HB2114 • 2026

Newspapers and Publications

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 1, Chapter 3 and Title 8, Chapter 44, relative to public notices.

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Crawford, Powers
Last action: 2026-05-27
Official status: Comp. became Pub. Ch. 1137
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Newspapers and Publications

Throughout Tennessee Code Annotated, there are several instances in which a public notice or legal notice is required to be published in a newspaper of general circulation.

What This Bill Does

Throughout Tennessee Code Annotated, there are several instances in which a public notice or legal notice is required to be published in a newspaper of general circulation.
Beginning July 1, 2027, this bill authorizes a local government to satisfy such requirement to publish a notice in a newspaper of general circulation if the local government publishes the required notice electronically online, either by the local government or a third party.
Electronic public notice systems must provide easy, equita bl e, and barrier-free access for all users across commonly used platforms and be accessible to the public free of charge.
In order to utilize electronic publication for a required notice, this bill requires a local government to (i) pass an ordinance or resolution detailing the date electronic publication of notices will begin, how the public can access the notices, and wha t types of notices will be published electronically and (ii) adopt a policy governing the posting of notices electronically.

Limits and Unknowns

This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Amendments

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

HA1137

Amendment 1-0 to HB2114

Plain English: House State & Local Government 1 Amendment No.

House State & Local Government 1 Amendment No.
1 to HB2114 Crawford Signature of Sponsor AMEND Senate Bill No.
2450 House Bill No.
2114* HA1137 015041 - 1 - by deleting all language after the enacting clause and substituting: SECTION 1.

HA1213

Amendment 2-0 to HB2114

Plain English: Amendment No.

Amendment No.
2 to HB2114 Crawford Signature of Sponsor AMEND Senate Bill No.
2450 House Bill No.
2114* HA1213 018380 - 1 - by deleting all language after the enacting clause and substituting: SECTION 1.

SA0870

Amendment 1-0 to SB2450

Plain English: Senate State and Local Government 1 Amendment No.

Senate State and Local Government 1 Amendment No.
1 to SB2450 Briggs Signature of Sponsor AMEND Senate Bill No.
2450 House Bill No.
2114* SA0870 016284 - 1 - by deleting all language after the enacting clause and substituting: SECTION 1.

Bill History

2026-05-27 Tennessee General Assembly
Comp. became Pub. Ch. 1137
2026-05-27 Tennessee General Assembly
Effective date(s) 05/22/2026
2026-05-27 Tennessee General Assembly
Pub. Ch. 1137
2026-05-22 Tennessee General Assembly
Signed by Governor.
2026-05-11 Tennessee General Assembly
Transmitted to Governor for action.
2026-05-07 Tennessee General Assembly
Signed by H. Speaker
2026-04-30 Tennessee General Assembly
Signed by Senate Speaker
2026-04-30 Tennessee General Assembly
Enrolled and ready for signatures
2026-04-22 Tennessee General Assembly
Concurred, Ayes 31, Nays 0 (Amendment 2 - HA1213)
2026-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) Added.
2026-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly
Comp. SB subst.
2026-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Message Calendar for 4/22/2026
2026-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly
Passed H., as am., Ayes 91, Nays 0, PNV 0
2026-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly
H. adopted am. (Amendment 2 - HA1213)
2026-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly
Am. withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - HA1137)
2026-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly
Subst. for comp. HB.
2026-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly
H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/20/2026
2026-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/16/2026
2026-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly
Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee
2026-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. Finance, Ways, and Means Committee for 4/15/2026
2026-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly
Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee
2026-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly
Rcvd. from S., held on H. desk.
2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/14/2026
2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly
Assigned to s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee
2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly
Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee
2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly
Engrossed; ready for transmission to House
2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly
Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 33, Nays 0
2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly
Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0870)
2026-04-10 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/13/2026
2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 4/13/2026
2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly
Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to the Next Calendar
2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 4/8/2026
2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly
Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 4/8/2026
2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/31/2026
2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly
Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 3/31/2026
2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly
Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 8, Nays 0 PNV 1
2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/25/2026
2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/25/2026
2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly
Action deferred in Senate State and Local Government Committee to 3/25/2026
2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/24/2026
2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly
Rec for pass if am by s/c ref. to State & Local Government Committee
2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/24/2026
2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly
Action deferred in Senate State and Local Government Committee to 3/24/2026
2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on s/c cal Public Service Subcommittee for 3/18/2026
2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/17/2026
2026-03-09 Tennessee General Assembly
Assigned to s/c Public Service Subcommittee
2026-03-09 Tennessee General Assembly
Ref. to State & Local Government Committee
2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly
P2C, caption bill, held on desk - pending amdt.
2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly
Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate State and Local Government Committee
2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly
Intro., P1C.
2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly
Filed for introduction
2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly
Introduced, Passed on First Consideration
2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly
Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Throughout Tennessee Code Annotated, there are several instances in which a public notice or legal notice is required to be published in a newspaper of general circulation. Beginning July 1, 2027, this bill authorizes a local government to satisfy such
requirement to publish a notice in a newspaper of general circulation if the local government publishes the required notice electronically online, either by the local government or a third party. Electronic public notice systems must provide easy, equita
bl
e, and barrier-free access for all users across commonly used platforms and be accessible to the public free of charge.

In order to utilize electronic publication for a required notice, this bill requires a local government to (i) pass an ordinance or resolution detailing the date electronic publication of notices will begin, how the public can access the notices, and wha
t types of notices will be published electronically and (ii) adopt a policy governing the posting of notices electronically. The policy must meet all of the following requirements:



Ensure the security, reliability, integrity, and maintenance of the system and published notices and records to verify compliance with public notice requirements.


Specify clear, legally compliant timeframes that govern the posting, archiving, and retention of public notices and related records.


Standardize a legally compliant format and appearance for electronically published notices, including supplemental information that may be posted with such notices.

This bill authorizes operators of third-party websites permitting local governments to post electronic notices on the third party's website to charge a reasonable fee for such service.

ON APRIL 13, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 2450, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 rewrites this bill to require
TACIR to:

(1) Study whether newspapers of general circulation remain the most efficient and effective manner for governments to provide the public with transparent and accessible information. This study must also examine how the efficiency of public notice metho
ds has changed historically;

(2) Study how the public has historically obtained its news and information compared to today;

(3) Examine the ability of government entities to create public notice systems;

(4) Review all governmental and public entities' notice requirements and practices to determine how much taxpayer money is used to meet newspaper publication requirements;

(5) Consider how the availability of broadband access across the states may affect the publication of online public notices;

(6) Review public notice practices in other states and any available trends or advances in technology;

(7) Consult with interested parties regarding the subject of publication of notices; and

(8) Upon completion of the study required by this amendment, report its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the chair of the state and local government committee of the senate, the chair of the committee of the house of r
epresentatives having jurisdiction over subject matters pertaining to state and local government, and the legislative librarian.

ON APRIL 21, 2026, THE HOUSE SUBSTITUTED SENATE BILL 2450 FOR HOUSE BILL 2114, ADOPTED AMENDMENT #2, AND PASSED SENATE BILL 2450, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #2 incorporates the substantive provisions of Senate Amendment #1 and makes various grammatical clarifications to differentiate between TACIR's duties and subjects to be included in the study.

ON APRIL 22, 2026, THE SENATE CONCURRED IN HOUSE AMENDMENT #
2
.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

SENATE BILL 2450
By Powers

HOUSE BILL 2114
By Crawford
HB2114
011934
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 1,
Chapter 3 and Title 8, Chapter 44, relative to
public notices.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 1-3-120, is amended by adding the
following as a new subsection:
(g)
(1) Beginning July 1, 2027, the requirement to publish a notice in a
newspaper of general circulation may be satisfied by a local government
publishing the required notice electronically online, either by the local
government or a third party. Electronic public notice systems must provide easy,
equitable, and barrier-free access for all users across commonly used platforms.
(2) In order to utilize electronic publication for a required notice, a local
government shall:
(A) Pass an ordinance or resolution detailing the date electronic
publication of notices will begin, how the public can access the notices,
and what types of notices will be published electronically; and
(B) Adopt a policy governing the posting of notices electronically.
(3) The electronic online publications made under this subsection (g)
must be accessible to the public free of charge.
(4) An electronic public notice system policy adopted under subdivision
(g)(2)(B) must:

- 2 - 011934

(A) Ensure the security, reliability, integrity, and maintenance of
the system and published notices and records to verify compliance with
public notice requirements;
(B) Specify clear, legally compliant timeframes that govern the
posting, archiving, and retention of public notices and related records;
and
(C) Standardize a legally compliant format and appearance for
electronically published notices, including supplemental information that
may be posted with such notices.
(5) Operators of third-party websites permitting local governments to post
electronic notices on the third party's website may charge a reasonable fee for
such service.
(6) A public notice that is specifically required by law to be published in a
newspaper or periodical of general circulation must be published in compliance
with such law.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect on July 1, 2026, the public welfare requiring it.