Tennessee Senate Bills

Utilities, Utility Districts - As enacted, establishes a process for a municipality that operates a sewerage system outside of its corporate boundaries and has imposed a moratorium on new sewer connections outside of its corporate boundaries for a period of five or more consecutive years to extend sanitary sewer service or allow sewer connection only to property located within an adjacency area if the property owner or developer agrees to pay, or the municipality assesses, a housing surcharge. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 8; Title 12; Title 13; Title 29; Title 54; Title 64; Title 65; Title 68 and Title 69.

Local Government, General - As enacted, authorizes Putnam County and incorporated cities within the county to regulate sober living homes for recovery from alcohol, drug, and substance abuse to the extent such regulation complies with the "Fair Housing Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act." - Amends TCA Title 7, Chapter 51, Part 26.

Human Services, Dept. of - As enacted, requires the commissioner of human services to provide the commissioner of correction with a form application for food assistance for use by inmates who are preparing for release. - Amends TCA Title 71, Chapter 5, Part 3.

Safety - As enacted, enacts the "Riley Gaines Women's Safety and Protection Act." - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 37; Title 41; Title 49 and Title 68.

Benton County - Subject to local approval, updates the system for the management of county finances, including, but not limited to, budgeting, investment oversight, debt management, and cash management oversight. - Amends Chapter 541 of the Private Acts of 1939; as amended and rewritten.

Sentencing - As enacted, enacts the "James Bardsley, Jr. Life Protection Act." - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 13 and Title 55, Chapter 10.

Grundy County - Subject to local approval, creates the Southern Cumberland Plateau Regional Water and Wastewater Authority. -

Natural Disasters - As enacted, enacts the "Local Disaster Displacement Tax Relief Act." - Amends TCA Title 7, Chapter 4; Title 58 and Title 67, Chapter 4.

Salaries and Benefits - As enacted, expresses the public policy that the prevailing wage rate be paid to workers on non-state contracts for construction projects on public highways; makes other revisions to the Prevailing Wage Act for State Highway Construction Projects. - Amends TCA Title 12, Chapter 4, Part 4.

Campaigns and Campaign Finance - As introduced, authorizes a candidate or officeholder to expend campaign funds of not more than $12,000 per year for residential security. - Amends TCA Title 2, Chapter 10.

Bristol - Subject to local approval, revises election provisions for city council and the board of education to comply with changes to general election law; reduces the time after final passage for an ordinance to take effect from 17 days to seven days; changes the due dates for property taxes; creates a department of education. - Amends Chapter 84 of the Private Acts of 1991; as amended.

Sardis - Subject to local approval, removes archaic references to debtor's prisons, city marshal, the original members of the board of mayor and aldermen, and city recorder authority; sets salaries of board members by ordinance rather than by charter; authorizes the board to set meeting dates by ordinance rather than by charter, increases terms of the mayor and aldermen from two to four years; and removes certain residency requirements for legal qualified voters who live within the municipality. - Amends Chapter 833 of the Private Acts of 1949; as amended.

Public Utility Commission - As introduced, authorizes the commission to electronically submit to the general assembly its annual report comparing telecommunications, electricity, natural gas, water, and wastewater utility rates between this state and the southeastern states. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 8; Title 12; Title 13; Title 54; Title 64; Title 65; Title 68 and Title 69.

Civil Emergencies - As enacted, creates the department of Tennessee emergency management assistance ("TEMA") to authorize the creation of local organizations for emergency management in the political subdivisions of the state, and to authorize cooperation with the federal government and the governments of other states. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 9; Title 13; Title 16; Title 39; Title 55; Title 58; Title 62; Title 65; Title 68 and Title 71.

DUI Offenses - As enacted, clarifies present law regarding the revocation of a person's driver license for an implied consent violation. - Amends TCA Section 55-10-407.

Local Government, General - As introduced, authorizes a local government to publish certain notices electronically online for the purposes of satisfying public notice requirements. - Amends TCA Title 1, Chapter 3 and Title 8, Chapter 44.

Unemployment Compensation - As enacted, removes a requirement that work be deemed suitable for a claimant if certain criteria are met and a claimant's gross weekly wages equal or exceed certain threshold percentages of the claimant's weekly wage for insured work for the quarter of the base period when the claimant's wages were greatest. - Amends TCA Section 50-7-303.

Jonesborough - Subject to local approval, authorizes the board of mayor and alderman for the Town of Jonesborough to elect a mayor from among the aldermen to fill a vacancy; authorizes the Town recorder to carry liability insurance rather than be bonded in an amount prescribed by Town ordinance; updates the election dates for the mayor and board of aldermen. - Amends Chapter 135 of the Acts of 1903; as amended.

Criminal Offenses - As introduced, creates a registry within the Tennessee bureau of investigation of persons convicted of certain crimes related to organized retail theft; makes various other changes relative to the offense of organized retail crime. - Amends TCA Title 18; Title 38, Chapter 6, Part 1 and Title 39.

Immigration - As introduced, creates a Class A misdemeanor for a person who is unlawfully present in the United States to operate a commercial motor vehicle in this state; requires the law enforcement agency of an officer who arrests a person who is unlawfully present in the United States to operate a commercial motor vehicle in this state to ensure that federal immigration authorities are notified; creates related civil actions that may be pursued by the attorney general and reporter or by a qui tam plaintiff. - Amends TCA Title 55, Chapter 50.

Students - As introduced, creates a criminal offense for a school employee who intentionally engages in bullying or cyberbullying of a student; clarifies that a teacher or school employee of a local education agency who is found to have committed an act of harassment, intimidation, bullying, or cyberbullying is subject to dismissal or suspension. - Amends TCA Title 37; Title 39, Chapter 17, Part 3; Title 40; Title 49 and Title 55, Chapter 10, Part 7.

Lexington - Subject to local approval, clarifies the duties of the mayor as the chief executive officer of the city; authorizes the mayor to suspend an employee; clarifies that office of mayor is a full-time position. - Amends Chapter 402 of the Acts of 1901; as amended and rewritten.

Children - As introduced, urges the department of finance and administration, in consultation with the attorney general and reporter or other departments or agencies of state or local government, to study and submit a report to the general assembly on state funding sources derived from litigation or investigations in this state that are used to support the protection of children's mental health and safety online, including, but not limited to, any civil penalties recovered by the state in any actions brought pursuant to the Protecting Children from Social Media Act. - Amends TCA Title 9, Chapter 4, Part 2.

Open Meetings - As introduced, authorizes emergency communications district boards of directors to participate in board meetings electronically under the open meetings law. - Amends TCA Title 7, Chapter 86, Part 3 and Title 8, Chapter 44, Part 1.

Alcoholic Beverage Commission - As introduced, requires the commission to submit to the members of the general assembly, by February 1 rather than February 15, of each odd-numbered year, a biennial report on the prevention of underage drinking, drunk driving, and other harmful uses of alcohol. - Amends TCA Title 57 and Title 67.

Taxes, Real Property - As enacted, provides that a collecting official or the division of property assessments is not required to request documentation verifying the income of an elderly person seeking tax relief if the applicant is at least 80 years old and meets certain other requirements. - Amends TCA Title 67, Chapter 5, Part 7.

Children - As introduced, defines a child in need of heightened supervision; makes various other changes regarding the commitment, detention, and shelter care of children. - Amends TCA Title 37, Chapter 1, Part 1.

Military - As enacted, designates the national guard armory in McNairy County as the "Brigadier General Donald F. Hawkins Army National Guard Armory." - Amends TCA Title 58, Chapter 1.

Fireworks - As introduced, expands the length of the existing Independence Day and New Year sales periods and adds new Memorial Day and Labor Day sales periods for seasonal retailers of fireworks for the 2026 retail period; increases the seasonal retailer permit fee from $100 to $150 for calendar year 2026; and authorizes the state fire marshal to promulgate rules to effectuate the act. - Amends TCA Title 68, Chapter 104.

Public Utilities - As introduced, requires that a public utility's request to the public utility commission for a cost recovery mechanism regarding innovative natural gas resource infrastructure be submitted in writing. - Amends TCA Title 7; Title 13, Chapter 7; Title 65 and Title 68.