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Straight-ahead summaries built from the official bill text. We keep the source links front and center and leave the decision up to you.

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SB0525 • 2026

Election Laws

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 2; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7 and Title 20, Chapter 18, relative to ballot measures.

Elections
Active

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

Sponsor
Rose, Vaughan
Last action
2025-04-29
Official status
Effective date(s) 04/24/2025
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on the updates to Tennessee Code Annotated beyond mentioning Titles and Sections affected.

Election Laws for Ballot Measures

This bill requires a three-judge panel to hear legal challenges against proposed charter amendments and prohibits placing unconstitutional or illegal charter amendments on ballots.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires a three-judge panel to hear any civil action that claims a proposed charter amendment ordinance violates the Constitution or state law before it goes on the ballot.
  • Prohibits placing an amendment to the charter of a home rule municipality on the ballot if it breaks the Constitution or state laws.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who file legal challenges against proposed ballot measures and charter amendments.
  • Home rule municipalities that want to put charter amendments on ballots.

Terms To Know

Charter amendment
A change made to the basic rules or laws of a city or town, often decided by voters.
Home rule municipality
A city or town that has been given permission to make its own local laws and decisions without needing approval from higher levels of government.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what happens if a charter amendment is placed on the ballot despite being against the Constitution or state law.
  • It's unclear how this will affect existing legal processes for challenging other types of laws and regulations.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB0913

Plain English: The amendment adds a new section to the bill that ensures existing court orders and decisions will not be affected by the new law.

  • Adds a new section stating that the act does not change or cancel any judicial order or decision made before the new law takes effect.
  • The amendment text is brief and specific, so there are no unclear parts. However, it only addresses court orders and decisions prior to the effective date of the bill and does not provide details about how these orders will be treated after that date.

Bill History

  1. 2025-04-29 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 04/24/2025

  2. 2025-04-29 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 249

  3. 2025-04-29 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 249

  4. 2025-04-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for action.

  6. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  7. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  8. 2025-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled and ready for signatures

  9. 2025-04-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 73, Nays 22, PNV 0

  10. 2025-04-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Subst. for comp. HB.

  11. 2025-04-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  12. 2025-04-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. SB subst.

  13. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  14. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar 4/10/2025

  15. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Objected to on Consent Calendar.

  16. 2025-04-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  17. 2025-04-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate, Ayes 25, Nays 5

  18. 2025-04-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Consent Calendar for 4/7/2025

  19. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/3/2025

  20. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/3/2025

  21. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee

  22. 2025-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee

  23. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/24/2025

  24. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/26/2025

  25. 2025-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  26. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Elections & Campaign Finance Subcommittee for 3/18/2025

  27. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  28. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  29. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Elections & Campaign Finance Subcommittee

  30. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to State & Local Government Committee

  31. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  32. 2025-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  33. 2025-01-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Abstract summarizes the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 913
By Vaughan

SENATE BILL 525
By Rose

SB0525
000888
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 2;
Title 5; Title 6; Title 7 and Title 20, Chapter 18,
relative to ballot measures.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 20-18-101, is amended by deleting
subsection (a) and substituting instead:
(a)
(1) A civil action in which the complaint meets each of the following
criteria must be heard and determined by a three-judge panel pursuant to this
chapter:
(A) Challenges the constitutionality of:
(i) A state statute, including a statute that apportions or
redistricts state legislative or congressional districts;
(ii) An executive order; or
(iii) An administrative rule or regulation;
(B) Includes a claim for declaratory judgment or injunctive relief;
and
(C) Is brought against the state, a state department or agency, or
a state official acting in their official capacity.
(2) A civil action in which it is alleged that a proposed charter amendment
ordinance that is to be submitted to qualified voters at an election is in violation of
the Constitution or state law must be heard and determined by a three-judge
panel pursuant to this chapter.

- 2 - 000888

SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 6-53-105, is amended by adding the
following new subsection:
(d) An amendment to the charter of a home rule municipality shall not be placed
on any ballot if the amendment is in violation of the Constitution or state law.
SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.