Tennessee Bills

Constitutional Amendments - Proposes an amendment to Article XI, Section 12 of the Constitution of Tennessee to establish that parents have the inherent right to direct the education of the parent's child; prohibits the state from interfering with such rights through the adoption or enforcement of any law or rule that abridges, infringes upon, or restricts a parent's right to provide home-based education. -

Immigration - As introduced, affords an individual detained pursuant to a federal detention agreement certain rights while detained. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 7; Title 10; Title 38; Title 39 and Title 40.

Election Laws - As introduced, enacts the "Election Integrity Act of 2026"; creates a process by which a candidate in a local election may challenge the results of the election prior to certification of the election if the candidate has reason to believe errors were made in the adminstration of the election. - Amends TCA Title 2 and Title 49.

Education - As introduced, prohibits local boards of education and public charter school governing bodies from allowing, through their policies, a material in a library collection to be removed while it is being evaluated by the local board, governing body, or the state textbook and instructional materials quality commission, if applicable, until a determination is made as to whether the material is appropriate for the age and maturity level of the students who may access it, and whether the material is suitable for, and consistent with, the educational mission of the school. - Amends TCA Title 49, Chapter 6.

Immigration - As introduced, prohibits the bureau of immigration and customs enforcement of the United States department of homeland security from entering into and conducting law enforcement activities in a healthcare facility, physician's office, or a shelter located in this state. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 33; Title 38; Title 52; Title 63; Title 68 and Title 71.

School Vouchers - As introduced, requires private schools that participate in the education savings account program or the individualized education account program, or that enroll recipients of an education freedom scholarship, to publish various items on the school's website; requires such private schools to ensure educators hold a valid license to teach and are evaluated in the same manner as public school teachers; requires students participating in any such program to be administered various assessments; requires the department of education to assign a school letter grade to such private schools. - Amends TCA Title 49.

State Government - As introduced, enacts the "Safe Access to Schools and Child Services Act," which prohibits the following entities from conditioning enrollment, attendance, or receipt of services for a child under 18 on the disclosure of the child's immigration status, except as explicitly required by federal or state law or court order: a county, municipality, or branch or agency thereof; public utility, utility district, entity created pursuant to any interlocal agreement, or any other political subdivision thereof; LEA, public school, or public charter school; and state board, commission, committee, department, office, or other unit of state government; clarifies that the prohibition does not limit compliance with federal immigration law or limit cooperation with federal authorities as required by law. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 33; Title 37; Title 49; Title 68 and Title 71.

Appropriations - As introduced, prohibits this state from obligating, appropriating, or otherwise expending state funds, personnel, or other state resources to support any United States immigration and customs enforcement activities in this state. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 3, Part 10; Title 4, Chapter 4; Title 8; Title 9; Title 38 and Title 39.

Prisons and Reformatory Institutions - As introduced, prohibits this state or a local government from entering into a new contract or renewing an existing contract for the provision of correctional services for an inmate under the custody and care of the department of correction or the local government. - Amends TCA Title 41, Chapter 24.

Immigration - As introduced, enacts the “Tennessee Freedom from Unlawful Immigration Detention Act.” - Amends TCA Title 7; Title 8; Title 38; Title 40 and Title 41.

Schools, Private - As introduced, prohibits the state board of education from requiring a private school that provides a fully online, self-paced educational program to annually administer a nationally standardized achievement test in English language arts and mathematics to each student each year; directs the state board to require such private schools that provide a high school program to administer a nationally standardized achievement test in English language arts and mathematics to certain students based on the percentage of their high school program that the student has completed. - Amends TCA Title 49, Chapter 1 and Title 49, Chapter 50.

School Vouchers - As introduced, establishes various audit and reporting requirements for the department of education and private schools that enroll recipients of an education freedom scholarship; limits eligibility for the scholarship program to students who are members of a family with an annual household income that does not exceed 300 percent of the amount required for a student to qualify for free or reduced lunch; requires scholarship recipients to be administered the same TCAP tests administered to public school students enrolled in the same grade level or course subject. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 29; Title 8, Chapter 44; Title 10, Chapter 7 and Title 49, Chapter 6.

Traffic Safety - As introduced, enacts the "Super Speeder Accountability Act," which requires intelligent speed assistance devices to be installed on motor vehicles operated by persons convicted of certain driving offenses where speed was a factor; creates a licensing system for device providers; requires compliance-based device removal; authorizes indigent users to apply for assistance from the electronic monitoring indigency fund; makes other revisions. - Amends TCA Title 55.

School Vouchers - As introduced, requires the department of education to submit an annual report to the general assembly on information about the education freedom scholarship program. - Amends TCA Title 49.

Immigration - As introduced, prohibits the use of certain public properties, schools, and religious institutions for certain civil immigration enforcement activities; requires state departments and agencies to make available to the public certain information concerning person's rights with regard to federal agents. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 7, Chapter 68; Title 12; Title 38; Title 49 and Title 50, Chapter 1.

Election Laws - As introduced, requires a municipality that adopts an ordinance requiring nonresident property owners to vote by absentee ballot to file such ordinance with the county election commission no later than 75 days, rather than 60 days, before the election. - Amends TCA Title 2 and Title 41.

Flags - As introduced, requires the governor to proclaim a statewide day of mourning and order the state flag to be flown at half staff over the state capitol during such period of mourning if a current or former member of the general assembly dies, unless the member had been convicted of a felony. - Amends TCA Title 4.

Motor Vehicles - As introduced, increases from 10 to 15 the number of days from the date of an order suspending or revoking a commercial driver license that a petition may be filed to appeal the decision. - Amends TCA Title 55.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Food and Food Products - As introduced, requires retail food stores and food service establishments to provide notice to consumers of whether fish is imported and whether it is farm-raised or wild fish. - Amends TCA Title 47, Chapter 18; Title 53 and Title 68.

Expunction - As introduced, lowers the period of time that must elapse after completion of the sentence imposed before a petitioner may have an eligible criminal offense expunged, for misdemeanors or Class E felonies, from five years to three years, and for Class D felonies, from 10 years to six years. - Amends TCA Title 39 and Title 40.

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.

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.

Employees, Employers - As introduced, enacts the "Workers' Right to Live Act," which places mandatory reporting requirements on employers concerning workplace fatalities and imposes penalties on employers for workplace fatalities that were a result of employer negligence; makes changes related to workers' compensation benefits. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 8; Title 29 and Title 50.

Contractors - As introduced, requires the state board for licensing contractors to notify the department of commerce and insurance of a disciplinary action against a contractor upon posting the notice of disciplinary action on its website. - Amends TCA Title 13; Title 62, Chapter 6 and Title 66.

Human Rights - As introduced, enacts the "Tennessee Fair Chance Housing Act." - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 21 and Title 66.

Professions and Occupations - As introduced, enacts the "Tennessee Professionals' Freedom of Religion Act." - Amends TCA Title 4.

Election Laws - As introduced, requires all ballots cast in an election to have a secure watermark; requires the official tabulation count of a ballot scanner to be based on the text or machine mark portion of a ballot; makes certain other changes related to ballots and elections; creates programs for the scanning and auditing of ballots. - Amends TCA Title 2.

State Government - As introduced, directs the state capitol commission to be responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the monument to unborn children through funds appropriated to the commission. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 8; Title 20; Title 29; Title 36; Title 39; Title 40; Title 41; Title 49; Title 56; Title 63; Title 68 and Title 71.

Election Laws - As introduced, repeals convenience voting; provides requirements for satellite voting locations during early voting. - Amends TCA Title 2.

Children's Services, Dept. of - As introduced, requires the department to release certain information regarding providers that department contracts with to the public by January 1, 2027, and to publish monthly reports on its website on short-term or interim placements. - Amends TCA Title 37.

Election Laws - As introduced, requires each county election commission to check each applicant with the systematic alien verification for entitlements (SAVE) program database prior to placing a registrant on the voter rolls in order to ensure non-United States citizens are not registered to vote in the county; requires, at least once each quarter, the county election commission to check the county's entire voter registration list through the SAVE program database to ensure that non-United States citizens are not on the voter rolls in the county. - Amends TCA Title 2.

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.

General Assembly, Statement of Intent or Position - Expresses opposition to The Boring Company's " Music City Loop" tunnel project in Davidson County. -

Education - As introduced, enacts the "Universal Pre-K Funding Act." - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 51; Title 49 and Title 67.

Highways, Roads and Bridges - As introduced, expands the authority for the department to set tolls to existing transportation facilities that are part of the state highway system or interstate and national defense highway system, located at the border of this state with another state, and where, on or after July 1, 2026, one or more new vehicle travel lanes are added to the facility or an HOV lane on the facility is converted to a high occupancy user fee lane. - Amends TCA Title 12; Title 54 and Title 55.

Consumer Protection - As introduced, prohibits electric utilities and high performance computing centers in this state from using transformers, parts, or equipment manufactured or sold by entities owned or controlled by foreign adversaries to support any part of their operations; requires such utilities and centers to report to the comptroller of the treasury; makes related changes. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 7; Title 8; Title 47, Chapter 18; Title 65 and Title 68.

Health Care - As introduced, exempts a nurse who provides home health services to four or less patients from hiring staff or maintaining an office in order to qualify for licensure as a home care organization by the health facilities commission; requires a nurse who does not hire staff or maintain an office to submit a request to the department of health for space at a location deemed appropriate by the department to securely store patient records. - Amends TCA Title 63 and Title 68.

Eminent Domain - As introduced, enacts the "Tennessee Just Compensation for Property Owners Act," which requires an airport authority that exercises eminent domain to acquire private property to pay enhanced damages and costs to the owner of the subject real property. - Amends TCA Title 29 and Title 42.

State Employees - As introduced, enacts the "Parental Right to Participate in Schools Act," which entitles a state employee to up to 48 hours of annual paid or unpaid leave to attend school-related activities of a dependent child. - Amends TCA Title 8, Chapter 50.

Taxes, Real Property - As introduced, sets the value of residential property for tax purposes at the higher of the most recent price paid for the property or the value attributed to the property by a financial institution when the owner refinances the mortgage on the property or otherwise uses the property as collateral for a loan; prohibits the sale of real property used by the owner as a principal place of residence for 10 years or more to satisfy a tax debt. - Amends TCA Title 26 and Title 67.

Computers and Electronic Processing - As introduced, requires high performance computing (HPC) facility operators to devote 50 percent of the computing and data processing output of the facility for a public benefit; requires HPC facility operators to produce an annual report of the facility's energy consumption and carbon footprint; requires such operators to conduct an annual internal compliance audit and submit to an audit upon request by certain governmental entities. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 8 and Title 68.

Corporations, Not for Profit - As introduced, requires a nonprofit organization that receives state or federal grants to compile, maintain, and publish in a publicly available location the salaries of the nonprofit organization's employees. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 10, Chapter 7; Title 35; Title 48 and Title 50.

Trade Regulation - As introduced, enacts the "Stop Rent Rigging Act." - Amends TCA Title 47 and Title 66.

Criminal Procedure - As introduced, removes the requirement for a petitioner for restoration of citizenship or an applicant for a certificate of employability to pay the costs of the proceedings; makes other changes to the process for restoration of citizenship. - Amends TCA Title 40, Chapter 29.

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, enacts the "Freedom from Medical Debt Act," which requires the state treasurer to contract with a nonprofit entity to acquire and repay certain medical debts for Tennessee residents with incomes at or below 400 percent of the federal poverty level or who owe medical debt equal to 5 percent or more of their household income, and prohibits healthcare providers from reporting a patient's medical debt to a consumer reporting agency. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 8; Title 9; Title 47, Chapter 18; Title 63; Title 68 and Title 71.

Abortion - As introduced, specifies that the offense of criminal abortion does not include an abortion that was necessary due to a medical emergency affecting the physical or mental health of the pregnant person or performed on a patient whose pregnancy was the result of rape or incest. - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 15; Title 63 and Title 68.

Gaming - As introduced, requires a licensee offering interactive sports wagering in this state to restrict access to such wagering on certain campuses of public institutions of higher education; requires certain public institutions of higher education to restrict internet access to interactive sports wagering on campus. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 49, Part 1 and Title 49.

Alcoholic Beverages - As introduced, requires each officer who takes possession of intoxicating liquor to file within 10 days, rather than five days, a written statement with the circuit or criminal court clerk identifying the kind and quantity of the liquor taken, and from whom the liquor was taken, if known. - Amends TCA Title 57 and Title 67.

Domestic Violence - As introduced, requires a person who is convicted of domestic assault or subject to an order of protection to dispossess any firearm in the person's possession by transferring the firearm to a law enforcement agency and to provide the court with an affidavit of dispossession of firearms and a receipt from the law enforcement agency. - Amends TCA Title 36; Title 39 and Title 40.

Election Laws - As introduced, restores a person's right of suffrage automatically upon the person's discharge from custody by reason of service or expiration of the maximum sentence imposed by the court for the infamous crime. - Amends TCA Title 2 and Title 40.

Consumer Protection - As introduced, enacts the "Junk Fee Prevention Act." - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 3, Part 19 and Title 47, Chapter 18.