Tennessee Bills

HB 1796 shortens the deadline for Tennessee counties to post revisions to their charters online, reducing the current three-month period to two months. This bill amends Tennessee Code Annotated Section 5-1-127(b) to change the posting requirement from "three (3)" to "two (2)" months. It directly affects all Tennessee counties that maintain charters of incorporation. The change aims to expedite public access to local government documents without altering the underlying charter content or requirements.

HB 1967 would increase penalties for drivers who leave the scene of a traffic accident in Tennessee. For accidents causing injury, the penalty would rise from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class E felony. For accidents where death occurred and the driver knew or should have known, the penalty would increase from a Class E felony to a Class D felony. The bill amends specific Tennessee Code sections (Title 39, Chapter 13 and Title 55, Chapter 10) and takes effect July 1, 2026.

HB 1906 requires that state police officers and agents of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation receive retirement credit for time off due to disability at no cost to them if they apply for it on or after July 1, 2026. It also allows cities and counties to pass resolutions enabling their police officers to earn similar disability retirement credit without cost, either by adopting the provision for the first time or adjusting existing arrangements. The bill mandates that employers document the disability period and pre-disability salary, with retirement credit calculated based on that salary. This law takes effect on July 1, 2026, impacting state and local law enforcement officers covered by the new provisions.

HB 489 requires Tennessee's Department of Correction to submit an annual report by February 1st on the effectiveness of programs that divert offenders from state correctional facilities. The report must be sent to three specific legislative committees: the House committee on criminal justice, the Senate judiciary committee, and the Senate fiscal review committee. This bill amends Tennessee law to establish this reporting requirement but does not change existing diversion programs or policies. The measure focuses on creating a regular process for legislative oversight of current correctional practices.

HB 1259 increases the required advance notice period for meetings of the Tennessee Board of Water Quality, Oil, and Gas from five to seven days. This change applies to all regular and special meetings, requiring the board members to be notified at least seven days in advance instead of the current five days. The bill amends specific sections of Tennessee law (Titles 7, 63, 65, 68, and 69) to update this procedural requirement. The change is purely administrative and does not affect the board’s substantive duties or decision-making processes.

HB 684 requires Tennessee's Department of Human Services to annually identify federal waivers needed to overcome rules slowing food assistance processing, submit these waiver requests by October 31 each year, and report on their status by December 31. The bill directly affects the state agency managing food assistance and the people applying for benefits by streamlining how federal barriers are addressed. Key provisions include mandatory annual waiver applications to the federal government and detailed annual reports to legislative committees on waiver progress and recommendations for state law changes. This creates a structured process for the department to address regulatory hurdles in delivering food assistance benefits more efficiently.

HB 571, the "Women's Safety and Protection Act," defines biological sex in Tennessee law and requires specific facilities to maintain accommodations based on biological sex. It directly affects correctional facilities, juvenile detention centers, domestic violence shelters, dormitories, and restrooms by mandating that these spaces remain segregated by biological sex to protect women's safety and privacy. Key provisions include defining "female" as individuals with a reproductive system producing ova and "male" as those producing sperm, and prohibiting agencies from banning sex-based distinctions in facilities where safety or privacy is a concern. The bill requires facilities to maintain separate accommodations for biological females where safety, health, or privacy is at issue. This bill is currently under review in the Tennessee House Rules Committee.

HB 519 extends the reporting deadline for nonprofits partnering with Tennessee's Governor's Books from Birth Fund. It changes the requirement from a 90-day to a 180-day period after the fiscal year ends for these nonprofits to submit reports on their operations and accomplishments to the governor and legislative leaders. This bill amends Tennessee Code Annotated Title 4, specifically Section 4-52-109, to implement this change in reporting timelines. The adjustment directly affects nonprofit public benefit corporations working with the Books from Birth Fund program.

HB 2284 changes the required notice period for property owners to 10 business days (instead of 10 calendar days) before selling livestock that trespassed on their property to satisfy a judgment for damages. This directly affects property owners who have recovered damages from trespassing animals and must sell the livestock to cover the judgment. The key provision simply extends the notice period to exclude weekends and holidays, making the timeline more practical for business operations. The bill amends multiple Tennessee code sections related to real property procedures.

HB 1785 requires Tennessee public school districts (LEAs) to allow high school students enrolled at small private schools (under 200 students) located within the district to try out for interscholastic sports at their zoned public high school. It applies only if the student lives in the district and meets existing athletic eligibility rules set by sports associations. The bill does not guarantee a spot on a team or override coaches' decisions, but ensures private school students aren’t barred solely due to their school type. This policy affects students at qualifying small private schools and public schools in Tennessee, effective for the 2026-2027 school year.

HB 2013 requires law enforcement officers to arrange for blood or urine testing of psychotropic drugs at a hospital when they have probable cause to believe a person committed a "mass shooting" (defined as causing injury to four or more people or attempting to kill four or more). The law mandates hospitals to collect samples via qualified medical personnel (like doctors or nurses) and send them to the health science center for analysis. The health science center must study drug interactions from the samples and include findings in quarterly reports to lawmakers. This applies to mass shootings occurring on or after July 1, 2026.

HB 398 extends the time that Tennessee licensing boards have to respond to the Department of Health from 30 to 45 days when the department requests information about actions taken against prescribers with unusual controlled substance prescribing patterns. This includes prescribers identified as statistical outliers, top prescribers, or high-risk prescribers of controlled substances. The bill directly affects how quickly the Department of Health can monitor prescriber behavior and the timeline for licensing boards to provide updates. The amendment applies to multiple sections of Tennessee law related to health and professional licensing.