Technology

in committee · Tennessee · Senate Feb 12, 2025

SB 663: Consumer Protection - As introduced, authorizes a consumer to designate an authorized agent who may opt the consumer out of the processing of the consumer’s personal data; requires a controller to comply with an opt-out request from an authorized agent if certain conditions are met. - Amends TCA Title 47, Chapter 18.

SB 663 allows Tennessee consumers to appoint an authorized agent (like a family member or professional) to manage their data privacy requests on their behalf, directly affecting consumers and businesses (controllers) that collect personal data. It requires businesses to honor opt-out requests from these agents if they can verify both the consumer's identity and the agent's authority. The bill mandates clear opt-out links on business websites and requires a standardized, user-friendly "opt-out preference signal" by January 2026, which must be an active choice by the consumer, not a default setting. This law takes effect July 1, 2025, applying to all Tennessee businesses handling consumer data.

Topics ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologySB 663 strengthens consumer data privacy by enabling authorized agents to manage opt-outs, requiring business compliance with verified requests - directly advancing privacy protections.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Consumer Data Protection Data Privacy

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in committee · Tennessee · House Apr 14, 2025

HB 138: Education - As introduced, creates a special fund to provide grants to local education agencies and public charter schools for the acquisition, retention, or expansion of digital career and technical education curricula through platforms containing comprehensive courses with lesson plans, media rich content and activities, and interactive assessments. - Amends TCA Title 9 and Title 49.

HB 138 establishes a $5 million annual special fund to provide grants to Tennessee local school districts and public charter schools. The fund supports acquiring or expanding digital career and technical education programs that include multimedia lessons, interactive activities, and assessments. Schools must apply through the state education department, which will prioritize applications based on demonstrated need, student impact, and alignment with workforce goals. Unspent funds carry forward annually rather than reverting to the general budget, and the bill requires separate annual appropriations for funding.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesAllocates $5M annual special fund for education grants, directly increasing public service funding under state budget appropriations.95% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationCreates $5M annual fund for digital career/technical education grants, expanding curriculum access and workforce-aligned programs through state-funded grants to schools.95% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyBill allocates $5M for grants to fund digital career education curricula with multimedia content and interactive assessments, directly advancing technology in education.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Career & Technical Education

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died · Tennessee · Senate Mar 25, 2025

SB 645: Election Laws - As introduced, prohibits online voting, except for the electronic provision of voting materials to military members and citizens abroad; prohibits the use of a post office box for establishing residency for voting purposes; requires a registered voter who moves to a different county in this state to vote based on current residence regardless of whether the voter has updated the voter's registration. - Amends TCA Title 2.

SB 645, a Tennessee legislative bill that was withdrawn on March 25, 2025, would have made three key changes to voting rules. It would have banned online voting for most voters (except military and overseas citizens who already have specific provisions), prohibited using post office boxes for voter registration or voting addresses, and required voters who moved counties within Tennessee to vote based on their current residence without needing to update registration. The bill directly affected all Tennessee voters by altering how they register, establish residency, and cast ballots. It amended Tennessee Code Annotated Title 2, specifically sections on voting equipment, address requirements, and residency voting rules.

Topics ✗ TechnologyOpposes TechnologyProhibits online voting for most voters, directly restricting technology use in elections. Exception only for military/overseas material provision, not voting itself.90% confidence

Tags Elections

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in committee · Tennessee · House Apr 1, 2025

HB 433: Criminal Offenses - As introduced, expands the offense of unlawful exposure to include the distribution, with the intent to cause emotional distress, of an image of the intimate parts of another identifiable person or an image of an identifiable person engaged in sexually explicit conduct and the image was created or modified by means of a computer software program, artificial intelligence application, or other digital editing tools. - Amends TCA Title 39.

HB 433 amends Tennessee's unlawful exposure law to specifically criminalize distributing digitally altered intimate images of identifiable people. The bill directly affects individuals who create or share such images using digital tools like AI or photo editing software, with intent to cause emotional distress. Key provisions expand the offense to cover images "created or modified by means of a computer software program, artificial intelligence application, or other digital editing tools" when shared without consent. This makes it illegal to distribute these digitally manipulated images under circumstances where privacy was expected. The law takes effect July 1, 2025.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeExpands unlawful exposure law to criminalize AI-modified intimate images, increasing criminalization of digital image distribution with intent to cause distress.95% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyCriminalizes AI-altered intimate image distribution, enhancing data privacy protections against tech-enabled harassment and digital misuse.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Artificial Intelligence

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in committee · Tennessee · House May 15, 2025

HB 869: Health Care - As enacted, revises present law relative to a patient's electronic health record and requires a health insurance entity to establish and maintain a provider access API and a prior authorization API; makes related changes. - Amends TCA Title 8; Title 47; Title 56; Title 63 and Title 68.

HB 869 requires Tennessee health insurance companies to create two new digital systems: a "provider access API" to let doctors quickly retrieve patient records electronically, and a "prior authorization API" to speed up insurance approvals for treatments. It directly affects health insurance entities by mandating these technical standards under revised state laws in Titles 8, 47, 56, 63, and 68. The bill also shortens a deadline for insurers from 10 working days to 10 calendar days for certain patient record requests. This law aims to improve efficiency in healthcare coordination by standardizing electronic access to records and prior authorization processes.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareMandates insurers to implement APIs for faster patient record access and prior authorization, improving healthcare efficiency and patient access per bill summary.95% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyMandates health insurers to implement provider access and prior authorization APIs, directly advancing digital infrastructure for healthcare data interoperability and efficiency.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Insurance

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in committee · Tennessee · House Mar 26, 2025

HB 1132: Consumer Protection - As introduced, changes, from 45 to 50 days from receipt of a request, the time that a controller has to inform a consumer of the controller's decision to decline to take action regarding the consumer's authenticated request under the Tennessee Information Protection Act. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 8; Title 10; Title 29; Title 39; Title 47 and Title 48.

HB 1132 extends the time businesses have to respond to verified consumer data requests under Tennessee's Information Protection Act, increasing the deadline from 45 to 50 days. This change directly affects businesses (referred to as "controllers" in the law) that handle personal data and consumers who submit authenticated requests for data access or correction. The bill amends specific sections of Tennessee law to implement this 5-day extension, which applies to all covered requests. The change will take effect on July 1, 2025, as specified in the bill.

Topics ✗ TechnologyOpposes TechnologyExtends response time for data requests from 45 to 50 days, weakening consumer data privacy enforcement under Tennessee's Information Protection Act.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Consumer Data Protection Data Privacy

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signed · Tennessee · Senate May 13, 2025

SB 535: Children - As enacted, enacts the "Tennessee Protection of Children Against Sexual Exploitation Act." - Amends TCA Title 24; Title 39; Title 40 and Title 47.

This bill prohibits tech companies (like email or social media platforms) from notifying users when law enforcement searches their data for child sexual exploitation cases. It specifically bans service providers from alerting account holders or unauthorized individuals about search warrants or subpoenas related to these investigations. The law aims to prevent suspects from destroying evidence by alerting them to ongoing police activity. It applies directly to electronic communications services covered under Tennessee law and took effect on May 5, 2025.

Topics ✗ TechnologyOpposes TechnologyProhibits tech companies from notifying users of law enforcement data searches, weakening privacy protections by preventing transparency in data access.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Social Media

in committee · Tennessee · House Mar 18, 2026

HB 952: Economic and Community Development - As introduced, enacts the "Small Business Growth and Empowerment Act"; authorizes business tax credits for small businesses hiring locally or providing workforce training; creates grants for minority-owned and women-owned businesses in underserved areas. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 3, Part 7 and Title 67, Chapter 4.

HB 952, the "Small Business Growth and Empowerment Act," creates tax credits for small businesses that hire locally or provide workforce training, and establishes grants for minority-owned and women-owned businesses in underserved areas. The bill authorizes a dedicated fund (managed by the Department of Economic and Community Development) to provide grants for activities like site development, infrastructure, training, and technology improvements that directly support these businesses. Grants must be used in underserved communities - defined as areas with historical barriers to capital, such as rural or inner-city neighborhoods - and recipients must be local governments, economic development organizations, or nonprofits. The fund requires quarterly public reporting of grant recipients, amounts, and project descriptions to ensure transparency. This legislation directly affects small businesses, minority/women business owners, and communities seeking economic development resources.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesProvides tax credits for small businesses hiring locally/workforce training and grants for minority/women-owned businesses in underserved areas, advancing fiscal support through targeted tax relief and funding.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentFunds workforce training and incentivizes local hiring, directly advancing employment opportunities and skills development for workers.95% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyBill explicitly funds technology improvements for small businesses via grants, aligning with 'funds technology' indicator under economic development context.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Business Taxes Tax Incentives Workforce Development Tags Economic Development Small Business

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in committee · Tennessee · House Feb 5, 2025

HB 614: Insurance, Health, Accident - As introduced, requires a pharmacy services administrative organization or similar entity that receives maximum allowable cost list or related information from a contracted pharmacy to destroy the shared information within five business days of receipt of a written request for destruction from the sharing pharmacy. - Amends TCA Title 4 and Title 56.

HB 614 requires pharmacy services administrative organizations (like those managing cost data) to destroy pharmacy cost information within five business days of a written request from the pharmacy that shared it. The bill also prohibits these organizations from disclosing the shared information to third parties. It directly affects pharmacies that contract with such organizations and share maximum allowable cost lists, giving them greater control over sensitive data. The law amends Tennessee Code Sections 56-7-3111 to establish these specific data-handling requirements.

Topics ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyMandates destruction of pharmacy cost data upon request and prohibits third-party disclosure, strengthening data privacy protections in healthcare technology systems.95% confidence

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in committee · Tennessee · Senate Mar 19, 2025

SB 514: Education, Curriculum - As introduced, requires local education agencies and public charter schools to provide age-appropriate instruction to students on how to access, utilize, and critically evaluate various artificial intelligence tools within the curriculum taught by the educator; requires the department of education to issue guidance on how to implement the required instruction; requires the department to provide a professional development program in artificial intelligence education for educators, subject to available funding. - Amends TCA Title 49.

SB 514 requires Tennessee public schools and charter schools to provide age-appropriate instruction on accessing, using, and critically evaluating artificial intelligence tools within regular classes starting in the 2026-2027 school year. The bill mandates the Tennessee Department of Education to issue implementation guidance covering basic AI concepts, practical applications, responsible usage, tool access, and critical thinking skills. It also directs the department to offer AI-focused professional development for educators, contingent on available funding. This bill directly affects all local education agencies and public charter schools in Tennessee by integrating AI literacy into standard curricula.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationRequires AI curriculum integration and educator training, advancing educational technology in K-12 schools per bill mandates.95% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyMandates AI literacy education in schools to promote responsible tech use and critical evaluation of AI tools, advancing digital skills education as a core curriculum component.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum Teachers Artificial Intelligence

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