Tennessee House Bills

Memorials, Recognition - "Read Across America Week," March 2-6, 2025 -

Children - As introduced, requires the department of children's services to study the need for a new juvenile detention facility to be constructed in the western grand division of this state that would serve the detention and treatment needs of juveniles in that grand division; requires the department to report its findings and recommendations to the judiciary committee of the senate and the committee having jurisdiction over criminal justice in the house of representatives on or before January 1, 2026. - Amends TCA Title 9; Title 12; Title 16; Title 37; Title 39 and Title 40.

Union County - Subject to local approval, changes the building permit fee to fifty cents per square foot on all buildings constructed, erected, or reconstructed. - Amends Chapter 87 of the Private Acts of 1973; as amended.

Public Funds and Financing - As introduced, creates the medical expense relief fund to assist the next of kin and the estate of a decedent who was enrolled in TennCare at the time of death with paying the decedent's medical debt and expenses; requires the department of human services to administer the fund and the awarding of grants. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 3; Title 9 and Title 71.

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.

Education - As introduced, corrects the name of the Cumberland Museum and Science Center to the Adventure Science Center for purposes of receipt of appropriations of state funds made for educational grants-in-aid under allotments of the commissioner of finance and administration. - Amends TCA Title 49.

Driver Licenses - As introduced, requires an enforcement officer to issue an out-of-service order to a driver issued a commercial driver license if the officer determines during a safety inspection that the driver is unable to read and speak the English language in violation of federal requirements for commercial driver license holders; applies penalties against employers of such drivers. - Amends TCA Title 55 and Title 65, Chapter 15.

Taxes, Tobacco, Tobacco Products - As introduced, requires cigarettes that are defined as heated tobacco products to be taxed at a rate of 0.15 cents per cigarette. - Amends TCA Title 67, Chapter 4.

Local Government, General - As introduced, authorizes local governments to create local boards for the purpose of permitting retailers of hemp-derived cannabinoid products. - Amends TCA Title 39 and Title 43, Chapter 27.

Taxes, Sales - As introduced, reallocates the increase in the rate of sales and use tax from 6 percent to 7 percent pursuant to Chapter 856 of the Public Acts of 2002 by apportioning 4.6030 percent of such increase to municipalities. - Amends TCA Section 67-6-103.

Open Meetings - As introduced, increases, from 30 to 45, the number of days the office of open records counsel has to acknowledge and approve a plan submitted by a governing body detailing how the body plans to comply with electronic communication requirements that address meeting by means of an internet forum. - Amends TCA Title 8, Chapter 44.

Taxes, Privilege - As introduced, reallocates 3 percent of revenue derived from the beer barrelage tax that is provided to the general fund to the department of agriculture for the purposes of supporting growth in the utilization of Tennessee agricultural products in brewing and in the promotion of the growth of the Tennessee brewing industry. - Amends TCA Title 57.

Taxes, Sales - As introduced, exempts from the sales and use tax the retail sale of infant formula and diapers and wipes designed to be used by infants and children. - Amends TCA Title 67, Chapter 6, Part 3.

Education, Dept. of - As introduced, requires the department to compile an annual report on the number of students who complete the early graduation program to the education committee of the senate and the committee of the house of representatives having jurisdiction over kindergarten through grade 12 education by September 1 of each year. - Amends TCA Title 49.

Taxes, Privilege - As introduced, increases from 2.4 to 5 percent, the amount of realty transfer tax and mortgage tax collections retained as commission by county registers for collecting and reporting those taxes; requires 50 percent of such collections to be deposited in the county general fund; allocates the remaining balance to the wetland acquisition fund, local parks land acquisition fund, state lands acquisition fund, agricultural resources conservation fund, and state general fund. - Amends TCA Section 67-4-409.

Criminal Offenses - As introduced, decreases from 150 grams to 50 grams or more the amount of any substance containing fentanyl, carfentanil, remifentanil, alfentanil, thiafentanil, or any fentanyl derivative or analogue that is punished as a Class A felony for the knowing manufacture, delivery, or sale of the substance, or possession with intent to manufacture, deliver, or sell the substance. - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 17.

Taxes, Business - As introduced, authorizes the commissioner of revenue to change the due date of the taxpayer's business tax return to a date that is not less than 60 calendar days, rather than two calendar months, following the end of the taxpayer's business tax period for purposes of the commissioner changing a taxpayer's business tax period to correspond to the taxpayer's fiscal year. - Amends TCA Title 67, Chapter 4, Part 7.

Education - As introduced, enacts the "Early Behavioral Intervention and Reporting Act"; clarifies that public charter schools are required to have a threat assessment team in the same manner as required of local education agencies. - Amends TCA Title 16; Title 37 and Title 49.

Firearms and Ammunition - As introduced, requires TACIR to perform a study on the impact of this state's firearm laws on each county's firearm sales, criminal offenses, and use of firearms for self-defense, as well as identifying the similarities and dissimilarities between the impacts on each county. - Amends TCA Title 37; Title 38; Title 39 and Title 40.

Taxes - As introduced, allows a taxpayer to annually elect to take a bonus depreciation deduction of 40 percent of the cost of assets purchased on or after January 1, 2026, during the tax year in which the assets were purchased when calculating net earnings or net losses for excise tax purposes; allows the taxpayer to take the federal depreciation percentage if it exceeds 40 percent. - Amends TCA Title 67, Chapter 4, Part 20.

Pensions and Retirement Benefits - As introduced, requires the board of trustees of the Tennessee consolidated retirement system to convert a person's participation in the retirement system, for service as a member of the general assembly and as a participant in the hybrid plan, from the hybrid plan to the legacy plan upon the person completing 10 years of service as a member of the general assembly if the person became a member of the general assembly on or after July 1, 2014; requires retiree health benefit coverage be made available to retired members of the general assembly with 10 or more years of service. - Amends TCA Title 3; Title 8, Chapter 27, Part 2; Title 8, Chapter 34; Title 8, Chapter 35 and Title 8, Chapter 36.

General Assembly - As introduced, requires the board of trustees of the Tennessee consolidated retirement system to convert a person's participation in the retirement system, for service as a member of the general assembly and as a participant in the hybrid plan, from the hybrid plan to the legacy plan upon the person completing 10 years of service as a member of the general assembly if the person became a member of the general assembly on or after July 1, 2014. - Amends TCA Title 3; Title 8, Chapter 34; Title 8, Chapter 35 and Title 8, Chapter 36.

Taxes - As introduced, urges the department of revenue to study the potential economic impact of making all franchise and excise tax credits transferable to any person or entity other than the entity to whom or to which the credits are initially made available pursuant to the statute creating the credit; requires the department to report to the finance, ways and means committee of the senate and the committee in the house of representatives having jurisdiction over tax-related matters on or before January 1, 2026 if such study is conducted. - Amends TCA Title 67, Chapter 4, Part 20 and Title 67, Chapter 4, Part 21.

Criminal Offenses - As introduced, expands the offense of unlawful photography to include a photograph that the defendant knew would include the victim engaged in sexual activity; increases the penalty for the offense of unlawful photography from a Class A misdemeanor or a Class E felony to a Class D felony in certain circumstances; authorizes the issuance of an order of protection for a person who has been subjected to, threatened with, or placed in fear of unlawful photography. - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 13 and Title 40.

Education - As introduced, enacts the "Protecting Tennessee Schools and Events Act." - Amends TCA Title 12 and Title 49.

Local Education Agencies - As introduced, enacts the "Menstrual Hygiene Products Accessibility Act," which requires, instead of authorizes, LEAs and public charter schools to provide feminine hygiene products at no charge in all women's and girls' bathrooms, in all locker rooms, and with school nurses at each public senior high school for student use only. - Amends TCA Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 49 and Title 67.

TennCare - As introduced, enacts "Emma's Bill," which requires that when making a determination of medical necessity, the bureau shall take into consideration the patient's overall condition and use such overall condition as a factor to determine the level of funding and what medical items and services the patient receives, even if such determination does not result in the least costly course of diagnosis or treatment. - Amends TCA Title 4 and Title 71.

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.

TennCare - As introduced, establishes separate reimbursement rates for ground-based rural ambulance services and urban ambulance services provided to TennCare recipients; allows for certain rural ambulance service providers to receive emergency medical services equipment grants. - Amends TCA Title 71.

Traffic Safety - As introduced, requires the department of transportation to establish and administer a student pedestrian protection grant program; under certain conditions, authorizes grants to be awarded to local governments for designing, constructing, and repairing sidewalk infrastructure around public schools. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 49; Title 54 and Title 55.

Tennessee Higher Education Commission - As introduced, creates the Tennessee Promise completion grant special account in the state treasury for purposes of awarding completion grants to certain Tennessee Promise scholarship students; makes the four-year pilot program established by the commission to award completion grants to certain Tennessee Promise scholarship students a permanent program. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 49; Title 49, Chapter 4 and Title 49, Chapter 7.

Education, Higher - As introduced, terminates the governing board of directors for the Tennessee student assistance corporation (TSAC); requires the Tennessee higher education commission to be the governing board for TSAC; changes the name of the "Wilder-Naifeh technical skills grant" to "TennesseeWORKS scholarship." - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 49, Chapter 4 and Title 49, Chapter 7.

Sentencing - As introduced, adds as an enhancement factor to be used in determining the sentence within the permissible range for a criminal offense that the defendant is an adult and committed the offense with a minor, regardless of whether the minor was convicted of the offense. - Amends TCA Title 39 and Title 40.

Children's Services, Dept. of - As introduced, clarifies that on or before January 31 of each year, the department shall report information regarding child support to the general assembly and the governor. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 8; Title 33; Title 34; Title 36; Title 37; Title 41; Title 49; Title 68 and Title 71.

Health, Dept. of - As introduced, requires the department to establish and administer a grant program to reimburse local education agencies, public charter schools, private schools, and medical first responders for the costs of anti-choking devices purchased by the local education agency, public charter school, private school, or medical first responder on or after July 1, 2025. - Amends TCA Title 49 and Title 68.

Taxes, Ad Valorem - As introduced, increases the amount of the reimbursement that is paid under the provisions for property tax relief for disabled veteran homeowners from the first $175,000 of the full market value of the home to the first $250,000 of the full market value. - Amends TCA Section 67-5-704.

Economic and Community Development - As introduced, enacts the "Courthouse Square Revitalization Act." - Amends TCA Title 6 and Title 67, Chapter 6.

Taxes, Sales - As introduced, authorizes certain counties to levy a local option sales tax at the rate of 3.75 percent, instead of a maximum of 2.75 percent, if the revenue from the increase in such tax is used by the county exclusively for the construction of a new county jail or to retire debt, including principal and interest and related expenses, on such construction. - Amends TCA Title 67, Chapter 6, Part 7.

Immigration - As introduced, urges the department of safety to study the enforcement of federal immigration laws, detentions and removals, investigations in this state, and immigration-related progress and challenges; requires the department to submit a report to the governor and general assembly on or before January 1, 2026. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 7; Title 8; Title 38; Title 39; Title 40 and Title 55.

Gallatin - Subject to local approval, authorizes the city council to impose impact fees on new development. - Amends Chapter 67 of the Private Acts of 1953; as amended and rewritten.

General Assembly, Statement of Intent or Position - Recognizes mental health consequences of social media on K-12 students. -

General Assembly, Statement of Intent or Position - Acknowledges the importance of positive male role models and mentorship opportunities in schools, nonprofit organizations, and faith-based organizations. -

Campaigns and Campaign Finance - As introduced, prohibits the registry of election finance from charging a member of the public more than the registry's actual costs when providing a copy of a report regarding a required disclosure statement filed with the registry. - Amends TCA Title 2; Title 39 and Title 47.

Municipal Government - As introduced, authorizes a tourism development authority to petition for deannexation of property owned by the authority. - Amends TCA Title 6, Chapter 51 and Title 7, Chapter 69.

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.

Education, Dept. of - As introduced, requires the department to submit a request to the United States department of education to amend this state's Every Student Succeeds Act plan to remove all end-of-course assessment requirements for students in grades nine through 12 and to allow the ACT, SAT, or another postsecondary readiness assessment approved by the commissioner to be annually administered to students in such grades and for student performance on such assessments to be used for student, school, and district accountability purposes. - Amends TCA Title 49.

Public Contracts - As introduced, requires a local government to send back any requested changes on a contractor's or developer's application for development site plans or inspections in a single deliverable document or set of documents, or to remit related fees back to the developer for subsequent change requests; prohibits a local government from requiring a developer or contractor to fund, develop, or contribute to the development of nonessential infrastructure, unless otherwise agreed upon by the parties. - Amends TCA Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 9; Title 12; Title 13 and Title 66.

Taxes, Ad Valorem - As introduced, requires 10 percent of the excess proceeds from a delinquent property tax sale to be used for tax relief for homeowners who are elderly low-income, disabled, or a disabled veteran or widow of a disabled veteran. - Amends TCA Title 67, Chapter 5.

Pensions and Retirement Benefits - As introduced, expands the period of peacetime military service of a member of the Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System (TCRS) that the member may purchase for creditable service in TCRS. - Amends TCA Title 8, Chapter 34.

Taxes, Ad Valorem - As introduced, removes the condition that a taxpayer or owner must obtain consent of the assessor of property before appealing the valuation of industrial and commercial real and tangible personal property directly to the state board of equalization; makes other related revisions. - Amends TCA Title 67, Chapter 5.

Election Laws - As introduced, clarifies that the county election commissions have the duty to purge the permanent registration records of certain voters unless otherwise prohibited by federal law. - Amends TCA Section 2-2-132.

TennCare - As introduced, enacts the "TennCare Network Reporting Reform Act." - Amends TCA Title 71.

Campaigns and Campaign Finance - As introduced, prohibits foreign entities and domestic entities that receive funding from foreign entities from making contributions to a candidate or a political campaign committee; prohibits the speakers of the senate and the house of representatives and the secretary of state from accepting funds from foreign entities and domestic entities that receive funding from foreign entities for conducting elections. - Amends TCA Title 2 and Title 3.

Natural Disasters - As introduced, creates the State Disaster Relief Program to be administered by TEMA for the purpose of providing grants to local governments where a natural disaster has occurred that does not exceed the threshold for federal disaster relief. - Amends TCA Title 58, Chapter 2, Part 1.

Firearms and Ammunition - As introduced, specifies that a person does not commit an offense if the person possesses or carries a firearm into an area that is posted if, upon the request of an individual authorized to control access to the property, the person immediately leaves the property or stores the firearm in a personal vehicle in accordance with state law. - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 17, Part 13.

County Government - As introduced, requires the offices of sheriff, register, county clerk, assessor of property, and trustee in a county that has adopted a charter form of government to independently develop the budget for such office and submit the budget directly to the county legislative body; authorizes such offices to approve transfers between line items within the total amount of each category of personnel and operational maintenance; prohibits the county legislative body from implementing any kind of personnel restriction or operational maintenance restrictions on these offices. - Amends TCA Title 5.

Loudon - Subject to local approval, authorizes the City to regulate construction, maintenance, and operation of public utilities, and assess fees for the use and impact of such services; authorizes the City to establish, maintain, and regulate certain infrastructure, public grounds, and public facilities, assess fees for the use of or impact upon such property and facilities, and condemn property for such purposes in accordance with state law. - Amends Chapter 74 of the Private Acts of 1975; as amended.

Education - As introduced, makes various changes to the categories of individuals who are not required to use a preferred pronoun, and for whom a preferred pronoun can be disregarded, if the pronoun is inconsistent with the person's biological sex; makes various changes to the civil liability and adverse action protections as it relates to the use of, or the refusal to use, a pronoun or preferred pronoun. - Amends TCA Title 49.

Firearms and Ammunition - As introduced, permits the largest municipality in Shelby, Davidson, Knox, or Hamilton county to regulate the manner of storage of firearms, firearm ammunition, and firearm accessories by ordinance, resolution, policy, rule, or other enactment. - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 17, Part 13.

Law Enforcement - As introduced, requires law enforcement agencies to investigate for the presence of workplace bullying concurrent with investigations of crimes of violence in the workplace; requires law enforcement agencies to report findings to the TBI; requires the TBI to annually submit a report to legislative committees concerning workplace bullying and violence. - Amends TCA Title 38; Title 39; Title 40 and Title 50.