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HB2659 • 2026

Gaming

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 3, Chapter 17, relative to charitable gaming.

Enacted

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

Sponsor
Lamberth, Johnson
Last action
2026-04-13
Official status
Comp. became Pub. Ch. 680
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not provide information on what happens if an organization misses the new deadline or specifies the exact date when this law takes effect.

Charitable Gaming Application Deadline Change

This bill changes the deadline for nonprofit organizations to apply for permission to hold annual charitable gaming events in Tennessee from January 31st to within five days after this law takes effect, and it requires the secretary of state to send a list of approved organizations to relevant officials.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows nonprofits to submit applications to run an annual event within five calendar days after this bill becomes law for the period from July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027.
  • Requires the secretary of state to send a list of approved organizations to the clerks of both houses by noon ten days after the bill takes effect.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Nonprofit organizations in Tennessee seeking permission to hold annual charitable gaming events.
  • The secretary of state who reviews applications and sends lists of approved nonprofits.
  • Clerks of both houses of the Tennessee General Assembly.

Terms To Know

Charitable Gaming
Events where nonprofit organizations raise money through games of chance, like raffles or bingo.
Annual Event Application
A form that nonprofits must fill out to get permission from the state to hold a charitable gaming event each year.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill only changes deadlines for applications and reporting lists for one specific period, not permanently.
  • It does not specify what happens if an organization misses the new deadline.
  • The exact date when this law takes effect is not provided in the summary.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB2659

Plain English: The amendment changes how the clerk of the house sends information about charitable gaming authorizations to the secretary and the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference.

  • Changes the way the clerk of the house transmits a copy of charitable gaming authorization from paper to electronic format.
  • The amendment does not specify how or when this transmission must occur, leaving some details unclear.
Amendment 1-0 to SB2723

Plain English: The amendment changes how authorizations for charitable gaming are transmitted by requiring electronic transmission to specific officials.

  • Changes the way authorizations for charitable gaming are sent, now requiring them to be transmitted electronically instead of through other methods.
  • The exact details about what constitutes 'authorization' and how it was previously transmitted are not provided in the amendment text.
  • It is unclear if there were any existing requirements for transmitting authorizations before this change.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 680

  2. 2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 04/08/2026

  3. 2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 680

  4. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for action.

  6. 2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  7. 2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. SB subst.

  8. 2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  9. 2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  10. 2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled and ready for signatures

  11. 2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 91, Nays 0, PNV 0

  12. 2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Am. withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - HA0783)

  13. 2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Subst. for comp. HB.

  14. 2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/6/2026

  15. 2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  16. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/2/2026

  17. 2026-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee

  18. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  19. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  20. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 31, Nays 0

  21. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0863)

  22. 2026-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/30/2026

  23. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Finance, Ways, and Means Committee for 3/31/2026

  24. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

  25. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 3/25/2026

  26. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee

  27. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

  28. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 9, Nays 0 PNV 0

  29. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  30. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/24/2026

  31. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  32. 2026-03-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Departments & Agencies Subcommittee for 3/17/2026

  33. 2026-03-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Departments & Agencies Subcommittee

  34. 2026-03-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to State & Local Government Committee

  35. 2026-03-16 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  36. 2026-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  37. 2026-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  38. 2026-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Approved by Delayed Bills Committee

  39. 2026-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Refer to Senate Delayed Bills Committee

  40. 2026-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Approved by Delayed Bills Comm.

  41. 2026-03-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Delayed Bills Committee for 3/10/2026

  42. 2026-03-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  43. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Ref. to Delayed Bills Committee

  44. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Present law requires a nonprofit organization seeking to operate an annual event for the benefit of that organization to submit an annual event application to the secretary of state by January 31
st
of each year. This bill authorizes such a nonprofit organization to submit an annual event application to the secretary of state within five calendar days after this bill becomes a law, for the annual event period beginning July 1, 2026, and ending June
30, 2027.

Present law requires the secretary of state to review all annual event applications and submit a list of qualifying applicants to the clerks of the senate and house of representatives by March 8
th
of each year. This bill requires the secretary of state to transfer an additional list of approved organizations for those organizations approved pursuant to the above-stated deadline for the annual event period beginning July 1, 2026, and ending June 3
0, 2027. The additional list must be transferred to the cle
rks by noon within 10 calendar days after this bill becomes a law.

ON MARCH 30, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 2723, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 adds to the bill that for nonprofit organizations seeking to operate an annual gaming event, that u
pon authorization by the general assembly, the clerk of the house last approving the authorization
must
transmit electronically a copy of
the authorization
to the secretary and to the executive director of the Tennessee district attorney generals conference for distribution to each affected district attorney general.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 2723
By Johnson

HOUSE BILL 2659
By Lamberth
HB2659
014569
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 3,
Chapter 17, relative to charitable gaming.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 3-17-103(a)(1)(A)(ii), is amended by
deleting the subdivision and substituting:
(ii) In addition to the submission deadline described in subdivision (a)(1)(A)(i), a
nonprofit organization seeking to operate an annual event for the benefit of that
organization located in this state may submit an annual event application to the
secretary within five (5) calendar days after the effective date of this act, for the annual
event period beginning July 1, 2026, and ending June 30, 2027.
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 3-17-103(b)(2), is amended by
deleting the subdivision and substituting:
(2) In addition to the omnibus listing transferred to the clerk of the senate and
the clerk of the house of representatives pursuant to subdivision (b)(1), the secretary
shall transfer an additional omnibus listing of any organizations approved pursuant to
subdivision (a)(1)(A)(ii) for the annual event period beginning July 1, 2026, and ending
June 30, 2027. The list must be transferred in a manner consistent with subdivision
(b)(1) by twelve o'clock (12:00) noon central daylight time (CDT) within ten (10) calendar
days after the effective date of this act.
SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.