State legislature
Official Tennessee bill text, status, plain English summaries, and amendment notes pulled from the General Assembly site.
Last scanned Aug 22, 2026, 4:14 AM
2026
If at any time an employee who operates a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) is unable to read and speak English well enough to converse with the general public, understand highway traffic signs and signals, respond to official inquiries, and make entries on reports and records as required by federal regulations, then this bill prohibits employers from knowingly allowing, permitting, or authorizing the employee to operate a CMV in the United States.
If at any time an employee who operates a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) is unable to read and speak English well enough to converse with the general public, understand highway traffic signs and signals, respond to official inquiries, and make entries on reports and records as required by federal regulations, then this bill prohibits employers from knowingly allowing, permitting, or authorizing the employee to operate a CMV in the United States.
This law allows counties and cities to pay property tax refunds over time using credits on future taxes instead of cash, if the refund is large enough and both sides agree.
This law requires defendants who are not poor to pay all costs for wearing electronic monitoring devices while awaiting trial or serving probation.
This law ends the group that manages the James K. Polk Memorial Association and requires the Tennessee Historical Commission to negotiate for buying the historic home in Columbia.
This law requires Tennessee teachers in grades 6 through 12 to complete at least one free online course about using artificial intelligence in the classroom by August 1, 2028, or within two years of getting their license.
This law defines sex based on biology at birth and requires public schools, shelters, and detention facilities to separate restrooms, changing rooms, and sleeping areas by biological sex.
This law allows county election officials to set aside specific restrooms in polling buildings for campaign workers and volunteers, provided they follow strict rules about covering up campaign items before entering the restricted area.
This law requires an advisory board to be created and manage school districts that have high poverty rates, low test scores in math and English, and a history of having priority schools.
This law requires state agencies to provide inmates preparing for release with an application form for food assistance and report data on how many people use or decline the program.
This law changes how local governments calculate property taxes for apartment buildings with four or more units that have government rules limiting rent to low-income families, but only in areas where the rule is adopted.
This law allows certain cities that have paused new sewer connections outside their borders to offer service again in nearby areas if developers pay a fee dedicated to affordable housing inside the city.
This law requires all local education agencies and public charter schools to implement evidence-based programs teaching students in grades 3 through 12 how to avoid tobacco, alcohol, illicit drugs, and violence.
ON MARCH 9, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #2 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 639, AS AMENDED.
Present law generally authorizes an eligible petitioner to file a petition for expunction of that person ' s public records involving a criminal offense if the following conditions are met: (1) The offense for which the person is seeking expunction occurred prior to any conviction for a criminal offense that is ineligible for expunction, including convictions for federal offenses and offenses in other states that would be ineligible for ex punction in this state.
PRE-K – 12 STUDENTS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS This bill requires the department of health to make available and require blood lead level testing for all children prior to attendance at public schools that service any combination of pre-K-12 students.
Under present law, one class of persons who are eligible for property tax relief is certain low-income taxpayers 65 years of age or older for real property used as their residence.
This bill creates a Class A felony offense for an individual, for-profit corporation, nonprofit corporation, or other business entity to knowingly train artificial intelligence to do any of the following: Encourage or otherwise support the act of suicide.
ON MARCH 30, 2026, THE HOUSE SUBSTITUTED SENATE BILL 1909 FOR HOUSE BILL 1471, ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1, AND RESET SENATE BILL 1909, AS AMENDED.
This bill authorizes local historical boards to contract with farmers to (i) farm crops on land that is part of a historical site if such land is comprised of five or more contiguous acres and (ii) harvest hay and other such naturally grown products of t he soil on land that is part of a historical site if the land is comprised of fewer than five contiguous acres.
This bill prohibits a fee, fine, or cost from being assessed by a county or municipality against the owner of a shopping cart found on public property unless the shopping cart was removed from the premises or parking area of a retail establishment by the owner of the shopping cart or by an employee acting on the owner's behalf.
Present law provides that if for any reason a budget ordinance is not adopted prior to the beginning of the next fiscal year, then the appropriations for the last fiscal year become s the appropriations for the next fiscal year, until the adoption of the new budget ordinance.
ON APRIL 20, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 1513, AS AMENDED.
ON MARCH 26, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 1562, AS AMENDED.
ON APRIL 14, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #2 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 1620, AS AMENDED.
ON MARCH 12, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 1713, AS AMENDED.
ON APRIL 21, 2026, THE HOUSE SUBSTITUTED SENATE BILL 1665 FOR HOUSE BILL 1666, ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1, AND PASSED SENATE BILL 1665, AS AMENDED.
This bill enacts the "Military Families Licensing Recognition Act," which requires an occupational licensing board to issue an occupational license in the occupation applied for and at the same practice level, as determined by the board, to a person who pays all applicable fees and applies on a form established by the board.
Present law provides independent authority for the establishment and governance of an infrastructure development district.
This bill directs the Tennessee advisory commission on intergovernmental relations (TACIR) to perform a study of this state's emergency communications system.
Present law describes situations in which an employer may not allow, permit, or authorize an employee to operate a commercial motor vehicle in the United States.
This bill incorporates local government entities into the Eligibility Verification for Entitlements Act, and clarifies that such Act is applicable to state government entities, local government entities, and local health departments pertaining to: The verification of citizenship of applicants for benefits.
Effective upon the adoption of a resolution by a majority vote of the county legislative body, this bill prohibits a municipality or regional planning commission from adopting a zoning plan, ordinance, rule, or regional zoning ordinance that exercises ju risdiction over zoning, including development, infrastructure, or land use, outside of the boundaries of a municipality.
Present law provides that a person commits an offense who intentionally engages in bullying, which is an act committed by a student that substantially interferes with another student's educational benefits, opportunities, or performance, and includes eit her of the following, depending on location of the action: If the act takes place on school grounds, at any school-sponsored activity, on school-provided equipment or transportation, or at any official school bus stop, the act has the effect of (i) physically harming the other student or damaging the other student's property; or (ii) knowingly placing the other student or students in reasonable fear of physical harm to the other student or damage to the student's property.
This bill authorizes the Megasite Authority of West Tennessee (the "authority") and a law enforcement agency of a county or municipality in which the megasite is located to enter into a written agreement authorizing sworn peace officers of such agency, o n one or more designated private megasite roadways identified in the agreement, to enforce laws relative to the rules of the road, vehicle equipment and lighting regulations, and vehicle accidents, vehicular crimes, alcohol and drug related offenses, drag r acing, and penalties and procedures for such accidents and offenses.
This bill creates a Class A misdemeanor offense for a person who recklessly discharges a firearm into the air, ground, a body of water, or an object in proximity to the person if the firearm is discharged at a place of public gathering or at a public eve nt where there are at least 25 people in attendance at the time of the discharge.
ON APRIL 22, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 1762, AS AMENDED.
Present law authorizes a governing body to allow participation by electronic means of communication for any meeting authorized by law for the benefit of the public or the governing body.
ON APRIL 16, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENTS #1 AND #2 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 1849, AS AMENDED.
Present law provides that a person in lawful possession of real or personal property is justified in threatening or using force against another, when and to the degree it is reasonably believed the force is immediately necessary to prevent or terminate th e other's trespass on the land or unlawful interference with the property.
Present law generally authorizes certain facilities to receive possession of a newborn infant left on the facility premises, with a facility employee, or a member of the professional medical community, or in a newborn safety device.
ON APRIL 21, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #2 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 2646, AS AMENDED.
This bill prohibits gambling; the operation of gambling devices; and the operation, conducting, or commercial promoting of online sweepstakes games and other forms of online or app-based gambling as offenses against the public health, safety, and welfare of this state.
Present law authorizes a victim of any of the following offenses to file a petition for a lifetime order of protection against the offender who was convicted of the offense: A felony assaultive offense, a criminal homicide offense, a kidnapping or false imprisonment offense, or a sexual offense .
Upon approval of the board of trustees, present law generally requires any person included in the membership of the Tennessee consolidated retirement system ("member") who receives temporary disability benefits under a workers' compensation program to be entitled to establish retirement credit at any time during or after the period of disability.
ON APRIL 21, 2026, THE HOUSE SUBSTITUTED SENATE BILL 1786 FOR HOUSE BILL 1916, ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1, AND PASSED SENATE BILL 1786, AS AMENDED.
This bill prohibits a hospital emergency department, including a satellite emergency department, from denying to a woman who presents at such facility and purports or, if incapacitated, appears to be pregnant and experiencing active labor, other symptoms associated with active labor, or an emergency medical condition, an appropriate medical screening examination within the capability of the emergency department, including ancillary services routinely available to the emergency department, to determine wh et her or not an emergency medical condition or active labor exists.
This bill prohibits an operator from making a companion chatbot available to a minor if the companion chatbot is capable of any of the following: Encouraging or manipulating the minor user to engage in self-harm, suicidal ideation, violence, consumption of drugs or alcohol, or disordered eating.
This bill creates a Class D felony offense of coercive suicide for a person who (i) intentionally, in any manner, advises or encourages another person to commit or attempt to commit suicide for the purpose of inciting, persuading, or aiding the other per son to commit or attempt to commit suicide within an imminent period of time, and (ii) knows that the other person has communicated an intent to commit suicide.
This bill establishes comprehensive regulations and prohibitions regarding the ownership and control of pharmacies by a pharmacy benefits manager ("PBM"), as described below.
This bill requires the commissioner of children's services ("commissioner") to develop a statewide, county-level quality assurance program ("program") and implement it no later than July 1, 2027.
ON APRIL 6, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 1602, AS AMENDED.
ON APRIL 15, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENTS #1, #2, AND #3 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 1926, AS AMENDED.