Tennessee House Bills

Lobbying, Lobbyists - As introduced, enacts the "Tennessee Foreign Adversary and Chinese Military Company Disclosure and Accountability Act." - Amends TCA Title 3, Chapter 6; Title 4; Title 39, Chapter 16, Part 5 and Title 58, Chapter 2.

Water Pollution - As introduced, removes requirement that installers of subsurface sewage disposal systems pay a renewal fee as a condition to renewing a septic system installer license; maintains initial permit and fee requirement for such installers. - Amends TCA Title 68, Chapter 221.

Business and Commerce - As introduced, prohibits an individual without a valid transportation network license from accepting or transporting a prearranged ride originating in this state; requires the department of commerce and insurance to issue transportation network licenses to eligible individuals; limits the issuance of transportation network licenses to residents of this state and residents of certain out-of-state counties adjacent to this state. - Amends TCA Title 55 and Title 65, Chapter 15, Part 3.

Health Care - As introduced, enacts the "Tennessee Medical Cannabis Act," which establishes a medical cannabis program to be administered by the Tennessee medical cannabis program commission. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 38, Chapter 3; Title 39, Chapter 17; Title 43; Title 50; Title 53; Title 63; Title 67 and Title 68.

Lottery, Scholarships and Programs - As introduced, establishes the promising futures early learning scholarship program and a fund to provide scholarships for high-quality early learning programs from excess lottery revenues. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 51; Title 37, Chapter 5, Part 5; Title 49 and Title 71, Chapter 3.

Welfare - As introduced, requires the department of human services to develop and implement a five-year pilot program in which eligible households are awarded an annual supplemental income grant of $5,000 beginning in 2026. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 9; Title 67, Chapter 4 and Title 71.

Health, Dept. of - As introduced, directs the commissioner to conduct a study on creating new or streamlining existing pathways to careers as primary care providers in this state for individuals who have medical training as noncommissioned officers in the armed forces of the United States; requires the commissioner to conduct the study using existing department resources; requires the commissioner to deliver findings and recommendations from the study to the chief clerk of the senate, chief clerk of the house of representatives, and the legislative librarian no later than December 31, 2025. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 33; Title 63 and Title 68.

Employees, Employers - As introduced, requires an employer that terminates the employment of an employee who the employer knows to be pregnant and who is covered under an employer-sponsored health benefit plan to continue to provide coverage under the plan until the employee’s pregnancy ends. - Amends TCA Title 8, Chapter 27; Title 50; Title 56 and Title 71.

Firearms and Ammunition - As introduced, authorizes a county legislative body to elect not to permit persons within the county to lawfully carry a handgun without a handgun carry permit by passage of a resolution; requires a county that has passed such a resolution to provide notice to persons present within the county by posting notice of the resolution in conspicuous public locations throughout the county. - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 17, Part 13.

Veterans Services, Dept. of - As introduced, allocates 1 percent of the revenue from sports gaming in this state to the department to be used to support veterans services in this state. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 49; Title 58; Title 68 and Title 71.

Sentencing - As introduced, reduces the percentage of sentence that a person convicted of first degree murder on or after July 1, 1995, and sentenced to life imprisonment is required to serve before becoming eligible for release from 100 percent of 60 years less sentence credits earned and retained to 60 percent of 60 years less sentence credits earned and retained; prohibits a defendant becoming eligible for parole before serving 25 years of the sentence, if the defendant was 25 years of age or younger at the time of the offense, or 30 years of the sentence, if the defendant was 26 years of age or older at the time of the offense. - Amends TCA Title 37; Title 39, Chapter 13, Part 2 and Title 40.

Taxes, Sales - As introduced, requires the commissioner of revenue to establish a sales tax remittance schedule that allows dealers making sales to reasonably offset the burden of transaction fees associated with the collection of sales tax. - Amends TCA Title 67, Chapter 6.

Local Education Agencies - As introduced, allows a third grade student who achieves a performance level rating of "approaching" on the English language arts portion of the student's most recent Tennessee comprehensive assessment program test, and who has earned an overall letter grade of A or B in the student's third grade ELA class, to be promoted to fourth grade if promotion is recommended by a majority of the categories of participants in a conference convened by the student's LEA or public charter school; requires a student promoted to fourth grade through such process to receive tutoring services for the entirety of the student's fourth grade year. - Amends TCA Title 49, Chapter 6.

Education - As introduced, authorizes virtual schools to administer TCAP tests to their students in a virtual setting if certain requirements are met. - Amends TCA Title 49.

Employees, Employers - As introduced, prohibits an agricultural employer from retaliating against an agricultural employee who asserts a protected right or based on the agricultural employee's immigration status; creates related protections and penalties related to agricultural employees. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 8; Title 43; Title 50 and Title 68.

Psychologists - As introduced, requires that test materials and test data from psychological or neuropsychological testing be kept secure to avoid compromising the validity of the testing; makes other changes related to security of psychological or neuropsychological test materials and test data. - Amends TCA Title 63, Chapter 11.

Dentists and Dentistry - As introduced, requires the commissioner of health to create programs designed to enhance access to dental services in rural and underserved areas subject to the approval of the commissioner of finance and administration. - Amends TCA Title 63, Chapter 5 and Title 68.

Taxes, Real Property - As introduced, revises the property tax relief program for elderly, low-income homeowners to provide tiered property tax reimbursements based on the taxpayer's age. - Amends TCA Title 67, Chapter 5, Part 7.

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.

Education, Dept. of - As introduced, extends the school turnaround pilot program for priority schools that is scheduled to conclude at the end of the 2024-2025 school year to a permanent school turnaround program for priority schools to be administered by the department; increases, from five to 15, the maximum number of priority schools that may participate in the school turnaround program. - Amends TCA Title 49, Chapter 6.

Driver Licenses - As introduced, requires the department of safety to report to the transportation and safety committee of the senate and the committee in the house of representatives having jurisdiction over driver license matters on the extent to which current fees imposed on applications for an original or renewal of a driver license are used to offset processing costs for driver license issuance and reinstatements, information technology upgrades, and any ongoing costs to maintain the driver license issuance system. - Amends TCA Title 55.

Constitutional Amendments - Proposes amendments to Article II of the Constitution of Tennessee to establish an independent redistricting commission for state senate districts, state house of representative districts, and congressional districts. -

General Assembly, Directed Studies - Requests the governor, the department of education, and appropriate committees of the general assembly to examine ways in which to reduce the administrative burdens on local education agencies and to submit recommendations to the general assembly for making such reductions by December 31, 2025. -

Constitutional Amendments - Proposes adding a provision establishing the right to clean air, pure water, and the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic, and esthetic values of the state's environment. -

Local Education Agencies - As introduced, requires LEAs to provide a copy of a student's education records, upon request, and a copy of a student's draft individualized education program, unless previously declined, to the student's parent or guardian prior to a scheduled IEP team meeting. - Amends TCA Title 49, Chapter 10 and Title 49, Chapter 6, Part 1.

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.

Insurance, Health, Accident - As introduced, requires a pharmacy services administrative organization or similar entity that receives maximum allowable cost list or related information from a contracted pharmacy to destroy the shared information within five business days of receipt of a written request for destruction from the sharing pharmacy. - Amends TCA Title 4 and Title 56.

Environment and Conservation, Department of - As introduced, requires the department to submit an annual report regarding the number of applications filed pursuant to the Water Quality Control Act; requires the department to include information on the mechanism of compensatory mitigation provided for in permits that are required to have a provision for adequate compensatory mitigation; requires additional information when the mechanism of compensatory mitigation is an in-lieu fee program or mitigation banking. - Amends TCA Title 69.

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 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.

Health Care - As introduced, urges the human rights commission to study problems of discrimination against healthcare providers in this state because of their decision to decline to participate in a healthcare service on the basis of religious, moral, or ethical beliefs. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 20; Title 29; Title 39; Title 49; Title 50; Title 56; Title 63; Title 68 and Title 71.

State Government - As introduced, creates the "Tennessee Critical Infrastructure Act." - Amends TCA Title 4.

Consumer Protection - As introduced, prohibits healthcare providers from reporting a patient's medical debt to a consumer reporting agency; prohibits consumer reporting agencies from including on a consumer report a record of a medical debt. - Amends TCA Title 9, Chapter 8; Title 16; Title 18; Title 20; Title 21; Title 27; Title 28; Title 29; Title 45; Title 47; Title 63 and Title 68.

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.

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.

Zoning - As introduced, extends the terms of members of historic zoning commissions from five years to six years. - Amends TCA Title 13, Chapter 7, Part 4.

Boats, Boating - As introduced, prohibits certain activities, such as fishing, near public boat launches, docks, boats, and marinas so as to interfere with the use of such facilities. - Amends TCA Title 68, Chapter 102, Part 6; Title 69 and Title 70.

State Government - As introduced, increases membership of the information systems council by adding a state employee with experience in the field of cybersecurity, to be appointed by the governor. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 3.

Boards and Commissions - As introduced, prohibits the exclusion of persons from membership on state regulatory and health related boards on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, and national origin; prohibits such boards from establishing or operating under race-based policies pertaining to their composition; creates a private cause of action against a board and its officers, employees, and agents for such practices. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 21; Title 9; Title 62 and Title 63.

Notary Public - As introduced, adds that a person must complete a course of instruction and pass an examination to qualify to be commissioned as an online notary public; clarifies that an application to be commissioned as an online notary public requires a certification that the applicant has reviewed, understands, and will comply with the applicable rules and requirements promulgated by the secretary of state; adds that a course of instruction for online notarization must include, at a minimum, notarial laws, technology procedures of online notarizations, and ethical requirements for online notaries. - Amends TCA Title 8, Chapter 16, Part 3.

Secretary of State - As introduced, establishes a complaint process with the secretary of state for any person who contends that the person’s name or address was included on a document filed with the secretary of state without the person’s consent. - Amends TCA Title 48.

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.

Consumer Protection - As introduced, requires a healthcare facility that accepts public funds as compensation for losses due to providing uncompensated care to ensure that an amount of outstanding patient debt equal to the amount of public funds accepted is designated as satisfied and that patient is notified of such satisfied debt; prohibits the healthcare facility from seeking a judgment or taking other legal action to collect from the debtor any portion of such debt that is so designated; requires the department of health and division of TennCare to submit an annual report on uncompensated care payments to hospitals. - Amends TCA Title 9, Chapter 8; Title 16; Title 18; Title 20; Title 21; Title 27; Title 28; Title 29; Title 33; Title 45; Title 47; Title 63; Title 68 and Title 71.

Consumer Protection - As introduced, enacts the "Agricultural Right to Repair Act." - Amends TCA Title 43 and Title 47, Chapter 18.

Firearms and Ammunition - As introduced, enacts the "Protect Kids Not Guns Act." - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 8; Title 10; Title 13; Title 16; Title 29; Title 33; Title 36; Title 37; Title 38; Title 39; Title 40; Title 47; Title 49; Title 50; Title 55; Title 58; Title 65; Title 68 and Title 70.

Codes - As introduced, allows an existing place of worship to be used for educational purposes without reclassification of the building's occupancy type if certain conditions are met. - Amends TCA Title 49 and Title 68, Chapter 120.

Professions and Occupations - As introduced, changes the examination subjects, from business law and taxation to taxation and regulations, that may be included in order to receive a certificate as a certified public accountant. - Amends TCA Title 4 and Title 62, Chapter 1.

Public Officials - As introduced, creates a recall process for members of a municipal legislative body and of a city or county school board. - Amends TCA Title 2; Title 6; Title 7; Title 8 and Title 49.

General Assembly, Directed Studies - As introduced, requires TACIR to study the economic impact that the cosmetology and barbering professions have in this state; upon completion of the study, requires TACIR to report its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to legislative committees having jurisdiction over cosmetology and barbering, and to provide a copy of the report to the legislative librarian. - Amends TCA Title 64, Chapter 3 and Title 64, Chapter 4.

County Government - As introduced, authorizes a county that has adopted the County Purchasing Law of 1957 to require a competitive bid process for insurance brokerage services. - Amends TCA Title 5 and Title 12, Chapter 3, Part 12.

General Assembly, Statement of Intent or Position - Expresses support for faith-based recovery programs. -

Highways, Roads and Bridges - As introduced, clarifies that the plans for an acquisition of a right-of-way by the state must be filed and recorded with the office of the register in each county where the project is located if the project is located in multiple counties. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 54 and Title 55.

Abortion - As introduced, adds the chairs of the judiciary committee of the senate and the committee of the house of representatives with jurisdiction over criminal justice-related matters to whom the department of health shall submit a report of each abortion procedure and the disposition of the aborted fetus or aborted fetal tissue to no later than January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1 of each year. - Amends TCA Section 39-15-203.

State Government - As introduced, enacts the "Government Serves the People Act." - Amends TCA Title 4 and Title 8.

Taxes, Sales - As introduced, requires the department of economic and community development to revise and certify the population of each county and municipality, and the aggregate population of the state, prior to July 1 each year during the interim between the regular decennial federal census to ensure equitable allocation and distribution of the local share of state sales tax revenue; requires the Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Tennessee, through the Tennessee state data center, to generate annual population estimates for each county and municipality and provide the estimates to the department of economic and community development for review and certification. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 3, Part 7; Section 9-16-101 and Title 67, Chapter 6.

Parks, Natural Areas Preservation - As introduced, designates the new swimming pool at Henry Horton State Park as the "Riley Gaines Aquatic Center." -

Criminal Offenses - As introduced, creates a Class A misdemeanor for recklessly storing a firearm in a manner that a person knows or reasonably should know will allow a child younger than 18 years of age to access the firearm and the child brings the firearm to a school. - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 17, Part 13.

Disabled Persons - As introduced, enacts the "Autism Spectrum Online Protection Act." - Amends TCA Title 33; Title 37; Title 39 and Title 52.

Education, Higher - As introduced, extends to the dependent children and spouses of veterans who sustained a permanent and total service-connected disability during a qualifying period of armed conflict the same waiver of all tuition and fees at public institutions of higher education being provided to the dependent children and spouses of veterans who were killed, died due to injuries received, or reported as prisoners of war or missing in action during a qualifying period of armed conflict. - Amends TCA Title 49.

Highways, Roads and Bridges - As introduced, authorizes surveillance cameras to be installed on federal interstate highways and operated by a state entity to aid in the investigation and prevention of terrorism and state criminal offenses other than traffic violations; authorizes surveillance cameras to be installed on public roads and highways other than federal interstate highways and operated by local law enforcement agencies to aid in the investigation and prevention of terrorism and state criminal offenses other than traffic violations. - Amends TCA Section 55-8-198.