA Title 8, Chapter 4, Part 6 and Title 10, Chapter 7, Part 5.

Children - As introduced, establishes that children have equal protection under the law and possess fundamental rights to safety, protection from harm, and consideration of their best interests as the paramount concern in all legal proceedings, governmental actions, and policy decisions affecting their welfare. - Amends TCA Title 36 and Title 37.

Pensions and Retirement Benefits - As introduced, requires the governing body of a political subdivision that passes a resolution authorizing a supplemental retirement benefit for hazardous duty to forward such resolution to the board of trustees of the Tennessee consolidated retirement system. - Amends TCA Title 8, Chapter 36.

Pensions and Retirement Benefits - As introduced, requires the board of trustees of TCRS to include in its annual report to the general assembly a certification of the amount of normal contributions, accumulated liability contributions, and cost of living contributions required from the employer to meet the funding needs of retirements for state judges and attorneys general participating in Groups 1, 3, and 4 of the consolidated retirement system. - Amends TCA Title 4 and Title 8.

County Government - As introduced, authorizes a county to sell surplus, obsolete, or unusable real property in an arms-length transaction to a third party for a price not less than its fair market value as determined by at least two state-licensed appraisers without requiring public auction or sealed bids, upon approval by a majority vote of the county legislative body. - Amends TCA Title 5, Chapter 14, Part 1 and Section 5-21-130.

Hotels and Restaurants - As introduced, creates a voluntary community storm emergency relief program administered by the department of tourist development in collaboration with the department of agriculture to authorize hotels and food service establishments to better serve the needs of their communities during a declared state or local emergency based upon a severe weather event. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 8; Title 53, Chapter 8; Title 58, Chapter 2; Title 62, Chapter 7 and Title 67, Chapter 4, Part 14.

Criminal Offenses - As introduced, clarifies that the criminal offense of knowingly accessing a communication or computer system for the purpose of fraud or theft includes accessing a cloud computing service. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 10; Title 35; Title 37; Title 38; Title 39; Title 40; Title 45; Title 47; Title 65; Title 66; Title 67 and Title 71.

Gaming - As introduced, allocates 2 percent of revenue from sports gaming in this state to programs that serve rural and urban at-risk youth. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 49 and Title 67.

Election Laws - As introduced, changes the deadline, from January 31 to January 15, for the coordinator of elections to file a report with the state and local government committee of the senate and the local government committee of the house of representatives following an election conducted under a convenience voting pilot project. - Amends TCA Title 2.

Criminal Offenses - As introduced, requires TACIR to study and prepare a report on marijuana arrests made in this state from 2015 to 2025, including data on race, age, gender, and the location of arrest. - Amends TCA Title 4.

Ethics - As introduced, requires Shelby County to create a county ethics commission. - Amends TCA Title 3, Chapter 6 and Title 5.

Judicial Districts - As introduced, deletes obsolete statute creating the advisory task force to review composition of judicial districts, which ceased to exist upon completion of the task force's report and recommendations in 2019. - Amends TCA Title 16 and Title 17.

Hospitals and Health Care Facilities - As introduced, prohibits a hospital from negotiating or entering into an anti-competitive agreement or engage in anti-competitive conduct with other hospitals in this state; prohibits state funds from being used to facilitate, or otherwise further, an activity that constitutes the active supervision of anti-competitive conduct in the healthcare sector. - Amends TCA Title 68, Chapter 11, Part 13.

Health, Dept. of - As introduced, directs the department to submit a report on the feasibility and cost projections for creating and maintaining an implanted medical device registry available to each healthcare facility in this state to the speaker of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives on or before January 1, 2027. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 53; Title 63; Title 68 and Title 71.

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.

Motor Vehicles - As introduced, prohibits governmental entities that regulate entertainment transportation from denying the transfer of a permit, establishing certain noise ordinances, requiring an entertainment transportation vehicle to be enclosed, and taking other actions under certain circumstances. - Amends TCA Section 7-51-1008.

Regional Authorities and Special Districts - As introduced, changes from 60 days to 75 days prior to the beginning of the fiscal year the time in which the president of the metropolitan airport authority must submit the annual operating budget to the board for approval. - Amends TCA Title 42, Chapter 3 and Title 42, Chapter 4.

Consumer Protection - As introduced, extends from five to 10 business days the period during which a financial service provider may refuse or delay financial transactions not involving securities due to suspected financial exploitation. - Amends TCA Title 45 and Title 47.

Motor Vehicles - As introduced, requires the notification submitted by the department of safety to the department of revenue of reports of the theft or recovery of motor vehicles to be in writing. - Amends TCA Title 55.

Drugs, Prescription - As introduced, authorizes an owner or person in legal possession of drugs or devices deemed adulterated to request a show cause hearing electronically, rather than strictly in writing. - Amends TCA Title 47; Title 53; Title 56; Title 63 and Title 68.

Insurance, Health, Accident - As introduced, requires a health insurance entity to approve a healthcare provider's completed credentialing application within two weeks of receipt when the healthcare provider is credentialed by the health insurance entity and relocates to a new practice group or facility that is also credentialed by the same health insurance entity. - Amends TCA Title 56, Chapter 7.

TennCare - As introduced, increases from seven to 10 days, the mandatory public inspection period for a hospital's marketing and strategic planning records prior to a vote by its board to adopt such plans. - Amends TCA Title 3; Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 33; Title 41; Title 47; Title 53; Title 56; Title 63; Title 68 and Title 71.

Education, Dept. of - As introduced, changes from February 1 to October 1, the annual reporting date by which the commissioner of education and the commissioner of safety shall jointly report to the governor and the general assembly the implementation of and compliance with the "Schools Against Violence in Education Act." - Amends TCA Title 49, Chapter 6.

TennCare - As introduced, requires an eligibility determination of an individual for residential facility benefits to evaluate the individual's physical condition and mental condition separately. - Amends TCA Title 71, Chapter 5.

Sentencing - As introduced, reduces the time within which a sentencing hearing must be held from within 45 days after a finding of guilt to within 30 days after the finding of guilt. - Amends TCA Title 38; Title 39 and Title 40.

Civil Emergencies - As introduced, requires state agencies charged with responsibilities in connection with healthcare facilities to study emergency mitigation at the direction of the governor as part of the state and local comprehensive emergency management plans. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 8; Title 9; Title 13; Title 14; Title 49; Title 54; Title 55; Title 58; Title 64; Title 65; Title 66; Title 68 and Title 71.

Taxes, Real Property - As introduced, sets the value of residential property for tax purposes at the higher of the most recent price paid for the property or the value attributed to the property by a financial institution when the owner refinances the mortgage on the property or otherwise uses the property as collateral for a loan; prohibits the sale of real property used by the owner as a principal place of residence for 10 years or more to satisfy a tax debt. - Amends TCA Title 26 and Title 67.