Tennessee Bills

Solid Waste Disposal - As introduced, enacts the "Tennessee Secondary Aluminum Waste Management Act." - Amends TCA Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 62, Chapter 9 and Title 68.

Utilities, Utility Districts - As introduced, allows the Tellico Village Property Owners Association's water and wastewater utility services to be placed under the jurisdiction of the Tennessee board of utility regulation. - Amends TCA Title 7, Chapter 82, Part 7 and Title 65, Chapter 4, Part 1.

Transportation, Dept. of - As introduced, changes the deadline from January 1 to February 15 by when the department must submit its annual report to the speakers of the senate and the house of representatives, the chair of the transportation and safety committee of the senate, and the chair of the transportation committee of the house of representatives, on the status of projects funded by the transportation modernization fund. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 23; Title 9, Chapter 11; Title 9, Chapter 21; Title 9, Chapter 4; Title 9, Chapter 9; Title 54 and Title 67.

Agriculture - As introduced, enacts the "Freedom to Farm Act." - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 17, Part 4; Title 40 and Title 43.

Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) - As introduced, expands the category of students who are considered economically disadvantaged for purposes of generating a weighted allocation through the TISA funding formula to include students who are enrolled in the state's medicaid program. - Amends TCA Title 49.

Motor Vehicles - As introduced, requires the department of safety to report to the chairs of the transportation and safety committee of the senate and the committee of the house of representatives having jurisdiction over transportation matters, the number of persons who participated in the motorcycle rider education program and the types of expenses for which the funds in the motorcycle rider safety fund were used during the last three years. - Amends TCA Title 55.

Local Education Agencies - As introduced, allows a nonprofit or for-profit entity that operates an adult high school under a contract with a local board of education to receive state and local funding in years subsequent to the first year of the adult high school's operation based on current enrollment numbers that are reported and adjusted no less than three times per year. - Amends TCA Title 49.

Water - As introduced, enacts the "Tennessee Fluoride-Free Water Act" to prohibit public water systems from adding fluoride to drinking water, prohibit sales of bottled water containing added fluoride, and requires certain actions for naturally occurring fluoride that exceeds certain levels in drinking water and bottled water. - Amends TCA Title 47, Chapter 18; Title 53 and Title 68, Chapter 221.

Boats, Boating - As introduced, increases, from 50 to 75 feet, the distance a jet boat that carries passengers for hire must be from a private or public dock or boat ramp before the boat may travel at a speed greater than no-wake speed. - Amends TCA Title 69.

Education, Dept. of - As introduced, changes from September 1 to November 1 the day by which the department is required to compile and publish to its website a directory of the name and contact information for the apprenticeship training program contact for each public high school. - Amends TCA Title 49.

Tourist Development, Dept. of - As introduced, requires a copy of an annual audit report prepared by certain organizations under the department to be submitted to the legislative librarian. - Amends TCA Title 2; Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 8; Title 9; Title 11; Title 13; Title 24; Title 36; Title 39; Title 42; Title 43; Title 47; Title 49; Title 54; Title 55; Title 56; Title 57; Title 58; Title 64; Title 65; Title 66; Title 67; Title 68; Title 69 and Title 70.

Highways, Roads and Bridges - As introduced, requires the department of transportation to allocate federal and state funds to rural planning organizations in parity with its allocation of such funds to metropolitan planning organizations. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 54 and Title 64, Chapter 8.

Education - As introduced, requires a private school that participates in the Individualized Education Act or the Tennessee Education Savings Account Pilot Program to comply with certain requirements in order to receive public funds through the program; prohibits a student from receiving an education freedom scholarship if the student is enrolled in a private school that doesn't comply with certain requirements. - Amends TCA Title 49, Chapter 10, Part 14; Title 49, Chapter 6, Part 26 and Title 49, Chapter 6, Part 35.

Lottery, Scholarships and Programs - As introduced, requires the Tennessee higher education commission to submit a report to the education and finance committees of the senate and house of representatives identifying any fiscal year, beginning with the 2004 fiscal year, for which net lottery proceeds were insufficient to fully fund certain scholarships and grants, resulting in a pro rata reduction in award amounts or a draw upon the general shortfall reserve subaccount. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 49; Title 4, Chapter 51 and Title 49, Chapter 4.

Parks, Natural Areas Preservation - As introduced, requires playgrounds at Booker T. Washington State Park and Harrison Bay State Park to be built no later than January 1, 2027; requires existing resources of the department of environment and conservation to be used to build the parks. - Amends TCA Title 11, Chapter 3.

Highways, Roads and Bridges - As introduced, requires the commissioner of transportation to establish rules governing reimbursement of relocation costs to a utility; requires reimbursement of at least $2.5 million for projects with utility relocation costs exceeding $2.5 million; requires the department to approve a utility owner's plan to accomplish the proposed new location of utility facilities in highway rights-of-way if the proposal would effectuate the relocation at the lowest cost to the utility and its ratepayers; makes other related revisions. - Amends TCA Title 4 and Title 54.

Education, Higher - As introduced, requires the governing board for each public institution of higher education to install and maintain a "Charlie Kirk Memorial Courtyard for Civil Debate" at the main campus of each public institution of higher education governed by the board. - Amends TCA Title 4 and Title 49.

Driver Licenses - As introduced, authorizes the department of safety to issue a for-hire endorsement to operate a Class D vehicle to an applicant who would otherwise qualify for a for-hire endorsement but for the requirement of at least two years of unrestricted driving prior to the date of application if the applicant has completed a sentence of incarceration after conviction for an offense and currently has a restricted license for unpaid fines and court costs and is making payments in accordance with a payment plan. - Amends TCA Title 55.

Teachers, Principals and School Personnel - As introduced, creates a pathway for a person to obtain an alternative instructional leader license for purposes of serving as a principal, an assistant principal, or an instructional supervisor. - Amends TCA Title 49, Chapter 5.

Highways, Roads and Bridges - As introduced, requires the department of transportation to study the development of a new bridge crossing the Mississippi River and connecting to Arkansas. - Amends TCA Title 54.

Health Care - As introduced, enacts the "Tennessee mRNA Pharmaceutical Sovereignty and Safety Act," which prohibits individuals, including professional providers of health care and veterinary medicine, from administering any vaccine or other injectable solution that contains an mRNA vaccine or vaccine material. - Amends TCA Title 33; Title 37; Title 44; Title 47; Title 49; Title 53; Title 63 and Title 68.

Water - As introduced, prohibits the department of environment and conservation from prohibiting a utility that provides drinking water from pumping or otherwise withdrawing water from natural waters for purposes of providing drinking water, including as a prerequisite to renewal of the utility's permit, unless the prohibition is required to comply with federal law. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 68, Chapter 221 and Title 69.

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.

Aircraft and Airports - As introduced, requires the Tennessee Aeronautics Commission to study the laws and regulations of other states regarding restrictions on the operation of drones over private property. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 38; Title 39; Title 42; Title 56 and Title 66.

Education - As introduced, requires local boards of education to notify the department of education when a board declares itself to be a high performing school district; requires the department to maintain a list of high performing school districts on the department's website. - Amends TCA Title 49.

Education, Dept. of - As introduced, establishes October 15 of each year as the date by which the department must submit an early grades reading report; updates the committees for which the department must submit the early grades reading report to be the education committee of the senate and the committee of the house of representatives having jurisdiction over education. - Amends Chapter __ of the Public Acts of 2025 (1st Ex. Sess. – SB 6001 / HB 6004); and TCA Title 4; Title 8 and Title 49.

Constitutional Amendments - Proposes adding a provision establishing the right to food that includes the right to save and exchange seeds and the right to grow, raise, harvest, produce, and acquire and consume the food of their own choosing for their own nourishment, sustenance, bodily health, and well-being. -

Day Care - As introduced, treats nieces and nephews of the whole or half-blood of a primary caregiver as being related to the caregiver for purposes of present laws governing child care agencies. - Amends TCA Title 71, Chapter 3, Part 5.

Public Officials - As introduced, authorizes local governments to adopt a process by which local elected officials may be removed from office in a recall election. - Amends TCA Title 2; Title 8, Chapter 47 and Title 49, Chapter 2.

Aircraft and Airports - As introduced, requires the Tennessee Aeronautics Commission to study the laws and regulations of other states regarding restrictions on the operation of drones over private property. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 38; Title 39; Title 42; Title 56 and Title 66.

Energy - As introduced, changes the administrative, reporting, oversight, and accountability of the state energy policy council from the state energy policy council to the department of economic and community development and the department of environment and conservation. - Amends TCA Title 68, Chapter 204.

Expunction - As introduced, authorizes court clerks in certain counties to implement an automatic expunction processing program that initiates processing the expunction of public records without petition by the person, certification of eligibility from the TBI, or court order in certain limited circumstances. - Amends TCA Title 40, Chapter 32.

Housing - As introduced, enacts the "Homes not Hedge Funds Act"; prohibits certain business entities from purchasing more than 100 single-family homes in certain counties in this state for purposes of renting the purchased properties; establishes a state and private cause of action and establishes damages for violations. - Amends TCA Title 13; Title 47 and Title 66.

Consumer Protection - As introduced, increases, from 60 to 65 days, the time that a controller has after receipt of an appeal from a consumer regarding the controller's refusal to take action on a consumer request under the Tennessee Information Protection Act to inform the consumer in writing of action taken or not taken in response to the appeal, including a written explanation of the reasons for the decision. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 39 and Title 47.

Expunction - As introduced, extends the time period within which a court ordering the expunction of a person's public records of a criminal offense must send a copy of the expunction order to the Tennessee bureau of investigation from 30 days to 45 days. - Amends TCA Section 8-21-401 and Title 40.

Criminal Offenses - As introduced, increases the penalty for assault against a first responder from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class E felony with a mandatory fine of $10,000 and a mandatory minimum sentence of 60 days. - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 13.

Uniform Commercial Code - As introduced, changes, from the local law of the securities intermediary's jurisdiction to the law of this state, the law governing certain aspects of an investment security transaction; makes other related changes. - Amends TCA Title 47.

Taxes, Real Property - As introduced, limits the setting of the tax rate on property by a county, municipality, metropolitan government, or other taxing entity in any fiscal year at a rate that would render in total receipts from all levies an amount more than the receipts from that source from the immediately preceding fiscal year for the county, municipality, metropolitan government, or other taxing jurisdiction, plus an additional 2 percent, subject to certain exceptions; establishes a procedure by which the 2 percent increase may be exceeded by passage of a referendum. - Amends TCA Title 67, Chapter 5.

Tort Liability and Reform - As introduced, establishes a cause of action through which a person who suffers injury, death, or property damage caused by the negligent action of an agent of the federal government engaged in an immigration enforcement action may file a suit against the federal agency to recover compensatory damages and reasonable attorney's fees and costs of bringing the action; requires the person to file a claim within one year of the cause of action accruing. - Amends TCA Title 28 and Title 29.

Corporations, Not for Profit - As introduced, enacts the "Volunteer Communities Act," which provides an unincorporated association or nonprofit corporation organized primarily to provide mutual support and assistance within a community or neighborhood certain benefits, including franchise and excise, sales, and property tax credits and exemptions, and certain liability, food, and zoning protections for mutual aid activities conducted by the organization. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 8; Title 9; Title 13, Chapter 7; Title 29; Title 48; Title 53 and Title 67.

Criminal Offenses - As introduced, extends from 90 to 120 days, the amount of time any confiscated or seized property that was used in the offense of engaging in camping on public property must be held by the agency or its agent in a secure location before the property is either claimed or disposed of, unless the property is needed for evidence in a criminal proceeding. - Amends TCA Title 13; Title 16; Title 33; Title 39 and Title 40.

Health, Dept. of - As introduced, requires the commissioner to use existing resources to conduct a study of the use of designated caregivers for admitted patients in hospitals in neighboring states in order to determine the prevalence of and identify the best practices for the use of designated caregivers; requires the commissioner to compile study findings and any legislative recommendations into a report to the general assembly no later than December 31, 2026. - Amends TCA Title 68.

Utilities, Utility Districts - As introduced, requires each public and private electric utility and electric project developer, owner, or operator to conduct a technical assessment of certain electrical transformers to determine vulnerability to geomagnetically induced current; requires such entities to file a report on the assessment with the general assembly, governor, board of utility regulation, and the public utilities commission. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 7 and Title 65.

Boats, Boating - As introduced, increases, from 50 to 75 feet, the distance a jet boat that carries passengers for hire must be from a private or public dock or boat ramp before the boat may travel at a speed greater than no-wake speed. - Amends TCA Title 69.

Funeral Directors and Embalmers - As introduced, authorizes the operator of a crematory facility to provide an electronic receipt, instead of a written receipt, to the person who delivers a dead human body or body parts to the facility for cremation. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 5; Title 10; Title 29; Title 30; Title 31; Title 32; Title 34; Title 35; Title 36; Title 38; Title 39; Title 46; Title 50; Title 55; Title 56; Title 58; Title 62; Title 67; Title 68 and Title 71.

Consumer Protection - As introduced, authorizes the attorney general and reporter to submit the required annual report regarding the activities of the consumer affairs division in the office of the attorney general and reporter to the general assembly electronically. - Amends TCA Title 29; Title 37; Title 39 and Title 47.

Motor Vehicles - As introduced, enacts the "Tennessee Vehicle Value Protection Product Act." - Amends TCA Title 47; Title 55 and Title 56.

Consumer Protection - As introduced, authorizes the attorney general to establish a do not call registry; places certain restrictions upon telephone solicitations and robocallers; authorizes the attorney general to enforce restrictions and sets monetary amounts for penalties imposed by a court that makes a finding of a violation. - Amends TCA Title 39; Title 47 and Title 65.

Utilities, Utility Districts - As introduced, allows the Tellico Village Property Owners Association's water and wastewater utility services to be placed under the jurisdiction of the Tennessee board of utility regulation. - Amends TCA Title 7, Chapter 82, Part 7 and Title 65, Chapter 4, Part 1.

Evidence - As introduced, states that in certain civil actions a licensed nurse practitioner or licensed physician assistant who is properly qualified as an expert witness may testify as to certain medical findings. - Amends TCA Title 24; Title 29, Chapter 26 and Title 50, Chapter 6.

Utilities, Utility Districts - As introduced, requires certain data centers to register with the Tennessee public utilities commission; requires electric and water utilities that provide service to registered data centers to report usage and rates to the commission; requires the commission's executive director to compile and publish certain information based on reports received from utilities. - Amends TCA Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 10; Title 62; Title 65; Title 68 and Title 69.

Health Care - As introduced, creates the state uterine fibroids commission. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 63 and Title 68.

Consumer Protection - As introduced, prohibits a person from requiring another to use programmable money for a transaction; prohibits an issuer of programmable money from denying a transaction based upon certain factors; requires an issuer of programmable money that denies a transaction to provide reasons for the denial to the affected party upon request; designates violations to be violations of the Consumer Protection Act of 1977 and provides for other forms of relief and enforcement. - Amends TCA Title 47.

Housing - As introduced, provides for the regulation of accessory dwelling units. - Amends TCA Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 13; Title 66 and Title 68.

Employees, Employers - As introduced, requires employers that condition employment or prospective employment upon an employee or prospective employee submitting to a mental health evaluation to grant the employee or prospective employee reasonable access to the results of the mental health evaluation, including any report from a mental health professional or other evaluator; provides a private right of action for an employee or prospective employee who is denied such access. - Amends TCA Title 8 and Title 50.

Boards and Commissions - As introduced, creates the Tennessee council for research of deaf, deaf-blind, and hard of hearing children. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 29; Title 49; Title 68 and Title 71.

Education, Higher - As introduced, creates the public institution athletic program fund, which consists of proceeds from a fee paid by vendors registered with the sports wagering council; authorizes the Tennessee higher education commission to award grants from the fund to public institutions to assist with expenses for recruiting intercollegiate athletes. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 49; Title 9 and Title 49.

Remedies and Special Proceedings - As introduced, prevents a receivership proceeding from interfering with the rights of a superior interest holder in property subject to the receivership absent the express consent of the superior interest holder. - Amends TCA Title 29.

Pensions and Retirement Benefits - As introduced, enacts the "Supporting Troopers though Advanced Retirement (STAR) Act"; authorizes current state troopers to elect to participate in an alternative defined benefit retirement plan that offers enhanced benefits; authorizes state troopers participating in the alternative plan to elect to defer retirement and continue working full-time for up to eight years while their retirement benefits are deposited into an interest-bearing account until they elect to retire. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 7 and Title 8.

Insurance, Health, Accident - As introduced, creates the "Regulate Artificial Intelligence (AI) In Health Care Act." - Amends TCA Title 8, Chapter 27; Title 56 and Title 71.