HB 1866, the "Regulate Artificial Intelligence in Health Care Act," requires health insurance companies, pharmacy benefits managers, and state health programs like TennCare to have a licensed healthcare professional review any AI-driven decision to deny, delay, or modify medical care based on medical necessity. The bill prohibits using AI alone for such decisions without this human review, which must consider the patient’s medical history, the provider’s recommendation, and individual clinical circumstances. Violations would be treated as unfair claims practices, allowing affected patients to sue for actual damages, punitive damages, and attorney fees. The law would take effect on July 1, 2026, for most purposes.
HB 1975 requires Tennessee public high schools (grades 11-12) to integrate free, industry-aligned career readiness tools into at least one career technical education course starting in 2026-2027. These tools help students earn nationally recognized credentials in soft skills, employability, and digital literacy at no cost, with successful completion granting up to three elective credits toward graduation. The bill also establishes a pilot program (starting 2027-2028) in 10 school districts to gather employer feedback on credential relevance and includes a $100 micro-grant for students earning three credentials. It mandates teacher training on using these tools and requires the state to report annual data on student credential attainment by school district and demographic group.
HB 2060 prohibits Tennessee banks, credit unions, and savings associations from converting consumer funds into digital money like cryptocurrency without the customer's explicit written consent. It directly affects consumers whose money is held by these financial institutions, requiring banks to obtain prior authorization before using digital currencies. Violating this rule could result in fines up to $1,000 per violation or civil lawsuits where affected customers may recover actual damages, punitive damages, and legal fees. The law takes effect July 1, 2026.
SB 1645 creates the "Tennessee Agricultural Innovation and Education Initiative" under the state Department of Agriculture. It requires the department to partner with private nonprofits to develop digital tools, workforce training, and marketing programs connecting Tennessee farmers, students, rural communities, and consumers. Key provisions include prioritizing benefits for state farmers and small businesses, expanding access to agricultural education and e-commerce marketplaces, and mandating annual evaluations measuring farmer participation, economic impact, and taxpayer return. The initiative focuses on modernizing agriculture through technology, workforce development, and statewide collaboration without restricting competition for state contracts.
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Agriculture
HB 1951 creates a new Class D felony offense called "coercive suicide" for AI owners whose systems advise or encourage a user to commit suicide after the user has communicated suicidal intent. It specifically targets AI systems (including chatbots and generative AI) that generate content like text or images, requiring owners to know or reasonably foresee the risk and negligently allow access. The law applies only to AI entities, not human interactions, and takes effect July 1, 2026. This is a policy change focused on holding AI developers accountable for dangerous system outputs, not general suicide prevention.
HB 1862 requires Tennessee state and local elected officials' personally identifying information (like home addresses or phone numbers) to be kept confidential by government entities, with limited exceptions. It mandates redaction of this information in public records while ensuring access to otherwise public data isn't blocked. Exceptions include law enforcement, courts, and officials who personally authorize disclosure - this does not affect existing public personnel records. The bill directly affects elected officials by protecting their personal details from routine public access, effective July 1, 2026.
SB 1689 makes it illegal to use or sell personal identifying information (like home/work addresses, phone numbers, and Social Security numbers) obtained from Tennessee government records for commercial purposes. It requires people requesting such records to sign an affidavit promising they won't sell or use the data commercially. Violating this law is a Class B misdemeanor punishable by a $500 fine per individual affected. The bill does not apply if the person whose information was obtained explicitly authorizes its commercial use.
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Government Transparency
SB 2100 requires businesses that collect personal information for commercial purposes (like selling or sharing data) to annually register with Tennessee's Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division. The bill mandates the division to create a free, accessible website where Tennessee consumers can submit a single deletion request to remove their personal information from all registered businesses at once, without needing to contact each company individually. The system must be secure, work for people with disabilities, and allow consumers to modify or verify requests, with businesses required to process deletions within 45 days or treat unverified requests as opt-outs for data sales. Non-compliant businesses face civil penalties under Tennessee's data protection law.
HB 1898, the "Artificial Intelligence Public Safety and Child Protection Transparency Act," requires large AI developers to implement safety measures for high-risk systems. It directly affects "frontier developers" (those training AI models using over 10^26 computing operations) and "large chatbot providers" (services with over 1 million monthly users likely accessed by minors). Key provisions mandate documented "child safety plans" to prevent harm to minors, reporting of "critical safety incidents" (like model leaks or AI causing mass harm), and defining "catastrophic risks" (e.g., AI aiding weapons creation or enabling severe cyberattacks). The law focuses on transparency and risk mitigation for AI systems posing significant public safety or child protection threats.
HB 2039 prohibits requiring anyone to use programmable digital money (money with built-in transaction rules) for payments and bans issuers from denying transactions based on protected characteristics like political views, religion, gender, medical history, location, or business sector. It also requires issuers to provide written reasons for denied transactions within 90 days upon request. The bill defines "programmable money" as digital currency with automated transaction controls and designates violations as breaches of Tennessee’s Consumer Protection Act. This directly affects consumers, businesses, and digital payment issuers operating within Tennessee.
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Consumer Protection
