Tennessee House Bills

Tourist Development, Dept. of - As enacted, creates a marketing division within the department to replace the tourism division; authorizes the department to enter into agreements with the department of transportation to assist with maintenance of welcome center facilities; creates a welcome centers division within the department to oversee such centers throughout the state; directs the commissioner of finance and administration to transfer from highway user taxes allocated to the highway fund an amount sufficient to support the annual appropriation for implementation and administration of all welcome centers in the state. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 3, Part 22.

Governor - As enacted, authorizes, if the governor issues or extends an executive order or proclamation of a state of emergency, the general assembly to terminate such state of emergency by joint resolution of both houses. - Amends TCA Section 58-2-107.

Criminal Offenses - As enacted, creates the criminal offense of threatening to commit an act of mass violence; creates the criminal offense of posting on a publicly accessible website the telephone number or home address of an individual with the intent to cause harm or a threat of harm to the individual or a member of the individual's family or household. - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 13, Part 8 and Title 39, Chapter 17, Part 3.

Public Funds and Financing - As enacted, authorizes use of the Hurricane Helene interest payment fund to pay local governments' loan charges; makes related changes. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 9 and Title 58.

Tennessee Bureau of Investigation - As enacted, enacts "Savanna's Law," which creates a registry of persistent domestic violence offenders; requires the bureau to maintain the registry. - Amends TCA Title 18; Section 38-6-103; Title 39 and Title 40.

Criminal Procedure - As enacted, increases from 11 months and 29 days to two years from the date of arrest the time within which misdemeanor charges against a defendant who has been found incompetent must be retired unless the defendant is restored to competency; adds to present law that, when a defendant whose misdemeanor charges were retired due to a finding of incompetency is released into the community, the chief officer is required to notify the court of the defendant's discharge and provide the court and the sheriff with an outpatient treatment plan that accounts for the safety of the community. - Amends TCA Title 33; Title 40 and Title 52.

Schools, Charter - As enacted, permits a public charter school authorized in the county local education agency for a county in which only one city school system operates to use available buildings or facilities located within the geographic boundaries of the city school system located in the same county if certain conditions are met. - Amends TCA Title 49.

Taxes - As enacted, allows nuclear energy production facilities to seek pollution control tax credits for certain machinery and equipment. - Amends TCA Title 67.

County Officers - As enacted, revises present law relative to constables. - Amends TCA Title 8, Chapter 10 and Title 38, Chapter 8.

Real Property - As enacted, revises present law relative to advertising the sale of land to foreclose a deed of trust, mortgage, or other lien securing the payment of money or other thing of value or under judicial orders or process. - Amends TCA Title 35.

Local Government, General - As enacted, sets up a process by which the attorney general and reporter may review whether a local government action violates state law or the Constitution of Tennessee. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 8 and Title 9.

Firearms and Ammunition - As enacted, expands the definition of "machine gun" to include any part, or combination of parts, designed and intended solely for use in converting a firearm into a machine gun; increases the classification for the intentional or knowing possession, manufacture, transport, repair, or sale of a machine gun from a Class E to a Class C felony; reclassifies certain other offenses involving the possession of firearm or handgun ammunition; makes a defendant ineligible for parole if convicted of aggravated assault that involved the use of a firearm from within a motor vehicle. - Amends TCA Title 39 and Title 40.

Federal Aid - As enacted, establishes a process for reviewing requests for federal aid. -

Criminal Offenses - As enacted, requires the department of mental health and substance abuse services to establish a mental health evaluation process for a community mental health center or qualified mental health professional to evaluate a defendant convicted of domestic assault, child abuse, aggravated child abuse, cruelty to animals, aggravated cruelty to animals; requires a court in which a person is convicted of any such offense to order the offender to undergo a mental health evaluation prior to the sentencing hearing. - Amends TCA Title 33; Title 39 and Title 40.

Nuisances - As enacted, revises nuisance laws. - Amends TCA Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 13; Title 16; Title 29; Title 39; Title 67 and Title 68.

Cooperatives - As enacted, specifies that the privilege tax exemption for subsidiaries of agricultural cooperatives applies without regard to whether the subsidiary was formed as a corporation, limited liability company, limited liability partnership, or other legal entity, association, or body vested with the power or function of a legal entity. - Amends TCA Title 43, Chapter 16, Part 1 and Section 67-4-102.

Motor Vehicles - As enacted, revises various provisions of the Modernization of Towing, Immobilization, and Oversight Normalization Act. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 39; Title 47; Title 48; Title 55; Title 56; Title 62; Title 66 and Title 67.

Education - As enacted, changes the standard for entry-resistant window treatment for school buildings constructed or remodeled on or after July 1, 2025; requires the state-level school safety team to issue guidelines to the state fire marshal for inclusion in rules. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 29 and Title 49, Chapter 6, Part 8.

Education - As enacted, creates a federal education deregulation cooperation task force to prepare Tennessee for the potential of deregulation of federal laws, regulations, requirements, and guidance for K-12 education. - Amends TCA Title 49.

Licenses - As enacted, creates a bait privilege license to allow hunting or taking of whitetail deer using bait on privately owned or privately leased land. - Amends TCA Title 70.

Housing - As enacted, authorizes any county having made loans in excess of the amount of funds in the initial capitalization of the loan fund pool for the county to terminate its participation in the homebuyers' revolving loan fund pool with notice to the Tennessee housing development agency and to retain all funds, including any funds used for initial capitalization or interest earnings on repayments. - Amends TCA Title 13, Chapter 23.

Human Rights - As enacted, enacts the "Dismantling DEI Departments Act." - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 8 and Title 49, Chapter 7.

Boards and Commissions - As enacted, makes various revisions to the governing boards of public higher education institutions. -

Salaries and Benefits - As enacted, grants eligible employees leave of up to six workweeks because the employee is caring for a family member with a serious health condition. - Amends TCA Section 8-50-813.

Health Care - As enacted, revises present law relative to a patient's electronic health record and requires a health insurance entity to establish and maintain a provider access API and a prior authorization API; makes related changes. - Amends TCA Title 8; Title 47; Title 56; Title 63 and Title 68.

Nurses, Nursing - As enacted, requires the board of nursing to permit a student to enroll in a practical nursing program offered by a public institution of higher education governed by the Tennessee board of regents if the student meets the qualifications for a high school diploma or its equivalent and meets other requirements; requires the board of nursing to permit a student enrolled in a practical nursing program to sit for the national council licensure exam for practical nurses (NCLEX-PN) upon completion of a practical nursing program. - Amends TCA Title 49 and Title 63.

Real Property - As enacted, expands the purposes for which monies in the wetland acquisition fund may be used. - Amends TCA Section 67-4-409.

Local Government, General - As enacted, requires TACIR to study the economic impact on local jurisdictions that are required to provide ambulance services and emergency and non-emergency transport reimbursement; requires TACIR to submit a report of the findings and recommendations. - Amends TCA Title 7, Chapter 61.

Food and Food Products - As enacted, prohibits labeling a cell-cultured food product as meat or a meat food product. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 39; Title 40; Title 43; Title 44; Title 47 and Title 53.

State Employees - As enacted, classifies as state employees for purposes of defense and other related provisions, soil and water conservation district board of supervisors, employees, officers, and agents, and persons designated by a soil and water conservation district as participants in volunteer programs authorized by such districts. - Amends TCA Title 8, Chapter 42 and Title 9, Chapter 8.

Tennessee Fish & Wildlife Commission - As enacted, directs the commission to promulgate rules to create and issue guide licenses for persons who work as guides at Reelfoot Lake. - Amends TCA Title 11, Chapter 14, Part 1 and Title 70.

DUI Offenses - As enacted, creates a distance to drive program study committee to help determine the feasibility of implementing a distance to drive program that would facilitate reinstatement of suspended and revoked driver licenses for criminal defendants based on meeting the objectives set by the court and completing all the requirements set by the department of safety. - Amends TCA Title 16; Title 39; Title 40 and Title 55.

Animal Cruelty and Abuse - As enacted, prohibits the abandonment of an animal in a person's custody and provides that it is not a defense to prosecution that the person abandoned the animal at or near an animal shelter, veterinary clinic, or other place of shelter if the person did not make reasonable arrangements for the care of the animal. - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 14, Part 2.

Courts, Municipal - As enacted, increases from $1.00 to $2.00 the amount of funds from the court costs collected in municipal court cases that must be forwarded by the municipal court clerk to the state treasurer for deposit and credited to the account for the administrative office of the courts for the sole purpose of defraying the administrative director's expenses in providing training and continuing education courses for municipal court judges and municipal court clerks. - Amends TCA Title 16, Chapter 18 and Title 17, Chapter 3.

Highways, Roads and Bridges - As enacted, requires TACIR to study sustainable funding sources that meet this state's future transportation infrastructure needs and submit its recommendations. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 9; Title 54 and Title 55.

Planning, Public - As enacted, specifies that the vesting period established for a construction project or development plan does not expire because of pending litigation challenging a permit; specifies that the vesting period is tolled while such litigation is pending. - Amends TCA Title 13, Chapter 3; Title 13, Chapter 4 and Title 13, Chapter 7.

Education - As enacted, creates an advisory committee on innovations in K-12 education. - Amends TCA Title 8 and Title 49.

Solid Waste Disposal - As enacted, creates the advisory task force on solid waste to examine and review issues related to solid waste; authorizes the department of environment and conservation to accept voluntary contributions, and to apply for grants, from private companies for grants for recycling infrastructure, recycling projects, and composting. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 8; Title 11; Title 13; Title 20; Title 28; Title 39; Title 49; Title 54; Title 55; Title 59; Title 62; Title 64; Title 65; Title 66; Title 67; Title 68 and Title 69.

Campaigns and Campaign Finance - As enacted, makes various changes to campaign finance laws and related laws. - Amends TCA Title 2; Title 3 and Title 67.

State Government - As enacted, creates the conservatorship management task force. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 34 and Title 71, Chapter 2.

Highway Signs - As enacted, requires the department of transportation to install signs or markers displaying language or an appropriate symbol indicating to motorists that a rest area or welcome center has a family restroom; requires the department to post on its website rest areas and welcome centers that have family restrooms. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 3; Title 12 and Title 54.

Criminal Offenses - As enacted, creates new misdemeanor offenses, including intentionally giving a false or fictitious name to a law enforcement officer who has lawfully detained or arrested such person. - Amends TCA Title 39; Title 40; Title 54 and Title 55.

Sewage - As enacted, prohibits a municipal sewer system or utility district that has operated a sewerage system outside of the corporate boundaries of the city or town for 25 years or more from ceasing operation of the sewerage system outside the corporate boundaries so long as the sewerage system maintains sufficient capacity; requires a utility system that provides wastewater service to provide a connection to the owner of real property for wastewater service when the utility system meets certain requirements. - Amends TCA Title 7, Chapter 35; Title 7, Chapter 82 and Title 68, Chapter 221.

Water Pollution - As enacted, requires the division of water resources in the department of environment and conservation, in collaboration with U.S. army corps of engineers, as necessary, to annually report information concerning compensatory mitigation provisions in aquatic resource alteration permits issued during the prior fiscal year to the governor, the comptroller of the treasury, and the chairpersons of the commerce committees; and to establish four categories of isolated wetlands for regulatory purposes; makes related changes. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 11, Chapter 14, Part 4; Title 66; Title 67, Chapter 4, Part 4 and Title 69.

Firefighters - As enacted, adds prostate cancer, breast cancer, and pancreatic cancer to the list of cancers for which a presumption is created that certain conditions or impairments of full-time firefighters caused by prostate cancer, breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, or other listed cancers arose out of employment unless the contrary is shown by competent medical evidence. - Amends TCA Section 7-51-201.

Campaigns and Campaign Finance - As enacted, revises present law to designate as a political campaign committee for purposes of reporting expenditures pursuant to campaign finance laws a corporation that uses corporate funds, moneys, or credits for communications expressly supporting or opposing the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate or elected official, and such funds, moneys, or credits are not used with the cooperation or with the prior consent of, or in consultation with, or at the request of, or suggestion of, a candidate or elected official or any agent or authorized committee of the candidate or elected official. - Amends TCA Title 2, Chapter 10.

Education, Dept. of - As enacted, requires the department to convene a working group to study and develop best practices, strategies, and programming for English language learner (EL) educators in this state to utilize in educating EL students enrolled in a public school in this state in any of the grades K-12. - Amends TCA Title 49.

General Assembly, Directed Studies - As enacted, requires TACIR to study the availability of housing and other treatment facilities for juvenile offenders who have been adjudicated delinquent and committed to the department of children's services, and the availability of local juvenile detention centers and other facilities for the housing and treatment of juvenile offenders who have been detained by the juvenile court prior to an adjudicatory hearing; requires TACIR to report its findings and recommendations. - Amends TCA Title 37; Title 39 and Title 40.

Correction, Dept. of - As enacted, requires the department to pay from existing budgeted funds a monthly amount to a department employee for the medical care of a retired canine that served the department if the canine is given to the care and custody of the employee. - Amends TCA Title 4.

Children - As enacted, increases the age of an infant from 14 days or younger to 45 days or younger who can be received by a facility without the mother being subject to criminal liability. - Amends TCA Title 36, Chapter 1, Part 1 and Title 68, Chapter 11, Part 2.

Education, Curriculum - As enacted, requires the state textbook and instructional materials quality commission, in consultation with the department of education, to develop a plan for the commission to review and submit to the state board of education for approval of electronic textbooks and instructional materials for use by virtual schools established by LEAs. - Amends TCA Title 49.

Criminal Offenses - As enacted, expands the criminal offense of harassment to include harassment that occurs by communicating in the physical presence of the victim, in addition to in writing, by telephone, or electronically. - Amends TCA Title 39.

Juvenile Offenders - As enacted, permits a court to use juvenile court records, including the disposition and evidence, in pretrial reports used to set bond for certain criminal offenses; requires the magistrate to consider the defendant's prior juvenile record in determining the defendant's risk of danger to the community. - Amends TCA Title 37 and Title 40.

Criminal Offenses - As enacted, creates the offense of human smuggling; makes related changes. - Amends TCA Title 39.

Insurance Companies, Agents, Brokers, Policies - As enacted, requires TACIR to conduct a study on the feasibility of implementing and potential effects of enacting the insurance coverage requirements proposed in Senate Bill 231 of the 114th General Assembly, as originally filed; requires TACIR to publish a report of its findings and recommendations. - Amends TCA Title 8; Title 56; Title 63; Title 68 and Title 71.

Sunset Laws - As enacted, extends the Tennessee technology development corporation to June 30, 2027. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 14, Part 2 and Title 4, Chapter 29.

Game and Fish Laws - As enacted, increases the criminal classification for hunting on the land of another without permission from a Class C misdemeanor to a Class B misdemeanor, punishable by a fine only, not to exceed $500 per violation. - Amends TCA Title 70.

Naming and Designating - As enacted, designates the National Guard Armory in Cheatham County as the "First Sergeant Charles Anderson Douglas National Guard Armory." -

Criminal Offenses - As enacted, decreases from 0.20 to 0.15 percent the minimum weight of alcohol concentration in a defendant's blood or breath as an element of the offense of aggravated vehicular assault and in a defendant's blood as an element of the offense of aggravated vehicular homicide. - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 13.

Local Government, General - As enacted, authorizes a member of a local government's legislative body to participate in a scheduled meeting by electronic means if the member is dealing with a family or medical emergency, has been called into military service, or is unable to attend in person due to inclement weather. - Amends TCA Title 5; Title 6; Title 7 and Title 8, Chapter 44.