Tennessee Bills

Zoning - As introduced, prohibits the adoption or enforcement of zoning regulations that have the effect of diminishing the value of a property; authorizes property owners to seek compensation for such diminished value. - Amends TCA Title 5; Title 6; Title 7 and Title 13, Chapter 7.

Health, Dept. of - As introduced, requires the commissioner to use existing resources to conduct a study of the requirements to obtain prescription medications via telehealth in neighboring states in order to determine the restrictions upon prescribers issuing prescription medications via telehealth and compare such restrictions to those on prescribers in this state; requires the commissioner to compile the findings from the study into a report and transmit a copy of the report to the general assembly no later than December 31, 2026. - Amends TCA Title 39; Title 53; Title 56; Title 63; Title 68 and Title 71.

Local Education Agencies - As introduced, requires each LEA to compile a list of all school buildings in the district that use natural gas for the provision of one or more utilities and to post the list on its website no later than October 1 of each year. - Amends TCA Title 7; Title 49 and Title 65.

Controlled Substances - As introduced, permits a person to possess cannabis that was obtained directly from, or pursuant to a diagnosis of a qualifying medical condition by, a licensed physician; specifies the sentences permitted for possessing certain amounts of cannabis that was not obtained directly from, or pursuant to a diagnosis of a qualifying medical condition by, a licensed physician. - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 17, Part 4.

Environment and Conservation, Department of - As introduced, requires an operator seeking a permit for the removal of minerals by surface mining and a person who applies for permits under the water quality control act to provide documentation from the county or counties in which the proposed project is located, certifying that the project is in compliance with all relevant zoning laws of such county or counties as a condition to the receipt of such permits. - Amends TCA Title 59, Chapter 8 and Title 69, Chapter 3.

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

Anatomical Gifts - As introduced, prohibits a procurement organization from contacting a deceased individual's family, next of kin, or authorized representative to procure an anatomical gift from the deceased unless the deceased authorized such a gift in a documented anatomical gift authorization. - Amends TCA Title 68, Chapter 30.

Public Records - As introduced, revises provisions relating to the assessment and collection of fees for the inspection and copying of public records. - Amends TCA Title 8, Chapter 4, Part 6 and Title 10, Chapter 7, Part 5.

Children - As introduced, establishes that children have equal protection under the law and possess fundamental rights to safety, protection from harm, and consideration of their best interests as the paramount concern in all legal proceedings, governmental actions, and policy decisions affecting their welfare. - Amends TCA Title 36 and Title 37.

Pensions and Retirement Benefits - As introduced, requires the governing body of a political subdivision that passes a resolution authorizing a supplemental retirement benefit for hazardous duty to forward such resolution to the board of trustees of the Tennessee consolidated retirement system. - Amends TCA Title 8, Chapter 36.

Pensions and Retirement Benefits - As introduced, requires the board of trustees of TCRS to include in its annual report to the general assembly a certification of the amount of normal contributions, accumulated liability contributions, and cost of living contributions required from the employer to meet the funding needs of retirements for state judges and attorneys general participating in Groups 1, 3, and 4 of the consolidated retirement system. - Amends TCA Title 4 and Title 8.

County Government - As introduced, authorizes a county to sell surplus, obsolete, or unusable real property in an arms-length transaction to a third party for a price not less than its fair market value as determined by at least two state-licensed appraisers without requiring public auction or sealed bids, upon approval by a majority vote of the county legislative body. - Amends TCA Title 5, Chapter 14, Part 1 and Section 5-21-130.

Hotels and Restaurants - As introduced, creates a voluntary community storm emergency relief program administered by the department of tourist development in collaboration with the department of agriculture to authorize hotels and food service establishments to better serve the needs of their communities during a declared state or local emergency based upon a severe weather event. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 8; Title 53, Chapter 8; Title 58, Chapter 2; Title 62, Chapter 7 and Title 67, Chapter 4, Part 14.

Criminal Offenses - As introduced, clarifies that the criminal offense of knowingly accessing a communication or computer system for the purpose of fraud or theft includes accessing a cloud computing service. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 10; Title 35; Title 37; Title 38; Title 39; Title 40; Title 45; Title 47; Title 65; Title 66; Title 67 and Title 71.

Gaming - As introduced, allocates 2 percent of revenue from sports gaming in this state to programs that serve rural and urban at-risk youth. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 49 and Title 67.

Election Laws - As introduced, changes the deadline, from January 31 to January 15, for the coordinator of elections to file a report with the state and local government committee of the senate and the local government committee of the house of representatives following an election conducted under a convenience voting pilot project. - Amends TCA Title 2.

Criminal Offenses - As introduced, requires TACIR to study and prepare a report on marijuana arrests made in this state from 2015 to 2025, including data on race, age, gender, and the location of arrest. - Amends TCA Title 4.

Ethics - As introduced, requires Shelby County to create a county ethics commission. - Amends TCA Title 3, Chapter 6 and Title 5.

Judicial Districts - As introduced, deletes obsolete statute creating the advisory task force to review composition of judicial districts, which ceased to exist upon completion of the task force's report and recommendations in 2019. - Amends TCA Title 16 and Title 17.

Hospitals and Health Care Facilities - As introduced, prohibits a hospital from negotiating or entering into an anti-competitive agreement or engage in anti-competitive conduct with other hospitals in this state; prohibits state funds from being used to facilitate, or otherwise further, an activity that constitutes the active supervision of anti-competitive conduct in the healthcare sector. - Amends TCA Title 68, Chapter 11, Part 13.

Health, Dept. of - As introduced, directs the department to submit a report on the feasibility and cost projections for creating and maintaining an implanted medical device registry available to each healthcare facility in this state to the speaker of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives on or before January 1, 2027. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 53; Title 63; Title 68 and Title 71.

State Employees - As introduced, creates a procedure for a state employee who has reasonable cause to suspect that improper government conduct or a crime has occurred to report the matter to a supervisor and for the supervisor to report that information to the attorney general and reporter. - Amends TCA Title 8 and Title 50.

Motor Vehicles - As introduced, prohibits governmental entities that regulate entertainment transportation from denying the transfer of a permit, establishing certain noise ordinances, requiring an entertainment transportation vehicle to be enclosed, and taking other actions under certain circumstances. - Amends TCA Section 7-51-1008.

Regional Authorities and Special Districts - As introduced, changes from 60 days to 75 days prior to the beginning of the fiscal year the time in which the president of the metropolitan airport authority must submit the annual operating budget to the board for approval. - Amends TCA Title 42, Chapter 3 and Title 42, Chapter 4.

Consumer Protection - As introduced, extends from five to 10 business days the period during which a financial service provider may refuse or delay financial transactions not involving securities due to suspected financial exploitation. - Amends TCA Title 45 and Title 47.

Motor Vehicles - As introduced, requires the notification submitted by the department of safety to the department of revenue of reports of the theft or recovery of motor vehicles to be in writing. - Amends TCA Title 55.

Drugs, Prescription - As introduced, authorizes an owner or person in legal possession of drugs or devices deemed adulterated to request a show cause hearing electronically, rather than strictly in writing. - Amends TCA Title 47; Title 53; Title 56; Title 63 and Title 68.

Insurance, Health, Accident - As introduced, requires a health insurance entity to approve a healthcare provider's completed credentialing application within two weeks of receipt when the healthcare provider is credentialed by the health insurance entity and relocates to a new practice group or facility that is also credentialed by the same health insurance entity. - Amends TCA Title 56, Chapter 7.

TennCare - As introduced, increases from seven to 10 days, the mandatory public inspection period for a hospital's marketing and strategic planning records prior to a vote by its board to adopt such plans. - Amends TCA Title 3; Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 33; Title 41; Title 47; Title 53; Title 56; Title 63; Title 68 and Title 71.

Education, Dept. of - As introduced, changes from February 1 to October 1, the annual reporting date by which the commissioner of education and the commissioner of safety shall jointly report to the governor and the general assembly the implementation of and compliance with the "Schools Against Violence in Education Act." - Amends TCA Title 49, Chapter 6.

TennCare - As introduced, requires an eligibility determination of an individual for residential facility benefits to evaluate the individual's physical condition and mental condition separately. - Amends TCA Title 71, Chapter 5.

Sentencing - As introduced, reduces the time within which a sentencing hearing must be held from within 45 days after a finding of guilt to within 30 days after the finding of guilt. - Amends TCA Title 38; Title 39 and Title 40.

Civil Emergencies - As introduced, requires state agencies charged with responsibilities in connection with healthcare facilities to study emergency mitigation at the direction of the governor as part of the state and local comprehensive emergency management plans. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 8; Title 9; Title 13; Title 14; Title 49; Title 54; Title 55; Title 58; Title 64; Title 65; Title 66; Title 68 and Title 71.

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.

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.

Criminal Offenses - As introduced, creates the new criminal offenses of systematic unauthorized employment and aggravated systematic unauthorized employment; establishes the tort of unfair competition. - Amends TCA Title 29 and Title 39.

Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services, Dept. of - As introduced, requires the report detailing strategies the department intends to use to increase resources for services and supports, including those funded by Medicaid, TennCare, or other public and private sources, to be submitted in an electronic format. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 33; Title 34; Title 52; Title 56; Title 63; Title 68 and Title 71.

Public Utilities - As introduced, requires the supervisory body of municipal electric plants to make the current schedule of rates and charges and all rules and regulations relating to electric service available to the public in an electronic format online. - Amends TCA Title 6; Title 7 and Title 65.

Elder Abuse - As introduced, extends from 10 to 20 days, the time within which a court must schedule a hearing on a petition to freeze the funds of a criminal defendant charged with financial exploitation of an elderly or vulnerable adult involving the taking more than $5,000 of property while the criminal proceeding is pending for purposes of restitution to the victim. - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 15.

Public Funds and Financing - As introduced, requires the state treasurer to use existing resources to conduct a study of the use of public funds by neighboring states to facilitate gender transition procedures to determine what restrictions neighboring states place upon public funding of such procedures; requires the treasurer to compile the findings of the study into a report and transmit the report to the general assembly no later than December 31, 2026. - Amends TCA Title 5, Chapter 9, Part 1; Title 6, Chapter 56, Part 1; Title 7, Chapter 3, Part 1; Title 8, Chapter 27; Title 9, Chapter 4, Part 51; Title 37; Title 39; Title 63; Title 68 and Title 71.

Health Care - As introduced, directs the commissioner of health to conduct a study of legislative developments occurring in neighboring states within the last five years concerning patient access to and patient safety in the use of assisted reproductive technology; requires the commissioner to publish and transmit to the general assembly the commissioner's findings and recommendations no later than December 31, 2026. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 29; Title 36; Title 63 and Title 68.

Boards and Commissions - As introduced, creates a rebuttable presumption that a license or renewal should be denied by the board of nursing if the applicant or licensee has a conviction for certain alcohol-related offenses that involved injury to another person. - Amends TCA Title 63.

Election Laws - As introduced, requires election officials to meet at the polling place at least one hour ahead of the time for opening the polls rather than 30 minutes. - Amends TCA Title 2.

Tennessee Housing Development Agency - As introduced, enacts the "First-Time Homebuyer Assistance Program," which creates a first-time homebuyer assistance program, to be administered by the agency. - Amends TCA Title 5; Title 6; Title 7 and Title 13, Chapter 23.

Judicial Districts - As introduced, deletes the requirement that, beginning in 2028, the funding for each judicial district that has a disproportionately high number of judges, as determined by the comptroller, be reduced by 10 percent during the subsequent fiscal year if the legislature has not passed legislation reapportioning the judicial districts. - Amends TCA Title 16, Chapter 2, Part 5.

Criminal Offenses - As introduced, prohibits a person or entity from distributing an electoral deepfake within 90 days of an election that the person or entity knows or should have known is a deceptive and fraudulent depiction of a candidate or political party; creates civil penalties and outlines exceptions. - Amends TCA Title 2 and Title 39, Chapter 17.

Alcoholic Beverage Commission - As introduced, requires the commission to submit its biennial report on underage drinking, drunk driving, and other harmful uses of alcohol to the governor in addition to members of the general assembly. - Amends TCA Title 57.

Education - As introduced, requires the office of research and education accountability in the office of the comptroller of the treasury to submit a copy of its annual report detailing the results of certain tests administered to recipients of education freedom scholarships to the legislative librarian. - Amends TCA Title 49.

Professions and Occupations - As introduced, exempts a person whose occupation or practice is confined solely to makeup application services from the requirement to be licensed as a cosmetologist or aesthetician if the person meets the requirements to obtain a certificate to provide makeup application services. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 62, Chapter 3; Title 62, Chapter 38 and Title 62, Chapter 4.

Criminal Offenses - As introduced, creates an offense to knowingly inhale, ingest, use, or possess any compound, liquid, gas, or chemical that contains nitrous oxide. - Amends TCA Title 39; Title 57, Chapter 7; Title 63 and Title 67, Chapter 4, Part 10.

Firearms and Ammunition - As introduced, deletes the offense of carrying a firearm or a club with the intent to go armed, prohibits the carrying of a firearm or weapon inside of a kindergarten through grade 12 public or private school and on a school bus if the person's intent is to go armed and the school and the bus are posted in a certain manner; deletes the offense of carrying a firearm on the property of a university, college campus, and other public or private non-kindergarten through grade 12 educational institutions or property; rewrites the offense of possessing a handgun while under the influence of alcohol or any controlled substance or controlled substance analogue; rewrites the offense of carrying weapons during judicial proceedings; makes various other changes related to firearms. - Amends TCA Title 16; Title 36; Title 37; Title 38; Title 39; Title 40; Title 49; Title 55 and Title 65.

Secretary of State - As introduced, requires the secretary of state to create and maintain a publicly accessible, nonpartisan online candidate information page for each local, state, and federal election. - Amends TCA Title 2.

Education - As introduced, creates the task force for educational leadership to publish a comprehensive plan for the state to assume full responsibility for education programs currently administered by the United States department of education; requires the department of education to conduct an inventory of all existing federal education programs and grants administered by the state; requires the attorney general and reporter to conduct a review of all state statutes and rules that reference or incorporate federal education statutes or regulations for purposes of implementing the comprehensive plan. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 8 and Title 49.

Insurance, Health, Accident - As introduced, increases from quarterly to monthly, the frequency with which licensed hospitals must report claims data to the commissioner of health and adjusts the delinquency deadline to require submission within 60 days following the end of the month, rather than the end of the quarter. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 29; Title 33; Title 56; Title 63; Title 68 and Title 71.

Funeral Directors and Embalmers - As introduced, authorizes the operator of a crematory facility to provide an electronic receipt, instead of a written receipt, to the person who delivers a dead human body or body parts to the facility for cremation. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 5; Title 10; Title 29; Title 30; Title 31; Title 32; Title 34; Title 35; Title 36; Title 38; Title 39; Title 46; Title 50; Title 55; Title 56; Title 58; Title 62; Title 67; Title 68 and Title 71.

County Government - As introduced, increases from 48 to 72 hours, the time within which the county legislative body must convene after the filing of an application by the county mayor for such convening based on the public necessity requiring it in the mayor's opinion. - Amends TCA Title 5 and Title 6.

Anatomical Gifts - As introduced, changes from July to January, the month when a medical facility and research institution covered under the Tennessee Genomic Security and End Organ Harvesting Act must certify to the commissioner of health that the facility and institution are compliant with the requirements in the act. - Amends TCA Title 63 and Title 68.

Livestock - As introduced, authorizes sheep producer associations to submit their annual reports electronically. - Amends TCA Title 44.

Economic and Community Development, Dept. of - As introduced, requires the commissioner to research the feasibility of establishing a development corridor, to be called the Oak Ridge Energy Park, located in and spanning parts of Anderson and Roane counties. -

Education, Dept. of - As introduced, requires the department to review and propose revisions to the physical education standards to incorporate guidance published by the President's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition to reestablish the presidential fitness test pursuant to Executive Order No. 14327 of the president of the United States on July 31, 2025. - Amends TCA Title 49.