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HB1463 • 2026

Flags

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 4-1-406, relative to flags.

Active

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

Sponsor
Lankford, Powers
Last action
2026-04-13
Official status
H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/14/2026
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The candidate explanation included a claim about immediate effectiveness which was not explicitly stated in the official source material. The bill text indicates that the act takes effect upon becoming law, but no specific date is provided.

Tennessee Flag Law for Pearl Harbor Day

This bill requires that flags flown over the Tennessee state capitol building be lowered to half-staff on December 7th each year in observance of Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires all flags flying at the Tennessee State Capitol Building to be lowered to half-staff from sunrise to sunset on December 7th every year.
  • Adds a new subsection (c) to an existing law about flags in Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 4-1-406.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who fly or manage the flags at the Tennessee State Capitol Building.

Terms To Know

half-staff
The position of a flag when it is flown halfway down the pole to show respect or mourning.
Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
A day set aside each year on December 7th to remember and honor those who were affected by the attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii during World War II.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what happens if the flag is already at half-staff for another reason.
  • It only applies to flags flown over the Tennessee State Capitol Building, not other government buildings or private property.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/14/2026

  2. 2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  3. 2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Objected to on Consent Calendar.

  4. 2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Consent Calendar for 4/13/2026

  5. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/9/2026

  6. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee

  7. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 4/8/2026

  8. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 4/8/2026

  9. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/31/2026

  10. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 3/31/2026

  11. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/24/2026

  12. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 3/24/2026

  13. 2026-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/18/2026

  14. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 3/18/2026

  15. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/11/2026

  16. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 3/11/2026

  17. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/4/2026

  18. 2026-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rcvd. from S., held on H. desk.

  19. 2026-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 3/4/2026

  20. 2026-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  21. 2026-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  22. 2026-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  23. 2026-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate, Ayes 32, Nays 0

  24. 2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 2/18/2026

  25. 2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  26. 2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to State & Local Government Committee

  27. 2026-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Consent Calendar 2 for 2/12/2026

  28. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Public Service Subcommittee for 2/11/2026

  29. 2026-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee

  30. 2026-01-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 2/3/2026

  31. 2026-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Public Service Subcommittee

  32. 2026-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to State & Local Government Committee

  33. 2026-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate State and Local Government Committee

  34. 2026-01-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  35. 2026-01-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  36. 2025-12-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  37. 2025-12-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Abstract summarizes the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 1488
By Powers

HOUSE BILL 1463
By Lankford

HB1463
010595
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 4-
1-406, relative to flags.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 4-1-406, is amended by adding the
following as a new subsection:
(c) Each December 7, any flag flown over the state capitol building must be
flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset in observance of Pearl Harbor Remembrance
Day.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming law, the public welfare requiring it.