HB1671 • 2026

Local Government, General

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 5; Title 6; Title 7 and Title 71, Chapter 5, relative to the relocation of homeless persons.

Housing

Active

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

Sponsor: Rudd, Reeves
Last action: 2026-04-06
Official status: Sponsor(s) Added.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official summary text does not specify what happens if local governments do not follow the rules.

Restrictions on Relocating Homeless Individuals

This bill restricts local governments from moving homeless people to other areas without permission and limits using public money for such moves unless housing and services are available.

What This Bill Does

Stops local governmental entities from relocating homeless individuals to another jurisdiction without written consent from the receiving jurisdiction.
Prevents local governmental entities from using public funds to relocate homeless individuals if there is no proof of housing and necessary services in the new location.
Allows local governmental entities to use public funds for relocation when reuniting homeless individuals with their place of origin, provided they have substantial ties to that place.

Who It Names or Affects

Local governmental entities in Tennessee
Homeless individuals

Terms To Know

Substantial ties: Strong connections or relationships to a specific place, such as family or employment.

Limits and Unknowns

Exempts local law enforcement agencies from these restrictions.
Removes the ability for the attorney general and reporter to seek civil penalties against local governmental entities that violate these rules.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

HA0788

Amendment 1-0 to HB1671

Plain English: This amendment adds new laws that prevent local governments from moving homeless people to other areas without permission or using public money for such moves unless proper housing and services are available.

Local governments cannot move homeless individuals to another area without written consent from the receiving area.
Public funds cannot be used by local governments to relocate homeless individuals unless there is proof that housing and necessary services exist in the new location.
Jurisdictions affected by violations of these rules can sue for damages and seek court orders against the moving government.

The amendment does not specify what happens if a local government violates these laws without public funds or consent.

HA0983

Amendment 2-0 to HB1671

Plain English: The amendment adds new rules to prevent local governments from relocating homeless individuals without proper consent and verification of services in another jurisdiction.

Local governmental entities cannot relocate homeless individuals to other jurisdictions unless they get written permission from the receiving area and ensure there are housing and necessary services available for them.
Local governmental entities also cannot use public funds to move homeless people to different areas without verifying that essential support is in place or if it's part of a program to reunite them with their original home.

The amendment does not apply to local law enforcement agencies, but it’s unclear how this exemption affects the overall implementation and enforcement.
It doesn't specify what constitutes 'substantial ties' to an individual's place of origin, which could lead to different interpretations.

SA0630

Amendment 1-0 to SB1788

Plain English: The amendment adds new laws that prevent local governments from moving homeless people to other areas without permission or proper support.

Local governmental entities cannot move homeless individuals to another jurisdiction unless they get written consent from the receiving area.
Public funds cannot be used by local governmental entities to relocate homeless individuals to other jurisdictions unless there is proof that housing and necessary services are available in the new location.
Jurisdictions affected by violations of these rules can seek damages and legal action against the local government.

The amendment does not apply to law enforcement agencies, but it's unclear how this exemption affects their actions regarding homeless individuals.

SA0844

Amendment 2-0 to SB1788

Plain English: The amendment adds new rules to prevent local governments from moving homeless people to other areas without proper consent or verification of services.

Local governmental entities cannot relocate homeless individuals to another jurisdiction unless they get written permission from the receiving area or if it's part of a program to reunite them with their original home.
Public funds cannot be used by local governments to move homeless people to other areas without ensuring that housing and services are available in those places, except for programs aimed at reuniting individuals with their place of origin.

The amendment does not apply to actions taken by law enforcement agencies.
It's unclear how the new rules will be enforced or what specific penalties might apply.

Bill History

2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly
Enrolled and ready for signatures
2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly
Concurred, Ayes 25, Nays 4 (Amendment 2 - HA0983)
2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Message Calendar for 4/9/2026
2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) Added.
2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly
Comp. SB subst.
2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly
Passed H., as am., Ayes 76, Nays 20, PNV 0
2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly
Am. withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - HA0788)
2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly
H. adopted am. (Amendment 2 - HA0983)
2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly
Subst. for comp. HB.
2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly
H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/6/2026
2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly
Reset on next avail. cal.
2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly
Rcvd. from S., held on H. desk.
2026-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly
H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/2/2026
2026-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly
Engrossed; ready for transmission to House
2026-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) Added.
2026-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly
Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 23, Nays 4, PNV 1
2026-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly
Amendment withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - SA0630)
2026-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly
Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 2 - SA0844)
2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 3/26/2026
2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly
Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Calendar & Rules Committee
2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/26/2026
2026-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) Added.
2026-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly
Senate Reset on calendar for 3/26/2026
2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/24/2026
2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly
Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 3/24/2026
2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/19/2026
2026-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/18/2026
2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly
Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 3/18/2026
2026-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly
Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 6, Nays 3 PNV 0
2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/11/2026
2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly
Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 3/11/2026
2026-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/10/2026
2026-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly
Action deferred in Senate State and Local Government Committee to 3/10/2026
2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/4/2026
2026-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/3/2026
2026-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly
Action deferred in Senate State and Local Government Committee to 3/3/2026
2026-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly
Rec for pass if am by s/c ref. to State & Local Government Committee
2026-02-17 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 2/24/2026
2026-02-17 Tennessee General Assembly
Action deferred in Senate State and Local Government Committee to 2/24/2026
2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on s/c cal Cities & Counties Subcommittee for 2/18/2026
2026-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 2/17/2026
2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly
Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate State and Local Government Committee
2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly
Assigned to s/c Cities & Counties Subcommittee
2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly
P2C, ref. to State & Local Government Committee
2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly
Introduced, Passed on First Consideration
2026-01-20 Tennessee General Assembly
Filed for introduction
2026-01-15 Tennessee General Assembly
Intro., P1C.
2026-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly
Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

This bill prohibits a local governmental entity from doing either of the following:



Relocating a homeless individual to another jurisdiction, unless the local governmental entity receives written consent for such relocation from the receiving jurisdiction.



Using public funds to relocate homeless individuals to other jurisdictions, unless the local governmental entity verifies that housing and other necessary services are available for the homeless individuals in the receiving jurisdiction.

This bill authorizes the attorney general to seek civil penalties of up to $10,000 from a local governmental entity for each violation of this bill. A jurisdiction that is affected by such a violation may seek damages and injunctive relief against the e
ntity.

ON MARCH 26, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #2 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 1788, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #2 adds that a
local governmental entity may relocate a homeless individual to another jurisdiction, and use public funds for such relocation, if the relocation is made through a program established by the local governmental entity for the purpose of reuniting homeless
individuals with their place of origin when proof of substantial ties to the place of origin exists.

This amendment exempts local law enforcement agencies from this bill.

This amendment removes this bill's authorization for the attorney general and reporter to seek civil penalties for violations.

ON APRIL 6, 2026, THE HOUSE SUBSTITUTED SENATE BILL 1788 FOR HOUSE BILL 1671, ADOPTED AMENDMENT #2, AND PASSED SENATE BILL 1788, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #2 makes a technical clarification to indicate that this bill prohibits a local governmental entity from relocating a homeless individual to another jurisdiction unless:

(1) The local governmental entity receives written consent for such relocation from the receiving jurisdiction; and

(2) The relocation is made through a program established by the local governmental entity
for the purpose of reuniting homeless individuals with their place of origin when proof of substantial ties to the place of origin exists.

ON APRIL 9, 2026, THE SENATE CONCURRED IN HOUSE AMENDMENT #
2
.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

SENATE BILL 1788
By Reeves

HOUSE BILL 1671
By Rudd
HB1671
009919
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 5;
Title 6; Title 7 and Title 71, Chapter 5, relative to
the relocation of homeless persons.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 7, Chapter 51, is amended by adding
the following as a new part:
7-51-2801.
A local governmental entity shall not relocate a homeless individual to another
jurisdiction, unless the local governmental entity receives written consent for such
relocation from the receiving jurisdiction.
7-51-2802.
A local governmental entity shall not use public funds to relocate homeless
individuals to other jurisdictions, unless the local governmental entity verifies that
housing and other necessary services are available for the homeless individuals in the
receiving jurisdiction.
7-51-2803.
(a) The attorney general and reporter may seek civil penalties of up to ten
thousand dollars ($10,000) from a local governmental entity for each violation of § 7-51-
2801 or § 7-51-2802.
(b) A jurisdiction that is affected by a violation of § 7-51-2801 or § 7-51-2802
may seek damages and injunctive relief against the local governmental entity.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.