Browse Legislation

Sunset Laws - As introduced, extends the department of children's services to June 30, 2029; requires the department 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 37, Chapter 5.

Fireworks - As introduced, expands the length of the existing Independence Day and New Year sales periods and adds new Memorial Day and Labor Day sales periods for seasonal retailers of fireworks for the 2026 retail period; increases the seasonal retailer permit fee from $100 to $150 for calendar year 2026; and authorizes the state fire marshal to promulgate rules to effectuate the act. - Amends TCA Title 68, Chapter 104.

Criminal Offenses - As introduced, creates a new offense of coercive suicide; specifies that a person or entity commits the offense of coercive suicide if such person or entity owns an artificial intelligence system and the artificial intelligence system advises or encourages a person to commit or attempt to commit suicide. - Amends TCA Title 39.

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.

Historical Sites and Preservation - As introduced, authorizes local historical boards to lease land owned or managed by such boards for agricultural purposes, with all proceeds received by the boards to be used for the preservation of historic sites and structures. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 11; Title 12; Title 29 and Title 43.

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.

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.

Education - As introduced, requires public schools to annually submit to the department of education a list of all local assessments administered by the school each year and the administration schedule for each such local assessment; removes the option for a local education agency or public charter school to administer to students a universal screener that is not the universal screener provided by the state; creates the assessment review board composed of nine classroom teachers to review the Tennessee comprehensive assessment program tests administered to students in the most recent school year. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 29 and Title 49.

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.

Law Enforcement - As introduced, requires TACIR to conduct a study of the salaries and other benefits paid to state and local law enforcement officers in this state. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 8; Title 9 and Title 38.

Local Government, General - As introduced, requires a local government to approve, deny, or identify deficiencies in a development application, development plan, or a site inspection submitted by a developer within 30 days; requires changes in contracts between local governments and contractors or developers to be in writing; requires a local government to release a contractor or developer from its required bond within 30 days of receiving a determination from an independent inspector that the contractor or developer has completed all work required by the contract; makes other related changes. - Amends TCA Title 7.

Winchester - Subject to local approval, expands the board of public utilities' jurisdiction to wastewater treatment systems; requires the mayor to serve as a standing member of the board during the mayor's term; creates four-year terms for members; and makes various other changes. - Amends Chapter 34 of the Private Acts of 2019.

Health, Dept. of - As introduced, requires the department to make available and require blood lead level testing for students in certain schools and certain pregnant women; requires the department to provide to persons who have high blood lead levels or lead poisoning certain services to aid with such condition; requires juvenile detention facilities that are aware of a juvenile in custody with high blood lead levels or lead poisoning to provide certain services in collaboration with the department and local education agencies. - Amends TCA Title 37; Title 49; Title 63; Title 68 and Title 71.

Taxes - As introduced, allows the division of property assessment to send the annual report, with the appropriate summary of the work accomplished by the division and any appropriate recommendations, to the state board of equalization in electronic format. - Amends TCA Title 67.

Computers and Electronic Processing - As enacted, generally prohibits a municipality or electric utility to pay or absorb the cost of electrical infrastructure incurred to serve a data center; makes related changes. - Amends TCA Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 13 and Title 65.

Criminal Offenses - As introduced, expands the offense of adulteration of food, liquids, or pharmaceuticals to include adulteration for the purpose of making the user of the food, liquid, or pharmaceutical involuntarily intoxicated; classifies the offense as a Class D felony; requires a licensee that sells or offers samples of an intoxicating alcoholic beverage for consumption on the licensed premises to maintain drink drug testing devices for customers for the purpose of rapidly testing a beverage suspected of being spiked or laced with a controlled substance or drug. - Amends TCA Title 39; Title 40 and Title 57.

Health Care - As introduced, removes provisions relative to a report that was due by December 15, 2022, from the department of health concerning remote use of the special supplemental food program for women, infants, and children. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 8; Title 33; Title 36; Title 37; Title 48; Title 49; Title 52; Title 53; Title 55; Title 56; Title 62; Title 63 and Title 68.

Animal Cruelty and Abuse - As enacted, adds starvation resulting in death of a livestock animal to the types of conduct that constitute the Class E felony of aggravated cruelty to a livestock animal, when done in a depraved and sadistic manner without justifiable or lawful purpose. - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 14, Part 2.

Immigration - As introduced, adds local governments to the entities that must verify that each applicant for public benefits is a United States citizen or lawfully present in the United States; authorizes the attorney general and reporter to investigate violations of requirements for verification of citizenship or presence for public benefits; requires certain reporting related to such verification for benefits. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 1 and Title 4, Chapter 58.

Children - As introduced, enacts the "Tennessee Child Care Red Tape Reduction Act," which requires expedited processing of child care agency permit applications and requires the state fire marshal to conduct, and establish standards for, fire safety inspections of child care agencies; makes other related revisions. - Amends TCA Title 13, Chapter 7 and Title 71, Chapter 3.