Tennessee Senate Bills

Health Care - As enacted, allows a healthcare provider to petition a relevant board after completing a peer assistance or treatment program contract to remove information from the public-facing licensure verification website regarding the adverse action and the order by the relevant board after five years from the completion date of that program or contract indicated in such order; authorizes the division of health related boards to promulgate rules to effectuate such petition process. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 63 and Title 68.

TennCare - As enacted, makes revisions regarding determining when the annual coverage assessment is implemented and imposed; sets limits on the expenditures for directed payments to hospitals in certain circumstances. - Amends TCA Title 71, Chapter 5.

Pharmacy, Pharmacists - As enacted, makes certain changes to the practice of pharmacy, including removing the present prohibition on requiring a patient to pay an administrative fee for pharmacist-provided hormonal contraceptives when the patient is insured or covered and receives a pharmacy benefit that covers the cost of the hormonal contraceptives. - Amends TCA Title 53, Chapter 10; Title 56, Chapter 32 and Title 63, Chapter 10.

Personal Property - As enacted, specifies that if the occupant of a self-service storage facility does not sign a written rental agreement revision and continues to use the facility for not less than 30 days from the date of receipt of the agreement, then the occupant is considered to have accepted the rental agreement revision; makes other changes related to self-service storage facilities. - Amends TCA Title 66, Chapter 31.

Tennessee Bureau of Investigation - As enacted, requires the bureau to classify offenders and determine whether the offender's offense qualifies as a sexual offense, violent sexual offense, or a violent juvenile sexual offense, and whether the offender is an offender against children; allows the bureau to rely on investigative reports, files of certain prosecutorial entities, court records, or other credible information to classify an offender; requires the bureau to notify the offender of the classification. - Amends TCA Title 40.

Hospitals and Health Care Facilities - As enacted, extends by four years to June 30, 2029, the current 125-bed limitation on the number of new nursing home beds for which the health facilities commission may issue a certificate of need per fiscal year. - Amends TCA Section 68-11-1619.

Gas, Petroleum Products, Volatile Oils - As enacted, changes the sponsoring entity for safety and handling training classes needed to satisfy the education requirement for a liquified petroleum gas dealer license from only the National Propane Gas Association to any state or national association representing the liquified petroleum industry. - Amends TCA Title 68.

Housing - As enacted, deletes the definition of "blighted area" and defines "blighted property" for purposes of condemnation by housing authorities; clarifies that housing authorities may acquire real property without using eminent domain; authorizes housing authorities to pay more than fair market value for properties that are not blighted but that are in a blighted area; makes other related changes. - Amends TCA Title 13, Chapter 20; Title 13, Chapter 21 and Title 29, Chapter 17.

DNA and Genetic Testing - As enacted, requires collection of a biological specimen from certain convicted offenders to be collected within 30 days of sentencing to be used for DNA analysis; requires a law enforcement agency to submit a biological specimen from an offender who dies while incarcerated and was previously convicted of a qualifying offense. - Amends TCA Title 40, Chapter 35, Part 3.

Criminal Offenses - As enacted, enacts the "Voyeurism Victims Act." - Amends TCA Title 28; Title 29; Title 36, Chapter 3, Part 6; Title 39 and Title 40, Chapter 2.

Alcoholic Beverages - As enacted, lowers the county population threshold, from in excess of 500,000 to in excess of 350,000, for a sports authority facility to be eligible to obtain a liquor-by-the-drink license; prohibits a facility located in Hamilton County from being issued a license after March 1, 2030, and requires the law enforcement agency that has jurisdiction over a facility located in Hamilton County to provide an annual report to the general assembly detailing any public safety issues related to the facility. - Amends TCA Section 57-4-102.

Secretary of State - As enacted, clarifies that administrative dissolution is permitted for certain entities if the entity files a signed document with the secretary of state knowing that it contained materially false information; permits administrative dissolution of certain entities if the entity is owned or controlled by a foreign government or foreign non-government person determined to be a foreign adversary by the United States secretary of commerce. - Amends TCA Title 43, Chapter 38; Title 48, Chapter 24; Title 48, Chapter 245; Title 48, Chapter 246; Title 48, Chapter 249; Title 48, Chapter 25; Title 48, Chapter 64; Title 48, Chapter 65 and Title 61, Chapter 3.

Athletic Trainers - As enacted, authorizes athletic trainers to use dry needling to carry out the practice of prevention, recognition, evaluation, management, disposition, treatment, or rehabilitation of athletic injuries; requires the board of athletic trainers to establish minimum competency requirements for an athletic trainer to demonstrate in order to practice dry needling. - Amends TCA Title 49 and Title 63.

Motor Vehicles - As enacted, authorizes the sale or purchase of previously titled antique or unique motor vehicles without a motor vehicle dealer license through auction formats held in Hamilton County that meet certain criteria. - Amends TCA Title 55, Chapter 17 and Title 62, Chapter 19.

Attorney General and Reporter - As enacted, authorizes the attorney general and reporter to conduct an investigation and initiate criminal prosecution of a judicial elected official or district attorney general whenever the attorney general and reporter has probable cause to investigate whether an official may have violated any state criminal law and either a decision to prosecute the official by the district attorney general may result in a personal, financial, or political conflict of interest or the attorney general and reporter receives a report of a violation of the prohibition on nepotism within state government entities. - Amends TCA Title 8, Chapter 6.

Medical Occupations - As enacted, requires the board of medical examiners to register an applicant as a registered surgical assistant if the applicant maintains current credentials as a surgical assistant issued by the American Board of Surgical Assistants and satisfies other necessary requirements; removes December 31, 2019, as the deadline by which an applicant for registration as a surgical assistant must register with the board in order to be registered on the basis of certain practical experience. - Amends TCA Title 63, Chapter 6.

Insurance, Health, Accident - As enacted, enacts the "Voluntary Portable Benefit Plan Act"; makes related changes. - Amends TCA Title 50 and Title 65, Chapter 15, Part 3.

Transportation, Dept. of - As enacted, in the event of a transportation system failure or other emergency, grants the commissioner emergency contracting authority to enter into contracts for design-build, construction manager/general contractor (CM/GC), and progressive design-build (PDB) services for the delivery of transportation projects; exempts the department from having to identify such contracts exceeding $100 million in its transportation improvement program submitted annually to the general assembly in support of its annual funding recommendations, if they are issued under such emergency contracting authority; makes other revisions to the CM/GC and PDB process. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 12 and Title 54.

Health Care - As enacted, extends the CoverKids program from June 30, 2025, to June 30, 2030. - Amends TCA Section 71-3-1113.

Safety, Dept. of - As enacted, specifies that the Tennessee Advanced Communications Network is the division of the department of safety that operates, maintains, and oversees the statewide P25 interoperable communications system; authorizes the department to collect and use fees and assessments for the improvement of the system in addition to collection and use of such fees for the system's use and maintenance. - Amends TCA Section 4-3-2018.

Taxes, Franchise - As enacted, clarifies that the imposition of a criminal offense, penalty, or dismissal from employment does not apply to an officer or employee of the department of revenue or other employee or officer of the state who in good faith acts in accordance with present law requiring the department to publish on its website in June 2025 the names of certain taxpayers issued franchise tax refunds. - Amends TCA Section 67-1-1709.

Criminal Offenses - As enacted, makes permanent the exclusion of narcotic testing equipment used to determine whether a controlled substance contains a synthetic opioid, unless the narcotic testing equipment is possessed for purposes of the commission of a drug offense, from the definition of drug paraphernalia; removes the July 1, 2025, repeal date for that exclusion. - Amends TCA Section 39-17-402.

State Employees - As enacted, expands bereavement leave for certain state officers and employees upon the death of certain relatives. - Amends TCA Title 8, Chapter 50, Part 1.

Boards and Commissions - As enacted, removes requirement that a license issued by a health related board be signed by members of the board prior to such issuance; authorizes the presiding officer to divide the board into panels to conduct contested case hearings or disciplinary matters; includes patient billing records as part of the medical and practice records that providers must make available for inspection upon the department's request; clarifies that identifying information of certain parties to a contested case hearing involving disciplinary charges filed against a provider must only be produced by the provider in response to a subpoena from a law enforcement agency. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 63 and Title 68.

Financial Institutions, Dept. of - As enacted, authorizes the commissioner to determine the type, amounts, and other characteristics of deposit insurance required to be maintained by each state bank; describes criteria the commissioner must consider in making the determinations. - Amends TCA Title 45, Chapter 2.

Codes - As enacted, clarifies that, as of July 1, 2025, the roof solar reflectance and thermal emittance requirements of the International Energy Conservation Code for low-sloped roofs do not apply to the 2021 International Code Council adoption; authorizes the state fire marshal to promulgate rules to that effect. - Amends TCA Title 68, Chapter 120.

Mobile Homes and Manufactured Buildings - As enacted, requires this state's definition of manufactured home to automatically update with the definition of manufactured home under title 42 of the United States Code, which currently excludes a self-propelled recreational vehicle. - Amends TCA Title 47; Title 55 and Title 68.

Insurance Companies, Agents, Brokers, Policies - As enacted, removes the requirement that a provider notify a patient of communication between the provider and a health insurance entity or healthcare facility concerning additional information needed to process a prior authorization request for the patient; removes the requirement that an utilization review agent notify the enrollee and the provider or healthcare facility when additional information is needed from the enrollee, provider, or healthcare facility to make a determination on the request for prior authorization. - Amends TCA Title 56 and Title 63, Chapter 1.

Medical Occupations - As introduced, limits a foreign training license of limited duration to an internationally licensed physician who meets certain listed criteria. - Amends TCA Title 63.

Notary Public - As enacted, adds that a person must complete a course of instruction and pass an examination to qualify to be commissioned as an online notary public; clarifies that an application to be commissioned requires a certification that the applicant has reviewed, understands, and will comply with the applicable rules and requirements promulgated by the secretary of state; adds that a course of instruction for online notarization must include, at a minimum, notarial laws, technology procedures of online notarizations, and ethical requirements for online notaries. - Amends TCA Title 8, Chapter 16, Part 3.

Motor Vehicles, Titling and Registration - As enacted, authorizes issuance of a free distinguishing placard for eligible disabled veterans to be used in lieu of a distinguishing license plate for parking purposes; authorizes issuance of a distinguishing placard upon payment of the applicable fee for eligible disabled veterans who have been issued a free distinguishing license plate for parking purposes. - Amends TCA Title 55, Chapter 21 and Title 55, Chapter 4.

Pest Control - As introduced, specifies that a manufacturer or seller of a pesticide registered with the commissioner of agriculture and with the environmental protection agency under the federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) is not liable in a civil action related to the labeling of the pesticide, if the pesticide bore a label approved by the EPA under FIFRA at the time of sale. - Amends TCA Title 43, Chapter 8.

Local Government, General - As enacted, requires each department, agency, or official of a local government that assesses and collects a fee of more than $250 to document the justification and cost basis of the fee; makes such documentation a public record; subjects such documentation to an annual audit by the comptroller of the treasury. - Amends TCA Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 10 and Title 67, Chapter 4, Part 29.

Motor Vehicles - As enacted, specifies that a vehicle protection product warrantor applying for renewal is not required to file a copy of a warranty that has already been registered for use; requires such warrantor to provide written notification of any change to the information contained in the original registration within 30 days of the change; provides that such notification does not require the submission of a new registration application. - Amends TCA Title 56, Chapter 55.

Sunset Laws - As enacted, extends the Tennessee opioid abatement council to June 30, 2029. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 29 and Title 33, Chapter 11.

Statutes and Codification - As enacted, changes all TCA references from "adult day care" to "adult day services." - Amends TCA Section 4-3-1205; Title 39, Chapter 17, Part 18; Title 52, Chapter 8; Section 68-1-904; Title 68, Chapter 11, Part 2 and Title 71.

Sunset Laws - As enacted, extends the Tennessee monuments and memorials commission to June 30, 2029. - Amends TCA Section 4-1-412 and Title 4, Chapter 29.

General Assembly, Directed Studies - As enacted, requires TACIR to study the economic impact that the cosmetology and barbering professions have in this state; upon completion of the study, requires TACIR to report its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to legislative committees having jurisdiction over cosmetology and barbering, and to provide a copy of the report to the legislative librarian. - Amends TCA Title 62, Chapter 3 and Title 62, Chapter 4.

Students - As enacted, requires local boards of education and public charter school governing bodies to adopt a policy to prohibit students from using wireless communication devices during instructional time, except in certain circumstances; makes related changes. - Amends TCA Title 49.

Sunset Laws - As enacted, extends the Tennessee board of judicial conduct to June 30, 2031. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 29 and Title 17, Chapter 5.

Law Enforcement Training Academy - As enacted, requires the peace officer standards and training commission to issue a certificate of compliance to a person appointed as a private special deputy on or after January 1, 2026, if the person meets the qualifications for employment as a police officer and satisfactorily completes an approved recruit training program; requires annual in-service training sessions to retain such certification. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 8; Title 38 and Title 49.

Driver Licenses - As enacted, authorizes an honorably discharged member of the national guard to receive "veteran" designation on driver license; specifies documentation that must be provided to receive such designation. - Amends TCA Section 55-50-354.

Utilities, Utility Districts - As enacted, authorizes the members of the board of directors of energy authorities formed under the Municipal Energy Authority Act to receive certain additional compensation for attendance at meetings for each additional utility system over which the board has jurisdiction and health insurance coverage. - Amends TCA Title 7, Chapter 34; Title 7, Chapter 36 and Title 7, Chapter 52.

Sunset Laws - As enacted, extends the information systems council to June 30, 2031. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 29 and Title 4, Chapter 3, Part 55.

Education - As enacted, authorizes a local education agency to implement the law enforcement against drugs and violence (L.E.A.D.) program in schools operated by the LEA; authorizes an LEA's implementation of the L.E.A.D. program to be in lieu of the DARE program. - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 17 and Title 49, Chapter 1.

Motor Vehicles, Titling and Registration - As enacted, authorizes an antique emergency vehicle registered as an antique motor vehicle to be used for participation in, or transportation to and from, community or educational events, including displays at fairs, festivals, and schools, as well as during weekends and holidays; authorizes the installation and operation of emergency lights and sirens on a privately owned antique emergency vehicle under certain circumstances. - Amends TCA Section 39-16-301 and Title 55.

Health, Dept. of - As enacted, requires all hospitals and birthing centers to provide information on post-birth warning signs, including symptoms and resources, to a mother and, if possible, to the mother's caregiver or at least one of the mother's family members prior to discharge following a birth; requires the department to provide all hospitals and birthing centers with information on post-birth warning signs, including symptoms and resources, and to have the information available on the department's website. - Amends TCA Title 68.

Public Utility Commission - As enacted, prohibits the commission from exercising regulatory authority over the entry of, rates for, or terms or conditions used by a broadband internet access service or interconnected VoIP service, or from treating a provider of such services as a carrier; makes other changes related to broadband services. - Amends TCA Title 7 and Title 65.

Trusts - As enacted, establishes as a default rule of state trust law that a beneficiary is a non-fiduciary unless appointed in such capacity, and makes certain other changes relative to trusts. - Amends TCA Title 30 and Title 35.

TennCare - As enacted, authorizes the bureau to provide coverage and treatment on behalf of an enrollee for the diagnosis, including genetic testing, and treatment of Kleefstra syndrome in the same manner and to the same extent that the bureau provides coverage for autism spectrum disorder, Trisomy 21 or Down syndrome, and other similar or related genetic disorders, when determined to be medically necessary. - Amends TCA Title 56 and Title 71.

Purchasing and Procurement - As enacted, authorizes a local government to execute a cooperative purchasing agreement with other local, state, and federal governmental entities for purposes of purchasing materials, labor, and services used for maintenance, operations, component replacement, or repairs of existing facilities and grounds owned or operated by a local education agency or by a local government agency. - Amends TCA Section 12-3-1205.

Driver Licenses - As enacted, deletes requirement that certified copy of court order that withdraws order denying driving privileges for juvenile offender be submitted to the department of safety within 10 days of issuance. - Amends TCA Title 55, Chapter 10, Part 7.

Education - As enacted, requires all residential educational programs in this state that allow minors to participate or to access residential facilities, including staying overnight in such facilities, to segregate certain restrooms, changing areas, and showers by immutable biological sex. - Amends TCA Title 49.

Holidays and Days of Special Observance - As enacted, designates the month of November as "Diabetes Awareness Month." - Amends TCA Title 15, Chapter 2, Part 1.

Business and Commerce - As enacted, requires that, in order to resign an agency appointment, a registered agent file a certification with the secretary of state that the agent has mailed written notice of the agent's resignation, instead of a copy of the original statement of resignation, to the principal office of the entity employing the agent. - Amends TCA Title 43, Chapter 38, Part 1; Title 48, Chapter 15; Title 48, Chapter 208; Title 48, Chapter 249; Title 48, Chapter 25; Title 48, Chapter 55; Title 48, Chapter 65; Title 61, Chapter 1; Title 61, Chapter 2 and Title 61, Chapter 3.

Criminal Offenses - As enacted, creates a Class B misdemeanor for knowingly activating and pointing a laser pointer or other device utilizing a laser beam at a person driving an automobile, boat, aircraft, or any other motor vehicle. - Amends TCA Title 39.

County Government - As enacted, authorizes certain county legislative bodies, by a two-thirds vote, to remove any member of an appointed board or commission, if such removal is recommended by the appointing authority and the member of the board or commission is given at least five business days' notice of the meeting when the vote on removal will occur. - Amends TCA Title 5.

Computers and Electronic Processing - As enacted, requires each department, agency, office, commission, institution, or instrumentality of the executive branch to accept electronic transmissions; defines the meaning of electronic transmission as applicable to this state's code; removes the terms "fax" or "facsimile" in certain statutes and replaces the terms with electronic transmission. - Amends TCA Title 1; Title 2; Title 3; Title 4; Title 5; Title 7; Title 8; Title 9; Title 10; Title 11; Title 12; Title 13; Title 16; Title 20; Title 22; Title 24; Title 31; Title 33; Title 36; Title 38; Title 39; Title 40; Title 43; Title 44; Title 45; Title 47; Title 48; Title 49; Title 50; Title 53; Title 54; Title 55; Title 56; Title 61; Title 62; Title 63; Title 64; Title 65; Title 66; Title 67; Title 68; Title 69 and Title 71.

Tennessee Fish & Wildlife Commission - As enacted, authorizes the commission to name real property, infrastructure, improvements to infrastructure, or features under the agency’s jurisdiction. - Amends TCA Section 3-2-112; Section 4-1-412 and Title 70, Chapter 1, Part 2.

Health Care - As enacted, creates the advisory task force on state reimbursement rates to make recommendations on annual adjustments to the reimbursement rates paid to agencies that perform healthcare functions and services, the purpose of which is to ensure such reimbursement rates are adequate. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 62 and Title 63.