Tennessee House Bills

Holidays and Days of Special Observance - As enacted, designates the third Sunday in June of each year as "Fathers' Day." - Amends TCA Title 15, Chapter 2.

Holidays and Days of Special Observance - As enacted, designates November 2nd of each year as "James K. Polk Day." - Amends TCA Title 15, Chapter 2.

Employees, Employers - As enacted, defines for purposes of the Tennessee Lawful Employment Act, a "private employer" as any person who is required by federal law and regulations to report remuneration paid to at least one employee; makes related changes. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 8 and Title 50.

Memorials, Recognition - Claiborne High School Blue Battalion Band -

Remedies and Special Proceedings - As introduced, increases the amount of compensation an injured plaintiff in a civil action may receive for noneconomic damages from $750,000 to $1.5 million; increases the amount of compensation an injured plaintiff in a civil action may receive for noneconomic damages, if the injury or loss is catastrophic in nature, from $1 million to $2 million. - Amends TCA Section 29-39-102.

Traffic Safety - As introduced, imposes state and local litigation taxes on a person who violates the prohibition against using a wireless telecommunications device or stand-alone electronic device while operating a motor vehicle; removes the ten-dollar cap on court costs imposed for such violations. - Amends TCA Section 55-8-199.

Hospitals and Health Care Facilities - As introduced, increases from 15 to 30 days, the time before the originally scheduled health facilities commission meeting at which an applicant's certificate of need application is to be heard by the commission by which a healthcare institution wishing to oppose such application must file written notice with the commission, and about which the applicant's published letter of intent in a newspaper of general circulation in the proposed service area of the project must contain a statement of notice. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 33; Title 56; Title 63; Title 68, Title 71 and Chapter 985 of the Public Acts of 2024.

Children - As introduced, increases from 14 to 21 days, the maximum amount of time per year that an entity or organization may provide child care on an occasional or infrequent basis through a "Parents' Night Out" or similar "Special Event" program while remaining exempt from the department of human service's licensing requirements. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 9; Title 49; Title 50; Title 67 and Title 71.

Local Education Agencies - As introduced, limits, for Carroll County, the weighted full-time equivalent average daily attendance for which the county is required to apportion all school funds collected by the county for current operation and maintenance purposes to that generated by students whose primary legal residence is located in Carroll County. - Amends TCA Title 5 and Title 49, Chapter 3.

State Government - As introduced, enacts the "No Corporate Land Giveaways Act." - Amends TCA Title 3; Title 4; Title 8 and Title 12.

Memorials, Congress - Urges Tennessee delegation to prevent closure of McMinnville VA clinic. -

Medical Occupations - As introduced, prohibits a healthcare provider from inquiring as to a patient's ownership, possession of, or access to firearm ammunition or firearm accessories; subjects the healthcare provider to disciplinary action and a fine of $1,000 if the healthcare provider makes such inquires. - Amends TCA Title 63 and Title 68.

Criminal Offenses - As introduced, restates the criminal offense of drag racing as street drag racing; expands the offense to include acts committed on commercial property; authorizes a vehicle used in the commission of the offense or to flee after commission of the offense to be impounded for the purpose of collecting evidence; makes various other changes regarding the offense of street drag racing. - Amends TCA Title 7; Title 39; Title 40; Title 55 and Title 68.

Aircraft and Airports - As introduced, increases, from 30 days to 30 business days, the amount of time before the start of a fiscal year that a joint board composed of public agencies overseeing a county or municipal airport has to submit its total expenditures to be made to the governing bodies of its constituent public agencies. - Amends TCA Title 42.

General Assembly, Confirmation of Appointment - Steven Emil Johnson, Fish and Wildlife Commission -

Memorials, Recognition - Lee Erwin, 50 years in radio broadcasting -

Memorials, Death - Dr. Zachary Tyler Medley -

Memorials, Recognition - AT&T, 150th anniversary -

General Assembly, Confirmation of Appointment - Robin Morrison, Tennessee public utility commission -

Sexual Offenses - As enacted, provides that when the victim of a sexually oriented crime is a minor, the consent of a parent or guardian is not required for the victim to receive a forensic medical examination. - Amends TCA Title 29; Title 38 and Title 39.

Public Officials - As enacted, prohibits an individual holding an elected office of a local government from holding another elected office in this state at the same time; grandfathers individuals holding more than one office presently until the terms expire; clarifies that such prohibition does not apply to an office in a political party's state executive committee. - Amends TCA Title 2 and Title 8.

Corporations, Not for Profit - As enacted, establishes the county where a public benefit or mutual benefit corporation has the corporation's principal office or, if the corporation does not have a principal office located in this state, the corporation's registered office, as a venue for a proceeding by the attorney general and reporter to dissolve the corporation; establishes additional locations as venues for proceedings to dissolve a corporation by the attorney general and reporter or other authorized parties. - Amends TCA Title 48, Chapter 64.

Real Property - As introduced, enacts the "Tennessee Private Property Vesting Rights of 2026," which entitles a property owner to just compensation from a public entity if the public entity enacts a land use regulation that has the effect of reducing the fair market value of the property. - Amends TCA Title 29, Chapter 16.

Guardians and Conservators - As enacted, requires a fiduciary's sworn accounting of receipts and expenditures filed annually with the court supervising a guardianship or conservatorship to include the date of the fiduciary's last contact with the person with a disability. - Amends TCA Title 34.

Business and Commerce - As enacted, authorizes a private entity that is engaged in business with the public and accepts cash payments to round off all figures used in the transaction amount to the nearest nickel, if exact change is not available; authorizes a financial institution that provides currency in exchange for a payment instrument received to round off all figures used in the transaction amount to the nearest nickel, if exact change is not available. - Amends TCA Title 9; Title 45; Title 47, Chapter 50; Title 47, Chapter 18 and Title 67.

Juries and Jurors - As enacted, requires a breastfeeding mother to be excused from jury service upon submitting to the jury coordinator a written request to be excused and a supporting medical statement from a licensed physician or a certified professional midwife. - Amends TCA Title 22, Chapter 1 and Title 22, Chapter 2.

Insurance, Health, Accident - As enacted, expands the definition of a health benefit plan; requires a health benefit plan that amends, renews, or delivers a policy of coverage on or after January 1, 2026, and that provides coverage for prescription contraceptives, to provide coverage for a 12-month refill of contraceptives obtained at one time by an insured person. - Amends TCA Title 56 and Title 71.

Public Records - As enacted, specifies that certain bank account information of individuals held by a state agency is confidential. - Amends TCA Section 10-7-504.

Holidays and Days of Special Observance - As enacted, designates February to be observed as "Tennessee Songwriters Month." - Amends TCA Section 15-2-129.

Driver Licenses - As enacted, removes present law that prohibits a person from being denied a commercial driver license, or being deemed medically unqualified to operate a motor vehicle, based on the failure to meet motor safety carrier regulations because of a medical history or clinical diagnosis of diabetes mellitus currently requiring insulin, but whose medical history indicates that the insulin controls the diabetes to the extent that the condition is not likely to cause any loss of ability to control a motor vehicle. - Amends TCA Title 55, Chapter 50, Part 4.

Firefighters - As enacted, expands the applicability of the presumption that a firefighter's cancer was caused by the firefighter's employment to include arson investigators. - Amends TCA Title 7; Title 8; Title 50 and Title 56.

County Government - As enacted, requires county legislative bodies to adopt local rules of procedure within 90 days of convening a newly elected county legislative body by majority vote; requires a two-thirds vote to change such rules; specifies Robert's Rules of Order as the default rules of procedure for county legislative bodies. - Amends TCA Title 5.

Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) - As enacted, exempts disaster grants administered by TEMA from statutory requirements related to procurement, except that the state retains the right to inspect places of business and audit books and records for compliance. - Amends TCA Section 58-2-109.

Local Education Agencies - As enacted, requires each LEA and public charter school to administer the Presidential Fitness Test to students to assess their strength, endurance, and flexibility. - Amends TCA Title 49 and Title 68.

Memorials, Interns - Sophia Brenn Myers -

School Transportation - As introduced, allows, as an alternative to undergoing an annual physical and mental examination, a school bus driver to annually verify to the local board of education that they possess a valid certificate issued by a medical examiner certified by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration within the United States department of transportation signifying that the school bus driver is medically qualified to operate a commercial motor vehicle. - Amends TCA Title 49 and Title 55.

Memorials, Congress - Urges reinstatement of mandatory country of origin labeling for all meat. -

Industrial Development - As introduced, removes restriction prohibiting county officers from serving on industrial development corporation boards; adds county assessor of property and county trustee as members of such boards. - Amends TCA Title 7, Chapter 53.

Education - As introduced, allows students to use their score on the Classic Learning Test (CLT) to satisfy the eligibility requirements for certain grants and scholarships funded using net proceeds of the state lottery; requires the Tennessee student assistance corporation to include information concerning testing dates for the CLT when informing students about lottery scholarship opportunities; allows public institutions of higher education to accept student scores on the CLT for admissions purposes. - Amends TCA Title 49.

Energy - As introduced, enacts the "Bring Your Own Generation Act." - Amends TCA Section 39-17-1002; Section 67-6-102 and Title 68.

Housing - As introduced, encourages municipalities to study and assess housing affordability and inventory availability, and to adopt a pattern book for purposes of encouraging the construction of medium-density housing. - Amends TCA Title 6; Title 7 and Title 13.

Employees, Employers - As introduced, creates the "Anti-Retaliation for Reporting Unsafe Work Act." - Amends TCA Title 50.

Banks and Financial Institutions - As introduced, prohibits a bank from digitizing or otherwise converting money held by the bank on behalf of a consumer into a digital currency, digital medium of exchange, or digital monetary unit of account, including cryptocurrency, without express, written authorization from the consumer for whom the money is held. - Amends TCA Title 45.

Internet and e-Commerce - As introduced, requires that if an account holder deletes the account holder's account on a social media platform, the social media platform shall delete all personal information pertaining to the deleted account or collected directly through the use of the social media platform through the deleted account by the account holder or another user. - Amends TCA Title 4 and Title 47, Chapter 18.

Taxes, Sales - As introduced, authorizes a county with a metropolitan government to levy a tax on the retail sale of food and food ingredients for human consumption within the county at a rate less than the local option sales tax rate. - Amends TCA Title 7 and Title 67.

Taxes, Real Property - As introduced, requires a written notice of the intended seizure of personal property given by the county trustee, deputy trustee, or delinquent tax attorney that is mailed to the taxpayer's last known address be provided by certified, registered, or first class mail. - Amends TCA Title 67, Chapter 5.

Consumer Protection - As introduced, prohibits an entity from setting the price of a specific good or service using personalized algorithmic pricing; designates a violation as an unfair or deceptive act or practice affecting trade or commerce in violation of the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act of 1977. - Amends TCA Title 29; Title 45; Title 47 and Title 66.

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

Food and Food Products - As introduced, prohibits the importation, sale, and distribution of cell-cultured food products in this state. - Amends TCA Title 39; Title 40; Title 44; Title 47 and Title 53.

Women - As introduced, creates a pilot program to be administered by the bureau of TennCare to provide pregnant TennCare recipients improved maternal health care through remote patient monitoring for maternal hypertension and maternal diabetes. - Amends TCA Title 56; Title 63; Title 68 and Title 71.

Correction, Dept. of - As introduced, prohibits governmental entities from preventing certain persons from entering correctional institutions used to house aliens for the purpose of conducting oversight. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 3, Part 6; Title 4, Chapter 4; Title 39; Title 40 and Title 41.

Memorials, Recognition - Gift Horse, Jessica Maloan Vastagh -

General Assembly, Confirmation of Appointment - Dr. Clay R. Good, public utility commission -

Motor Vehicles - As enacted, provides that a motor vehicle dealer license is not required to sell or purchase certain antique vehicles or unique motor vehicles through an auction being held at a venue with a permanent seating capacity of at least 20,000 located in Wilson County, the auction operator conducts no more than one auction in this state per year, the action offers no less than 400 vehicles and no more than 2,000 vehicles for any one auction, and the operator has a minimum net worth of $25 million. - Amends TCA Title 55, Chapter 17 and Title 62, Chapter 19.

Boats, Boating - As enacted, generally increases from 12 to 14, the age that a person must be to lawfully operate a personal watercraft upon the waters of Tennessee without being under the direct supervision of an adult, except that persons 12 and 13 may continue to operate a personal watercraft upon the waters of Tennessee without being under the direct supervision of an adult on Monday through Friday, excepting legal holidays. - Amends TCA Title 69, Chapter 9.

Employees, Employers - As enacted, clarifies that the general assembly preempts and occupies the entire field of regulating the terms and conditions of employment; prohibits local governments from adopting or enforcing any law, rule, or policy that requires a term or condition of employment that exceeds or conflicts with state or federal law. - Amends TCA Title 7 and Title 50.

Utilities, Utility Districts - As enacted, clarifies that prior to the acquisition of assets of a natural gas utility regulated by the Tennessee public utility commission by a new owner or any other change in control of such assets, the commission has exclusive authority to approve the acquisition or change in control, including the assignment of franchise rights, upon a finding by the commission that such transfers of assets or control is in the public interest. - Amends TCA Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 65; Title 68 and Title 69.

Local Education Agencies - As introduced, authorizes LEAs and public charter schools to refuse to enroll students who are unlawfully present in the United States. - Amends TCA Title 4 and Title 49.

Election Laws - As enacted, authorizes nominees to fill a vacancy for a judge, district attorney general, or public defender occurring later than 180 days before the qualifying deadline, to be selected by statewide political parties by any method authorized by the rules of the party. - Amends TCA Title 2 and Title 55, Chapter 50.

Education - As enacted, generally provide that a middle school student or high school student who transfers from one member school to another is immediately eligible to participate in interscholastic athletics at the member school to which the student transfers if certain criteria is met. - Amends TCA Title 49.