Tennessee Bills

Tennessee's SB 2620 legalizes composting human remains (called "organic human reduction") as a formal disposal method, requiring oversight by the Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers. The bill establishes new rules for facilities performing this service, including mandatory permits from the Department of Health and specific requirements for identifying remains using permanent tags in containers. It defines key terms like "organic human reduction facility" and mandates that only donated bodies used for medical research may bypass certain permit steps. The law directly affects funeral directors, facilities offering this service, and families choosing this disposal option, with concrete changes to existing regulations in Titles 62 and 63 of Tennessee law.

SB 2218 requires Tennessee municipalities forming infrastructure development districts to include a detailed breakdown of infrastructure costs for each utility service (such as water, sewer, or electricity) in the governing body's establishment resolution. This amendment to Tennessee law mandates that districts must itemize costs per utility, promoting transparency about how public funds will be allocated for infrastructure projects. The bill affects any municipality creating such districts, which are typically used to finance infrastructure in new developments. The requirement applies to all future establishment resolutions under the amended sections of Tennessee Code (Titles 5, 6, 7, 13, 65, and 66).

SB 2311 requires Tennessee municipalities to obtain county legislative body approval before annexing territory. It mandates municipalities to submit a financial impact study (covering infrastructure, schools, and taxpayer costs) and a statement proving service capacity (water, roads, police, etc.) to the county. Counties must review these documents within 60 days, and if they don’t approve within 90 days, the annexation is automatically denied. The bill excludes small annexations of five acres or less and does not override existing interlocal agreements.

SB 2282 invalidates homeowners' association (HOA) restrictions that block licensed family or group child care homes from operating on residential properties. It requires HOAs to enforce state licensing rules instead of their own covenants, and allows care providers to sue HOAs for violations (with actual damages plus up to $1,000 in punitive damages). The bill also prohibits landlords from refusing to rent to tenants operating licensed child care, though landlords may require notice, liability insurance, or restrictions on shared spaces. These changes apply to new HOA documents or rental agreements after the law takes effect. The bill directly affects licensed child care providers, HOAs, and landlords in Tennessee.

SB 2308 (Tennessee) removes confidentiality from specific information related to carrying out death sentences, making it public record. It requires disclosure of the names of personnel involved in executions, details about suppliers of lethal injection drugs (excluding addresses/SSNs), and payments made to contractors for execution-related work. The bill directly affects the Tennessee Department of Correction, drug suppliers, and contractors involved in capital punishment procedures. Key provisions mandate public access to this information while exempting sensitive personal identifiers like residential addresses and Social Security numbers. The law aims to increase transparency in death penalty execution processes without altering the death penalty itself.

SB 2257 requires every Tennessee county to establish an ethics commission by January 1, 2027, to oversee county government conduct. Each commission must have six members (two appointed by the county mayor, four by the county legislative body, with equal party representation), all meeting specific qualifications like residency, age, and no felony convictions. The commissions will investigate ethics complaints from citizens, provide guidance to county officials, issue advisory opinions, and have authority to subpoena witnesses and request legal assistance. This bill directly affects county governments and officials by creating a formal process for addressing ethical concerns in local governance.

HB 2322 requires Tennessee's commissioner of agriculture to annually report all fees, fines, and proceeds from selling seized properties under the Tennessee Apiary Act of 1995 to the chairs of the agriculture committees in both the state Senate and House. This bill directly affects the commissioner and the legislative committees overseeing agriculture. The key provision mandates transparent annual reporting of enforcement revenue collected through beekeeping-related seizures, rather than changing the Apiary Act's substance. The bill is procedural, focusing solely on financial reporting requirements for existing enforcement actions.

HB 2458, the "Public Education Investments Act," increases teacher base pay to $50,290 annually starting in 2026-2027, directly affecting all Tennessee public school teachers. It raises the weighted funding allocation for students in Title I-eligible schools from 5% to 10% per student, increasing support for schools serving high-poverty communities. The bill also boosts Tennessee middle college scholarships by 3% each year for 10 academic years, starting in 2026-2027, for full-time students in these programs. These changes aim to strengthen education funding through concrete salary, school, and scholarship adjustments.

HB 2396 prohibits public water system operators in Tennessee from adding fluoride to drinking water. It directly affects municipal water utilities and private water providers that own, operate, or control public water systems. The bill amends Tennessee Code Annotated Title 68, Chapter 221 to explicitly ban fluoride addition by water suppliers. The law would take effect on July 1, 2025.

SB 2389 requires Shelby County registers of deeds to verify and record government-issued photo IDs (like driver's licenses) for in-person property transfers during a two-year pilot program. It directly affects property buyers and sellers in Shelby County (population over 900,000 per 2020 census) who file documents in person. Key provisions include: no fee for copying ID information, confidentiality of recorded ID data, and ensuring property documents remain valid even if ID isn't recorded. The law applies only to Shelby County and automatically expires after two years.

HB 2286 repeals three existing school voucher programs in Tennessee: the "Tennessee Education Savings Account Pilot Program," the "Education Freedom Scholarship Act," and the "Individualized Education Act." The bill directly affects students and families currently participating in these programs by ending their eligibility for state-funded private school tuition assistance. Key provisions remove these specific laws from Tennessee Code, effectively terminating the programs' legal authority. The repeal takes effect July 1, 2026, phasing out the programs over time. This is a direct policy change eliminating current school choice funding mechanisms.

HB 2365 expands Tennessee's education freedom scholarship program to cover students enrolled in out-of-district public schools (those attending public schools outside their assigned neighborhood district). The bill allows eligible students to receive state-funded scholarships covering tuition and fees at these schools instead of their zoned public school, while requiring them to meet standard attendance rules and annual testing. It adds specific testing and reporting requirements for students in out-of-district public schools, mandating they take the same assessments as public school peers and requiring schools to submit aggregated test results to the state. The scholarship amount equals the tuition charged by the out-of-district public school, fully funded by the state. The bill is pending committee review and would take effect July 1, 2026.