Tennessee Senate Bills

Game and Fish Laws - As enacted, increases the fee that county clerks and other agents are authorized to collect from purchases of hunting and fishing licenses from $1.00 to $3.00 for annual licenses and $.50 to $3.00 for temporary licenses. - Amends TCA Section 70-2-106.

Consumer Protection - As enacted, prohibits a provider of certain services from billing a consumer for an extra billing cycle if the consumer terminates the contract or agreement for services within the first half of a billing cycle; designates a violation as an unfair or deceptive act or practice affecting trade or commerce in violation of the Consumer Protection Act of 1977. - Amends TCA Title 7; Title 47 and Title 65.

Local Education Agencies - As enacted, requires at least one full-time employee at each school under the jurisdiction of an LEA or public charter school to annually receive training in seizure safety and first aid. - Amends TCA Title 49; Title 50 and Title 71.

Education, Curriculum - As enacted, adds instruction for public high school students on this state's safe haven law to the required components of a family life curriculum. - Amends TCA Title 49.

Public Employees - As enacted, authorizes an eligible education employee to qualify for paid leave during the legal process for adopting a newly placed minor child, specifically during that period of time beginning with the filing of a petition for adoption when a minor child is initially placed within the residence of a prospective adoptive parent pursuant to a court-ordered parental power of attorney or guardianship or custodial order until the issuance of a final order of adoption by the court. - Amends TCA Title 8, Chapter 50; Title 36 and Title 37, Chapter 1.

Evidence - As enacted, permits the introduction into evidence of a video recording of a child victim being interviewed by a forensic interviewer regarding sexual or physically violent contact with the child if the forensic interviewer confirms the accuracy of the recording and the child is available for cross examination; makes other changes relative to forensic interviews. - Amends TCA Title 24, Chapter 7.

Insurance Companies, Agents, Brokers, Policies - As enacted, authorizes categorizing certain foreign multiple employer welfare arrangements as domestic multiple employer welfare arrangements if specific conditions are met. - Amends TCA Title 56, Chapter 26.

Tort Liability and Reform - As enacted, specifies that a law enforcement officer who causes property damage to or inflicts personal injury upon a person during the course of the law enforcement officer's official duties is immune from civil liability if at the time the damage or injury occurred, the person suffering the injury or damage was engaged in conduct that resulted in the person being convicted of the offense of resisting a stop, frisk, halt, arrest, or search of the person. - Amends TCA Title 29 and Title 39.

Public Employees - As enacted, establishes that a retiree who is a member of the Tennessee consolidated retirement system must have had a bona fide separation of service before the retiree is allowed to accept temporary reemployment without a loss or suspension of benefits in the retirement system; makes other changes to the present law relative to reemployment after retirement from public employment. - Amends TCA Section 8-25-213 and Title 8, Chapter 36, Part 8.

Traffic Safety - As enacted, creates the offense of an occupant of a vehicle parking, leaving standing, or stopping the vehicle on a street or highway and blocking or impeding the normal movement of traffic for the purpose of soliciting, negotiating, or consummating an employment transaction with a person standing on or in proximity to the street or highway. - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 17; Title 54 and Title 55.

Motor Vehicles, Titling and Registration - As enacted, enacts the "Law Enforcement’s Safer Tennessee Electronic Registration (LESTER) Act," which clarifies that law enforcement is required to accept a digital copy of vehicle registration as proof of registration. - Amends TCA Title 38 and Title 55.

Insurance Companies, Agents, Brokers, Policies - As enacted, requires a health benefit plan issuer to provide no later than 30 days after a health benefit plan issuer receives a written request for a claims experience report from a plan, plan sponsor, or plan administrator, the report to the requesting party; prohibits coverage by a commercial risk insurance policy of farm risks or real or personal property used in farming from being considered in determining whether property is classified as farm or agricultural property under another law or rule in this state; revises provisions relating to reinsurance and risk insurance; revises provisions relating to the readability, content, and style of life and health insurance policies. - Amends TCA Title 56 and Section 68-1-115.

Students - As enacted, requires local education agencies to transfer a student's record, including the student's disciplinary record, to the school to which the student is transferring within five business days of the date on which the student's records request was received by the LEA. - Amends TCA Title 49.

Auditing - As enacted, removes a requirement that audits and working papers prepared by independent public accountants for annual reports by a governing board operating under the Human Resource Agency Act of 1973 be reviewed by the comptroller of the treasury prior to payment by the human resource agency. - Amends TCA Title 13.

Courts, Juvenile - As enacted, requires the administrative office of the courts to maintain a criminal justice information services compliant centralized statewide juvenile case management system; requires all juvenile court clerks to adopt and convert to the new juvenile case management system on a schedule to be determined in consultation with the administrative office of the courts; makes related changes. - Amends TCA Title 8; Title 16; Title 18 and Title 37.

Surveyors - As enacted, requires a description of real property contained within a deed of conveyance of a property not previously described in a recorded instrument to be prepared by a registered land surveyor; specifies that this requirement will not apply to any deed of conveyance prepared for or by a governmental department or agency. - Amends TCA Title 62 and Title 66, Chapter 5, Part 1.

Consumer Protection - As enacted, adds as unlawful under the Consumer Protection Act of 1977 the making of false statements or misrepresentations of fact to a consumer to indicate or imply that the consumer is a party to a civil lawsuit or a defendant in a criminal prosecution in order to induce the consumer to pay for services related to the purported lawsuit or prosecution or to pay costs, fines, penalties, or other assessments related to the purported lawsuit or prosecution. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 39; Title 47 and Title 65.

State Symbols - As enacted, designates the Southern Stars Symphonic Brass as the official brass band of the state of Tennessee. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 1, Part 3.

Contractors - As enacted, encourages licensed contractors and subcontractors who enter into state construction contracts to employ apprentices from certified and registered apprenticeship programs. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 3; Title 12, Chapter 4; Title 50, Chapter 11; Title 62, Chapter 6 and Title 66, Chapter 34.

Banks and Financial Institutions - As enacted, extends, from one to two business days following receipt of a garnishment, the period of time within which a garnishee must determine whether the garnishee possesses or controls money or property of the judgment debtor, place a hold on any available funds, and furnish to the judgment debtor a copy of the garnishment summons and the notice to judgment debtor; makes other changes related to banking. - Amends TCA Title 26; Title 45 and Title 47.

Local Education Agencies - As enacted, requires a public school under the jurisdiction of an LEA that offers students the opportunity to participate in interscholastic athletic competitions to allow the LEA's virtual school students to participate in interscholastic athletics at the public school in the LEA for which they are zoned and that they are otherwise eligible to attend. - Amends TCA Title 49.

Local Education Agencies - As enacted, requires an LEA and public charter school that provides parents or guardians of K-12 students with information on immunizations, infectious diseases, medications, or other school health issues to include information about Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes published by the department of education; directs the department, in cooperation with the department of health, to publish and make available to LEAs and public charter schools for free on its website certain information about Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. - Amends TCA Title 49 and Title 68.

Uniform Commercial Code - As enacted, specifies that a filing office in receipt of a petition for review filed by a secured party contesting a public official's affidavit that a financing statement was filed without legal cause submit the UCC financing statement that is the subject of the petition and the notarized affidavit of the public official to the administrative procedures division of the office of the secretary of state, in addition to the existing requirement that the petition itself be submitted; requires the prevailing party in the contested case hearing to provide the filing office with a copy of the administrative law judge's determination. - Amends TCA Title 47.

Utilities, Utility Districts - As enacted, authorizes certain utility systems to borrow money in anticipation of revenue collections and to issue negotiable notes to evidence such borrowing to provide emergency cash flow for such systems, with oversight of such actions by the comptroller of the treasury; establishes deadline for the payment of such notes. - Amends TCA Section 7-34-111; Section 7-36-113; Section 7-82-501; Section 7-82-702; Section 68-221-1311 and Section 68-221-611.

Charitable Solicitations - As enacted, clarifies, by removing certain language, that a professional solicitor includes servants or employees specially employed by or for a charitable organization who are engaged in the solicitation of contributions. - Amends TCA Title 48, Chapter 101.

Insurance, Health, Accident - As enacted, revises certain protocols for mental health and substance abuse services. - Amends TCA Title 56 and Title 71.

Witnesses - As enacted, establishes procedures for the use of certified facility dogs during witness testimony and other court proceedings; establishes standards for certified facility dogs. - Amends TCA Title 24; Title 36; Title 37 and Title 40.

Utilities, Utility Districts - As enacted, creates a process by which a utility district commissioner who becomes ineligible to serve for failing to meet training and continuing education requirements may be reinstated; reduces the number of hours of training and continuing education for utility district commissioners from 12 hours to six hours in each continuing education period following the initial 12 hours of initial training and continuing education. - Amends TCA Title 7, Chapter 34 and Title 7, Chapter 82.

Tennessee Higher Education Commission - As enacted, adds the executive director of the commission to the statutorily prescribed selection process for chief executive officers of public institutions of higher education and removes the repeal date for that process; revises various reporting and other duties of the commission; allows the commission to delegate its approval authority to its executive director in certain areas; expands the quality non-degree credentials for which a student may receive the Wilder-Naifeh technical skills grant. - Amends TCA Title 49.

Insurance, Health, Accident - As enacted, extends the Access Tennessee health insurance program from June 30, 2025, to June 30, 2030. - Amends TCA Section 56-7-2916.

DUI Offenses - As enacted, requires an ignition interlock provider to permit a person to appear for calibration, monitoring, or inspection of the device at any time within a two-week period; authorizes a court to order reinstatement of a person’s driver license if the person has no other revocations or suspensions on the person’s driving record and the person’s only noncompliance with ignition interlock requirements has been with regard to the required calibration, monitoring, or inspection of the ignition interlock device; makes various other changes in regard to ignition interlock devices and the ignition interlock usage period. - Amends TCA Section 55-10-417 and Section 55-10-425.

Disability and Aging, Dept. Of - As enacted, directs the commissioner and the director of TennCare to develop guidelines for service providers for hiring qualified family members as a family caregiver; specifies that the department and the bureau of TennCare shall not prohibit qualified individuals from employment as a family caregiver at a service provider agency based on certain listed criteria. - Amends TCA Title 52 and Title 71.

Alcoholic Beverages - As enacted, authorizes Johnson City to set the hours that licensees within a downtown district designated by the municipality are authorized to sell or give away alcoholic beverages. - Amends TCA Title 57.

Real Property - As enacted, adds requirements for declarant access to and use of deposits made in connection with the purchase or reservation of a condominium unit; makes other similar changes. - Amends TCA Title 66.

Health Care - As enacted, enacts the "Medical Ethics Defense Act." - Amends TCA Title 63.

Local Education Agencies - As enacted, requires an LEA that receives credible information regarding a threat of violence or significantly disruptive behavior directed toward, or occurring on the grounds of, a public school in the LEA, and that reports the threat or disruptive behavior to a state or local law enforcement agency, to notify the parents and guardians of students enrolled in the public school of the same threat or disruptive behavior within 48 hours of the LEA making its report to law enforcement. - Amends TCA Title 49.

Civil Procedure - As enacted, requires, in a child custody order, the court to include written findings of fact as to whether the limitations in present law relative to restrictions in temporary or permanent parenting plans apply; makes other changes relative to child court proceedings; clarifies, for purposes of domestic abuse law, that "abuse" includes acts inflicted directly by the offending party or indirectly through a third party, including, but not limited to, a family member, friend, significant other, or coworker, on behalf of the offending party. - Amends TCA Title 36 and Title 37.

Alcoholic Beverages - As enacted, expands the immunity from prosecution when seeking medical assistance for a person experiencing, or believed to be experiencing, an overdose to include alcohol-related offenses; clarifies that overdose includes both drugs and alcohol. - Amends TCA Title 63.

Sunset Laws - As enacted, extends the Tennessee emergency management agency to June 30, 2029. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 29 and Title 58, Chapter 2.

Criminal Offenses - As enacted, expands the definition of "racketeering activity" to include committing, conspiring to commit, aiding, attempting to aid, soliciting, coercing, facilitating, or intimidating another person to commit the criminal offense of animal fighting. - Amends TCA Title 39.

Highways, Roads and Bridges - As enacted, lifts certain restrictions on temporary borrow pits used to source material for a road work construction project performed in a FEMA-certified county under a contract for construction work entered into with the state that is part of a state or local Hurricane Helene recovery effort. - Amends TCA Title 54, Chapter 1.

Sewage - As enacted, establishes a deadline for consideration of certain subsurface sewage disposal system applications submitted by soil scientists. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 68, Chapter 221 and Title 69, Chapter 3.

Health Care - As enacted, adds that the governor's appointee for the health facilities commission who is a representative of the assisted-care living facility industry may be appointed from lists of qualified persons submitted by interested groups, including the Tennessee Center for Assisted Living; requires the commission to submit certain reports to the general assembly. - Amends TCA Title 68.

Administrative Procedure (UAPA) - As enacted, generally prohibits a governmental agency from adopting a rule or establishing numeric criteria or numeric limitations applicable to a contaminant, pollutant, hazardous substance, solid waste, or hazardous waste that relates to drinking water, water pollution control, hazardous substances, contaminated site remediation, air quality, or solid or hazardous waste handling unless certain conditions are met. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 5.

Sunset Laws - As enacted, extends the Tennessee bureau of investigation to June 30, 2029. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 29 and Title 38, Chapter 6.

Bail, Bail Bonds - As enacted, allows a magistrate to consider hearsay evidence when determining whether a defendant should be released on bail pending trial and the amount of bail necessary to reasonably assure the appearance of the defendant while at the same time protecting the safety of the public. - Amends TCA Title 24; Title 39 and Title 40.

Health, Dept. of - As enacted, requires the department to collaborate with an organization in this state to create or identify a continuing education program to provide healthcare professionals with information or training relative to maternal mental health disorders. - Amends TCA Title 63.

Tort Liability and Reform - As enacted, clarifies that any governmental entity may purchase any of the insurance authorized under state law, without the necessity of public bidding, as required by any public or private act or charter restriction, if such insurance is purchased through a plan authorized and approved by any organization of cities, counties, or other governmental entities as contemplated by state law. - Amends TCA Title 12; Title 12, Chapter 3 and Title 29.

Alcoholic Beverage Commission - As enacted, allows a judge, hearing officer, or administrative judge to award a person or entity that prevails in an administrative or civil action brought against the person or entity attorneys' fees and costs incurred as a result of the administrative or civil action. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 5; Title 27, Chapter 1 and Title 57, Chapter 1.

Election Laws - As enacted, generally requires statewide political parties to nominate their candidates in primary elections for all offices for which partisan elections are held at the regular August or regular November election; authorizes, in a county in which a statewide political party nominated a candidate by a method other than a primary election in 2022 or 2024, the statewide political party in such county to continue to use such method with certain exceptions. - Amends TCA Title 2.

Banks and Financial Institutions - As enacted, authorizes a premium finance company to impose and collect a convenience fee from an insured for use of certain payment methods; authorizes a premium finance company to charge and collect a handling charge for certain payment instruments when the payment instrument is not paid by the financial institution from which the instrument is drawn. - Amends TCA Title 56, Chapter 37.

Sunset Laws - As enacted, extends the local government planning advisory committee to June 30, 2026. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 29 and Title 4, Chapter 3, Part 7.

Agriculture, Dept. of - As enacted, creates the Tennessee agriculture and forestry hall of fame as the successor to, and a continuation of, the Tennessee agricultural hall of fame; makes related changes. - Amends TCA Title 43, Chapter 1, Part 6.

Local Education Agencies - As enacted, authorizes LEAs to enroll LEAs' employees' children into the voluntary pre-kindergarten program if space is available after enrollment of at-risk children; authorizes LEAs to charge the employee tuition and fees for such enrollment. - Amends TCA Title 49, Chapter 6.

Criminal Offenses - As enacted, creates a criminal offense of possessing, distributing, or producing technology, software, or digital tools designed for the purpose of creating material that includes a minor engaged in sexual activity or simulated sexual activity that is patently offensive; establishes relevant factors to be considered in determining whether artificial technology, software, or digital tools are used or possessed with intent to create material that includes a minor engaged in sexual activity or simulated sexual activity that is patently offensive. - Amends TCA Title 39.

Local Education Agencies - As enacted, authorizes an LEA to adopt and implement a merit-based pay structure for educators to award additional compensation to high-performing educators and to incentivize educators to meet and exceed expectations. - Amends TCA Title 49.

Motor Vehicles - As enacted, authorizes utility terrain vehicles to operate on county roads and state highways throughout the state, subject to certain restrictions. - Amends TCA Title 55.

Courts, Juvenile - As enacted, requires a juvenile court conducting a child custody, detention, or adjudicatory proceeding to conduct the proceeding in a dedicated courtroom provided by the county that is closest in proximity to an approved detention center. - Amends TCA Title 37.

Education - As enacted, requires the Tennessee higher education commission (THEC), to serve as the governing board of directors for the Tennessee student assistance corporation; requires THEC's review committee to aid in the development or revision of state financial aid; terminates the Tennessee teaching scholars program; terminates the minority teaching fellows program. - Amends TCA Title 4 and Title 49.

Sunset Laws - As enacted, extends the department of mental health and substance abuse services to June 30, 2029. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 29 and Title 4, Chapter 3.