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HB1331 • 2026

Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA)

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 50-7-302 and Section 58-2-106, relative to emergencies.

Labor
Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Lamberth, Johnson
Last action
2025-02-12
Official status
Assigned to s/c Departments & Agencies Subcommittee
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details about how long the suspension of unemployment requirements will last or what federal guidance entails.

Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) Act

This bill amends rules for unemployment benefits during emergencies and grants TEMA authority to assist local governments with disaster recovery on public property.

What This Bill Does

  • Suspends certain eligibility conditions for receiving unemployment benefits when the governor declares an emergency in counties that have requested a major disaster declaration from the federal government.
  • Gives TEMA the authority to help political subdivisions and local emergency management agencies recover from disasters and emergencies on public property.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Unemployed workers who live or work in counties with declared major disasters.
  • Local emergency management agencies and political subdivisions dealing with disaster recovery on public property.

Terms To Know

TEMA
Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, which handles statewide emergency planning and response.
Major Disaster Declaration
A declaration by the federal government that a disaster is of such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capabilities of state and local governments.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill only applies to residents or workers in counties with declared major disasters.
  • It does not specify how long the suspension of unemployment requirements will last during an emergency.

Bill History

  1. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Departments & Agencies Subcommittee

  2. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to State & Local Government Committee - Government Operations for Review

  3. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Commerce and Labor Committee

  4. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  5. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  6. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  7. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Present law generally
protect
s
workers in
this state
from involuntary unemployment
by providing weekly payments from the
unemployment compensation fund
in an
amount based on a benefit formula.

ELIGIBILITY CONDITIONS

Present law requires an
unemployed claimant
to
be eligible to receive benefits with respect to any week only if the administrator finds that
certain
conditions
have been
met
. The following are
two such conditions:



The claimant has registered for work, and thereafter continued to report, at an employment office as prescribed by the administrator, except that the administrator may waive or alter either or both of these requirements as to individuals attached to regular jobs and as to such other types of cases or situations with respect to which the administrator finds that compliance with the requirements would be oppressive, or would be inconsistent with the purposes of this law
.



The claimant is able to work, available for work, and making a reasonable effort to secure work
, with some exceptions
.
"
Making a reasonable effort to secure work
"
means the claimant provides detailed information regarding at least four work search activities per week
.
The administrator must verify whether claimants are complying with this requirement and disqualify any claimant receiving benefits who the administrator finds has provided false work search information
.

This bill provides
, upon declaration of an emergenc
y
by the governor of this state
,
that the requirements

described above
are suspended to the extent necessary to allow the commissioner the discretion to amend such reporting requirements upon receiving appropriate federal guidance. Such a suspension is li
mited to residents of this state who reside or work in counties for which the state has requested a major disaster declaration.

TEMA

Present law provides that
the Tennessee emergency management agency (TEMA)

is responsible for maintaining a
comprehensive statewide program of emergency management.

In performing its duties, the agency
must adhere to 19 directives, including, for example, i
mplement
ing
training programs to improve the ability of state and local emergency management personnel to
prepare and implement emergency management plans and programs
, and c
ooperat
ing
with the federal government and any public or private agency or entity in achieving
or
implementing programs for mitigation, preparation, response, and recovery
. This bill adds
to the list of directives for TEMA to b
e vested with the authority to assist political subdivisions and local emergency management agencies with recovery from disasters and emergencies on public property.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
SENATE BILL 1317
By Johnson

HOUSE BILL 1331
By Lamberth

HB1331
000926
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Section
50-7-302 and Section 58-2-106, relative to
emergencies.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 50-7-302(a), is amended by deleting
the language "Personal Eligibility Conditions." and substituting:
Personal Eligibility Conditions. Notwithstanding this subsection (a) to the contrary,
upon declaration of an emergency pursuant to § 58-2-107, subdivisions (a)(3) and (4)
are suspended to the extent necessary to allow the commissioner the discretion to
amend such reporting requirements upon receiving appropriate federal guidance. Such
a suspension is limited to residents of this state who reside or work in counties for which
the state has requested a major disaster declaration.
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 58-2-106(b), is amended by adding
the following new subdivision:
(20) Be vested with the authority to assist political subdivisions and local
emergency management agencies with recovery from disasters and emergencies on
public property.
SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.