Tennessee Senate Bills

TennCare - As introduced, directs the bureau to establish a temporary TennCare benefits program to provide medical assistance on a temporary basis to certain individuals who do not qualify for enrollment in TennCare, CoverKids, or a successor program; requires the bureau to submit a waiver to the federal centers for medicare and medicaid services by December 31, 2025. - Amends TCA Title 71, Chapter 5.

Taxes, Hotel Motel - As introduced, extends by 12 years the period in which Davidson County may charge an additional $0.50 privilege tax on the occupancy of a hotel room and in which such county may allocate the tax revenue for the purposes of direct promotion of tourism; extends by 12 years the terms of the committee members that oversee the fund in which the additional tax is deposited. - Amends TCA Section 7-4-202.

Election Laws - As introduced, provides a method for a nonrecognized minor party seeking recognition as a recognized minor party that notified the coordinator of elections that it seeks to nominate by primary election to rescind that notification; corrects a statutory reference. - Amends TCA Title 2.

Local Education Agencies - As introduced, requires each local board of education and governing body of a public charter school to display the Ten Commandments, the first sentence of the second paragraph of the preamble to the Declaration of Independence, and the preamble to the United States Constitution in a prominent location in each school building. - Amends TCA Title 49.

Safety - As introduced, decreases from 10 business days to 10 calendar days the amount of time the state fire marshal or another state agency, department, or entity must conduct a requested inspection for new construction or the renovation of an existing building. - Amends TCA Title 5; Title 7; Title 13; Title 68 and Title 69.

Food and Food Products - As introduced, excludes a cell-cultured food product from the definitions of meat and poultry for purposes of the Tennessee Meat and Poultry Inspection Act; prohibits local education agencies (LEAs), public charter schools, and public institutions of higher education from offering or distributing a cell-cultured food product through its school nutrition program, food service center, or another source through which the LEA, public charter school, or public institution of higher education provides food to students. - Amends TCA Title 40; Title 44; Title 47; Title 49 and Title 53.

Health Care - As introduced, requires the department of health to provide free diapers for new mothers and working parents of children less than two years old; requires LEAs and public charter schools to provide free feminine hygiene products in all women's and girl's bathrooms and locker rooms used by students in grades four through 12 in certain schools; requires public health campaigns dedicated to both purposes. - Amends TCA Title 49; Title 63; Title 67 and Title 68.

Local Education Agencies - As introduced, requires each local school board to establish a school lunch program and a school breakfast program that provide a free breakfast and lunch to each student enrolled in a school under the board's jurisdiction; requires the state to reimburse each LEA for the cost of providing a free breakfast and lunch to each student enrolled in the LEA after all available federal funds have been applied. - Amends TCA Title 49.

Public Officials - As introduced, creates a recall process for members of a municipal legislative body and of a city or county school board. - Amends TCA Title 2; Title 6; Title 7; Title 8 and Title 49.

Health, Dept. of - As introduced, requires hospitals that accept medicaid to inquire about a person's citizenship status and submit a quarterly report to the department on the number of hospital admissions and emergency department visits by persons lawfully and not lawfully present in the United States; requires the department to submit an annual report to the governor, speaker of the senate, and speaker of the house of representatives regarding the impact of uncompensated care for persons not lawfully present in the United States and other related information. - Amends TCA Title 33; Title 68 and Title 71.

Drugs, Prescription - As introduced, allows a student to possess and self-administer rescue seizure medication at school or at a school-related activity or event. - Amends TCA Title 49, Chapter 50, Part 16.

Energy - As introduced, establishes a regulatory framework for solar energy facilities in this state. - Amends TCA Title 5; Title 6; Title 7, Chapter 51 and Title 65, Chapter 17.

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.

Immigration - As introduced, requires a law enforcement agency in custody of an individual unlawfully present in the United States to request an immigration detainer and detain such individual for the maximum period as specified in the detainer; requires such agency to transport such individuals not taken into federal custody to a sanctuary city; requires department of revenue to request reimbursement for costs of detention and transportation of illegal aliens and to withhold federal petroleum taxes collected in this state if such reimbursement is not received. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 7; Title 38; Title 39; Title 55 and Title 67.

Driver Licenses - As introduced, requires the department of safety to redesign driver licenses, instruction permits, intermediate driver licenses, and photo identification cards issued to lawful permanent residents of the United States, and temporary driver licenses and permits and temporary photo identification licenses issued to qualified noncitizens, so that the licenses and permits may be easily distinguished from driver and photo identification licenses issued to residents of this state who are United States citizens. - Amends TCA Title 55, Chapter 50.

Tourism - As introduced, requires a tourism development authority to file its annual audit and report with the members of the general assembly who represent the municipality that granted permission to the authority to organize; authorizes the audit and report to be filed electronically. - Amends TCA Title 7 and Title 67.

Abortion - As introduced, clarifies that the term "abortion," as defined for the offense of criminal abortion, does not include the use of contraceptives, including any device, medication, biological product, or procedure that is generally intended for use in the prevention of pregnancy, whether specifically intended to prevent pregnancy or for other health needs, or the disposal of embryos resulting from fertility treatments, including healthcare services, procedures, testing, medications, treatments, or products. - Amends TCA Title 37; Title 39; Title 63 and Title 68.

Criminal Offenses - As introduced, increases the penalty for civil rights intimidation from a Class D felony to a Class C felony if the victim of the offense was a minor or was selected by the defendant based on the victim’s status as a minister, preacher, pastor, priest, rabbi, or other spiritual leader of a religious belief who has been ordained or otherwise designated in conformity with the customs of a church, temple, or other religious group or organization. - Amends TCA Title 39.

Children - As introduced, clarifies that a child's parent, legal guardian, or legal custodian may access and review all health and medical records of the child, including those records related to treatments available to unemancipated minors without parental consent; allows an employee of a local education agency to provide bandages, gauze, or ice packs for the treatment of minor cuts, scrapes, bumps, and bruises. - Amends TCA Title 33; Title 36; Title 37; Title 49; Title 63 and Title 68.

Prisons and Reformatory Institutions - As introduced, specifies that the reimbursement of travel expenses incurred by members of the inmate disciplinary oversight board must be administered in accordance with the comprehensive travel regulations promulgated by the department of finance and administration and approved by the attorney general and reporter. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 29 and Title 41.

State Government - As introduced, declares that international policymaking organizations have no jurisdiction or authority within this state; declares that a federal law or rule based upon a policy or guideline of an international policymaking organization has no authority in this state; prohibits state governmental entities from adopting or enforcing a law or rule based upon a recommendation of an international policymaking organization unless authorized by state law. - Amends TCA Title 1; Title 3; Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 8; Title 13; Title 14; Title 43; Title 45; Title 49; Title 50; Title 53; Title 59; Title 60; Title 62; Title 63; Title 65; Title 66; Title 68; Title 69 and Title 70.

Medical Occupations - As introduced, creates an exemption from the requirement that an applicant for licensure as a professional counselor must have completed a graduate course of study of at least 60 credit hours if the applicant has a valid, unencumbered license as a professional counselor issued by another state, territory, or federal district of the United States and the board for professional counselors, marital and family therapists and clinical pastoral therapists judges as acceptable the licensing requirements of that other state, territory, or federal district. - Amends TCA Title 63.

Local Education Agencies - As introduced, requires public charter schools to adopt an internet acceptable use policy in the same manner required for LEAs; prohibits LEAs and public charter schools from tracking or monitoring a person's use of a personal electronic device on school property, except for instances in which a student uses such device during a test. - Amends TCA Title 49.

Criminal Offenses - As introduced, expands the Class C felony offense of aggravated assault against a first responder to include knowingly possessing fentanyl, carfentanil, remifentanil, alfentanil, thiafentanil, or a fentanyl analogue in a manner that would be reasonably foreseen to expose a first responder to the substance while the first responder is discharging or attempting to discharge the first responder's official duties and the first responder is exposed resulting in the serious bodily injury or death of the first responder. - Amends TCA Title 39.

Taxes, Ad Valorem - As introduced, changes the reimbursement amount for property tax relief for disabled veteran homeowners; increases the reimbursement amount from payment on the first $175,000 of the full market value of the home to payment on the first $200,000 of the full market value. - Amends TCA Title 67, Chapter 5, Part 7.

Unclaimed Property - As introduced, allows the treasurer to file the annual report regarding the total amount and value of abandoned or unclaimed property with executive and legislative branch officials electronically. - Amends TCA Title 43; Title 44; Title 47; Title 48 and Title 66.

Education - As introduced, enacts the "Education Freedom Act of 2025." - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 49 and Title 49.