Tennessee House Bills

Education - As introduced, deletes antiquated language regarding the format for the Tennessee comprehensive assessment program tests that were administered in the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years. - Amends TCA Title 49.

Banks and Financial Institutions - As introduced, classifies a money transmission originating in this state to a location outside of the United States or its territories as a service transaction subject to the sales and use tax; requires revenues from such tax to be allocated to certain purposes. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 38; Title 39; Title 45; Title 47; Title 49 and Title 67.

Criminal Offenses - As introduced, increases the penalty for assaulting a first responder from a Class A misdemeanor with a mandatory fine of $5,000 and a mandatory minimum of 30 days incarceration to a Class E felony with a mandatory fine of $10,000 and a mandatory minimum of 60 days incarceration. - Amends TCA Title 39 and Title 40.

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.

Taxes - As introduced, adds to the definition of a "qualified public use facility" as used in the Local Tourism Development Zone Business Tax Act a mixed-use development containing a performance venue with a seating capacity of at least 2,500; authorizes a municipality or public authority that has financed a qualified public use facility within a tourism development zone and that qualifies for an allocation of sales tax revenue from within that zone under the Convention Center and Tourism Development Financing Act of 1998 and under other provisions of sales tax law to use the revenue for purposes authorized in the act or other law. - Amends TCA Title 7 and Title 67.

Dentists and Dentistry - As introduced, authorizes copies of the annual report of the board of dentistry to be provided to interested parties in an electronic format. - Amends TCA Title 4 and Title 63, Chapter 5.

Gambling - As introduced, designates illegal gambling and related activities as a violation of the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act; expands the authority of the sports wagering council to investigate illegal gambling and gaming activity; expands the investigative authority of the attorney general and reporter to investigate unlawful activity within the purview of the attorney general and reporter. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 4, Chapter 49; Title 8, Chapter 6, Part 4; Title 40, Chapter 2 and Title 47.

Courts - As introduced, removes a conviction for domestic assault from the definition of a violent offender for purposes of drug treatment courts; changes the definition of a violent offender for purposes of drug treatment courts from an offender with a conviction for an offense involving certain acts to an offender with a conviction for a felony offense involving certain acts within the previous 10 years. - Amends TCA Title 16, Chapter 22.

Industrial Development - As enacted, revises law relative to industrial development corporations. - Amends TCA Title 7 and Title 48.

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.

Municipal Government - As enacted, creates a process for continuing funding for a municipal LEA when the municipal legislative body and the governing body for the LEA cannot agree on a budget; provides a process for continuing funding of municipal operations when a municipal legislative body has not adopted a budget by the first day of a fiscal year. - Amends TCA Title 6, Chapter 56, Part 1 and Title 6, Chapter 56, Part 2.

Consumer Protection - As introduced, enacts the "Curbing Harmful AI Technology (CHAT) Act." - Amends TCA Title 29; Title 37 and Title 47.

Local Government, General - As introduced, requires the chief executive officer of a local government to order all flags at public buildings to be flown at half-mast for at least one day if a first responder from the local emergency management agency is killed in the line of duty. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 29; Title 39 and Title 58.

Fire Prevention and Investigation - As introduced, removes the requirements that grants awarded to volunteer fire departments each year must be equally divided among the three grand divisions of the state and that the grant funds cannot be used to purchase fire trucks or vehicles. - Amends TCA Title 68.

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.

Regional Authorities and Special Districts - As introduced, authorizes the Megasite Authority of West Tennessee and certain law enforcement agencies to enter into a written agreement authorizing sworn peace officers of the law enforcement agency to enforce certain traffic laws on one or more designated private megasite roadways identified in the agreement. - Amends TCA Title 54 and Title 64, Chapter 9.

Computers and Electronic Processing - As enacted, requires TACIR to study artificial intelligence and submit a report to the governor and both speakers by January 31, 2027. - Amends TCA Title 29; Title 33; Title 39 and Title 47.

Tennessee Arts Commission - As enacted, reconstitutes the commission. - Amends TCA Title 4.

Children's Services, Dept. of - As introduced, requires the commissioner to develop and implement a statewide, outcomes-based, county-level quality assurance program no later than July 1, 2027; directs the commissioner to send reports to the general assembly detailing the department's progress toward implementing the program at the end of each fiscal year quarter until the program is fully implemented. - Amends TCA Title 37, Chapter 5.

Local Education Agencies - As introduced, requires an LEA or public charter school to allow a private pay provider for a student with autism spectrum disorder or developmental delays access to the student during the school day to provide the student with private pay services in educational settings, including classroom settings, as determined by the student's IEP or service agreement. - Amends TCA Title 49; Title 68 and Title 71.

Motor Vehicles - As enacted, prohibits the initial issuance of registration of a motor vehicle if the vehicle has not met the requirements of the "Financial Responsibility Law of 1977," which provides insurance and financial responsibility requirements for motor vehicle operators; makes related changes. - Amends TCA Title 29; Title 55 and Title 56.

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.

District Attorneys - As introduced, eliminates the fraud and economic crimes fees and assessments in criminal prosecutions for counties that have enacted a $12.50 court cost to be used for supplemental funding for the district attorney general's office; requires existing funds in fraud and economic crimes prosecution fund to be remitted back to the county government of original assessment and collection. - Amends TCA Title 40, Chapter 3.

Education - As introduced, changes the date, from October 31 to October 1, by which the departments of education and health must submit a report to the governor and general assembly regarding the self-administered medications and healthcare procedures for students served in all public and nonpublic accredited schools in this state and recommendations for meeting the needs for comprehensive school health. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7 and Title 49.

Licenses - As introduced, enacts the "Military Families Licensing Recognition Act." - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 58; Title 62; Title 63 and Title 68.

Alcoholic Beverages - As introduced, prohibits a person from furnishing, dispensing, or giving away alcoholic beverages or beer to a person who is not 21 or older at a private party or private event; requires the owner or operator of an event at which alcoholic beverages are served to submit with the request for approval for the event proof satisfactory that the owner or operator has taken reasonable steps to ensure that alcoholic beverages are not served to persons who are not 21 or older in attendance at the event. - Amends TCA Title 7 and Title 57.

Sunset Laws - As enacted, extends the Tennessee state veterans' homes board to June 30, 2028; requires the board to report back to the government operations committee by December 31, 2026, to update the committee on its progress in addressing the findings and observations set forth in the December 2025 performance audit report. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 29 and Title 58, Chapter 7.

Criminal Offenses - As introduced, creates a Class A misdemeanor offense of intentionally moving, altering, destroying, or removing a monument the person knows, or reasonably should know, is a property corner monument, historic land surveying monument, or geodetic control monument. - Amends TCA Title 39; Title 62, Chapter 18 and Title 66.

County Government - As introduced, reduces the time period a county has to post revisions to its charter of incorporation on the website from three months to two months. - Amends TCA Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 8; Title 9; Title 12 and Title 67.

State Government - As introduced, requires the executive head of each state department or agency, local government, and public institution of higher education to submit an annual attestation to the comptroller of the treasury that such entity has not implemented a discriminatory preference to increase diversity, equity, or inclusion. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7 and Title 49.