Tennessee Senate Bills

Local Education Agencies - As introduced, requires LEAs to publish the school lunch menu on the LEA's website. - Amends TCA Title 49.

Medical Occupations - As introduced, requires a person who is licensed to practice a healing art; who was an officer in the commissioned medical corps of the army, the navy, the air force, or the public health service of the United States; and who was subsequently discharged, instead of honorably discharged, to register with the appropriate board licensing that profession. - Amends TCA Title 63.

Sentencing - As introduced, permits a person who is serving a sentence of incarceration of eight years or more for an offense committed prior to January 1, 2026, and who is a victim of domestic abuse subjected to substantial physical, sexual, or psychological abuse inflicted by a member of the same family or household as the person to submit to the sentencing court, a request to apply for resentencing. - Amends TCA Title 39 and Title 40.

Tobacco, Tobacco Products - As introduced, increases, from a Class C to a Class A misdemeanor, the penalty for selling or distributing a vapor product to an individual under 21 years of age; requires retailers of vapor products to obtain a license for such retail sales from the department of commerce and insurance; provides for civil penalties for violations by licensees. - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 17, Part 15 and Title 62.

Criminal Offenses - As introduced, specifies that a person using force intended or likely to cause death or serious bodily injury from within the person's residence or dwelling is presumed to have acted in self-defense when that force is used against an individual armed with a deadly weapon who is unlawfully present on the person's property and outside of the enclosed structure of the person's residence or dwelling. - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 11 and Title 40.

Holidays and Days of Special Observance - As introduced, designates March 13 of each year as "Father Charles Strobel Day." - Amends TCA Title 15, Chapter 2.

Holidays and Days of Special Observance - As introduced, designates March 3 of each year as "Sister Sandra Smithson Day." - Amends TCA Title 15, Chapter 2.

Ethics - As introduced, specifies that an impermissible indirect gift to candidates for public office and certain officials and their family members includes, but is not limited to, a gift provided by an entity that is related to, and its business or political activities are intertwined with, an employer of a lobbyist; requires the governor and officers of the governor's cabinet to disclose certain travel expenses. - Amends TCA Title 3, Chapter 6 and Title 8, Chapter 50, Part 5.

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.

Expunction - As introduced, permits the expunction of a Class E felony conviction for official misconduct. - Amends TCA Title 39 and Title 40, Chapter 32.

General Assembly - As introduced, enacts the "Restoring State Sovereignty Through Nullification Act," which establishes processes by which the general assembly may nullify an unconstitutional federal statute, regulation, agency order, or executive order. - Amends TCA Title 3 and Title 4.

Sexual Offenders - As introduced, requires sexual and violent sexual offenders to disclose the name, address, and phone number of any church, temple, or other religious group or organization in this state where the offender is a registered member; specifies that this information is considered public information; requires the TBI to provide all public information about an offender to any church, temple, or other religious group or organization in this state where the offender is a registered member when an offender registers as a sexual or violent sexual offender or updates a registration. - Amends TCA Title 40, Chapter 39, Part 2.

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.

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.

Drugs, Prescription - As introduced, requires the department of finance and administration, in collaboration with the department of health and the bureau of TennCare, to apply for federal approval to import prescription drugs from Canada. - Amends TCA Title 8; Title 33; Title 53; Title 56; Title 63; Title 68 and Title 71.

Insurance, Health, Accident - As introduced, requires Tennessee advisory commission on intergovernmental relations (TACIR) to conduct an evaluation examining the frequency at which health insurers deny healthcare claims or reimbursements for policyholders and healthcare providers and an evaluation of related data for the past five calendar years; requires TACIR to report its findings to the appropriate standing committees of the general assembly by January 15, 2026. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 10 and Title 56.

Real Property - As introduced, makes void and unenforceable a restriction in a homeowners’ association declaration that would prohibit the operation of a family child care home at a property that is the site of a proposed family child care home, if the operator of the proposed family child care home has obtained a license from the department of human services and any necessary permits or licenses from the applicable local government for the operation of the family child care home. - Amends TCA Title 13 and Title 66.

Birth Control - As introduced, enacts the "Tennessee Contraceptive Freedom Act." - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 8; Title 53; Title 56; Title 63; Title 68 and Title 71.

Criminal Offenses - As introduced, requires the district attorneys general conference to compile a yearly report detailing convictions made pursuant to the Terrorism Prevention and Response Act of 2002 during the previous year; requires the report to be provided to the general assembly no later than January 15 each year. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 10; Title 37; Title 38; Title 39; Title 40; Title 55 and Title 58.

Consumer Protection - As introduced, makes it a violation of the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act of 1977 for a weather-related company to conduct certain weather modification activities. - Amends TCA Title 47, Chapter 18 and Title 68, Chapter 201.

Naming and Designating - Maternal Health Day , October 17 -

Boards and Commissions - As introduced, vacates and reconstitutes the Tennessee board of water quality, oil and gas effective July 1, 2025. - Amends TCA Title 4 and Title 69, Chapter 3.

Day Care - As introduced, enacts the "Child Care Workforce Improvement Act," which directs the commissioner of human services to develop a program to provide longevity payments to eligible child care workers and a program to provide child care assistance payments to certain early childhood educators. - Amends TCA Title 71, Chapter 3.

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.

Education, Dept. of - As introduced, requires the department to develop or approve a policy allowing for the retake of a TCAP test, including each end-of-course assessment, if the administration of one or more of the state-mandated TCAP tests is interrupted due to an act of God or other circumstance beyond the control of the school. - Amends TCA Title 49, Chapter 6.

Real Property - As introduced, abolishes various estates and reversion interests in land. - Amends TCA Title 66, Chapter 1.

Pensions and Retirement Benefits - As introduced, authorizes a retired campus police officer to be reemployed in a position covered by TCRS as a law enforcement officer without the loss or suspension of the retired officer's TCRS benefits; extends the repeal date for the provision authorizing retired law enforcement officers to be reemployed without the loss or suspension of retirement benefits from June 30, 2025, to June 30, 2027. - Amends TCA Title 8, Chapter 36, Part 8.

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.

Museums - As introduced, requires the state to enter into good faith negotiations for the purchase of the Cotton Museum in Memphis, subject to approval by the state building commission. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 8; Title 9; Title 10; Title 11 and Title 12.

Holidays and Days of Special Observance - As introduced, designates December 14 of each year as "Hazel Moore Day." - Amends TCA Title 3 and Title 4.

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.

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.

Immigration - As introduced, requires, rather than permits, each law enforcement agency to execute an agreement with the United States department of homeland security to participate in the 287(g) program and the warrant service officer program for purposes of enforcing immigration laws in collaboration with the United States bureau of immigration and customs enforcement (ICE). - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7 and Title 8.

Memorials, Recognition - Human Trafficking Awareness Month, January 2025 -

Lottery, Corporation - As introduced, requires each county to levy a tax at the rate of 5 percent of the sales price of lottery tickets or shares when sold at retail within the jurisdiction of the county; requires the state to administer the collection of the tax. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 9; Title 49 and Title 67.

Motor Vehicles - As introduced, changes from January 15 to January 1, the beginning date of each year at which time the department of transportation may reduce the maximum weight of vehicle loads if necessary to protect the streets, roads, highways, or other public thoroughfares from unnecessary injury or damage. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 47; Title 54; Title 55; Title 56; Title 65; Title 66 and Title 67.

Memorials, Retirement - Mary Nell Bryan -

Constitutional Amendments - Proposes an amendment to Article VI, Section 14, of the Tennessee Constitution to authorize municipalities to impose a civil penalty for a violation of a municipal ordinance not to exceed an amount prescribed by the general assembly. -

Memorials, Recognition - Michael Timme -

General Assembly, Statement of Intent or Position - Reaffirms the General Assembly's intent to protect pregnant people, their friends, and their families. -

Constitutional Amendments - Proposes constitutional amendment to allow people to propose laws by initiative. -

Commerce and Insurance, Dept. of - As introduced, removes an obsolete requirement for the commissioner to conduct a study of this state's insurance laws to determine what impediments, if any, exist under the laws or policies that may be deterrents for insurance companies in this state to underwrite policies of insurance to insure a person who has used force that is justified, including deadly force, in protecting such person's self or property, and to report the results of the study to the general assembly no later than March 1, 2012. - Amends TCA Title 8; Title 56; Title 63; Title 68 and Title 71.

Insurance Companies, Agents, Brokers, Policies - As introduced, increases, from 30 to 35 days, the time that an insurance company has to remove a person as an officer or director of the company after receipt of an order from the commissioner of commerce and insurance to do so. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 56 and Title 71.

Criminal Procedure - As introduced, creates an exception to the requirement that a petitioner pay the costs of a petition to restore the person's citizenship rights if the court finds that the petitioner is indigent. - Amends TCA Title 2; Title 4; Title 22; Title 36; Title 39 and Title 40.

General Assembly - As introduced, establishes parameters for biennial September sessions. - Amends TCA Title 2 and Title 3.

Aircraft and Airports - As introduced, exempts certain motor vehicles from parking fees at airports in this state if the vehicle displays a disabled veteran or military award license plate. - Amends TCA Section 12-10-109 and Title 42.

Taxes, Real Property - As introduced, requires half the revenue collected from recordation taxes be returned to the county in which the real property is located on a recurring basis; applies to transfers of real property on or after July 1, 2025. - Amends TCA Section 67-4-409.

Public Funds and Financing - As introduced, enacts the Tennessee bullion depository act; makes gold and silver coinage legal tender; authorizes payment of taxes with gold and silver coinage; makes other changes concerning precious metals. - Amends TCA Title 9; Title 45, Chapter 2 and Title 67.

Real Property - As introduced, enacts the "Uniform Real Property Transfer on Death Act." - Amends TCA Title 8; Title 30; Title 31; Title 32; Title 35; Title 55; Title 66 and Title 67.

Utilities, Utility Districts - As introduced, removes the requirement that each year the Tennessee public utility commission submit to the general assembly a report describing the competitive nature of the telecommunications market in this state. - Amends TCA Title 65, Chapter 1 and Title 65, Chapter 5.

Criminal Offenses - As introduced, creates a Class B misdemeanor offense for engaging in harassing behavior against a first responder engaged in official duties under certain circumstances. - Amends TCA Title 39.

Financial Institutions, Dept. of - As introduced, reduces from 60 to 45 days, the time period following the end of each calendar year during which the commissioner must annually report to the governor. - Amends TCA Title 45.

Tobacco, Tobacco Products - As introduced, urges the department of agriculture to study the effects of the sale and distribution of smokeless nicotine products and other alternative nicotine products to persons under 21; encourages the department to make recommendations to the legislature with regard to reducing such sales and distribution. - Amends TCA Title 1; Title 4; Title 39; Title 43; Title 47; Title 49; Title 62; Title 63; Title 67 and Title 68.

Banks and Financial Institutions - As introduced, reduces, from 60 days to 45 days, the time within which, after the end of the calendar year, the commissioner of financial institutions must submit the department's annual report to the governor. - Amends TCA Title 45.

Financial Institutions, Dept. of - As introduced, increases, from 10 to 15 business days, the time that the commissioner has after receipt of an application for a certificate of authority or any accompanying documents for organization of a business authorized to conduct banking business that do not comply with requirements for the documents to return the certificate or documents to the incorporators with notice of the defect in the application. - Amends TCA Title 34; Title 45 and Title 47.

Local Education Agencies - As introduced, requires an LEA or public charter school to install, maintain, and use, subject to parental request and approval, a video camera surveillance system in each special education classroom operated by the LEA or public charter school to continuously monitor students, teachers, and staff in special education classrooms while special education or related services are being provided to students. - Amends TCA Title 49.

Jails, Local Lock-ups - As introduced, exempts a prisoner of a county workhouse or jail who is released from custody on work release from wearing an electronic monitoring device if the prisoner was convicted of a non-violent crime and the sheriff has determined that the prisoner poses a low risk to the public and for escape. - Amends TCA Title 41, Chapter 2.

Game and Fish Laws - As introduced, extends from January 1 to 15, the deadline by which the wildlife resources agency must submit to legislative committees with subject matter jurisdiction over natural resources a written report containing the estimated acreage managed by the agency that has been closed to recreational hunting and fishing during the previous fiscal year and the reasons for the closures; the estimated acreage managed by the agency that was opened to recreational hunting and fishing to compensate for the acreage that was so closed; and the estimated acreage of new public hunting and fishing lands added. - Amends TCA Title 70.

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 67; Title 68, Chapter 102, Part 6; Title 69 and Title 70.

Taxes, Ad Valorem - As introduced, changes from March 1 of the second year following a tax year to March 1 of the tenth year following a tax year by which certain corrections to the property tax assessment for that tax year are to be initiated by an assessor or requested by a taxpayer. - Amends TCA Title 67, Chapter 5.