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SB0621 • 2026

Campaigns and Campaign Finance

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 2, Chapter 10, relative to campaign finance.

Elections
Active

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

Sponsor
Briggs, Rudd
Last action
2025-05-15
Official status
Effective date(s) 05/09/2025
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on the consequences for non-compliance or the exact interpretation of 'without consent'.

Campaign Finance Rules for Corporations

This bill changes Tennessee's campaign finance laws to require certain corporations to report their spending on political communications if those funds are used without the candidate or official’s consent.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes the law so that a corporation must be treated as a political campaign committee when it spends money for communications supporting or opposing candidates or officials, but only if the spending is not done with the candidate's permission.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Corporations that spend money on political communications without a candidate or official’s consent must follow new reporting rules.
  • The Tennessee Registry of Election Finance will create and update guidelines for these corporations.

Terms To Know

in-kind contributions
Contributions given in the form of goods, services, or anything other than money that must be reported under campaign finance laws.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what happens if a corporation fails to report their political spending as required.
  • It is unclear how strictly 'without consent' will be interpreted in practice.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB0456

Plain English: The amendment changes how Tennessee defines when a corporation must report its spending on election-related communications as a political campaign committee.

  • Expands the definition of 'candidate' to include 'elected official'.
  • Clarifies that corporations are considered political campaign committees if they use corporate funds for communications supporting or opposing the election or defeat of candidates or elected officials without their cooperation, consent, consultation, request, or suggestion.
  • The amendment text does not specify any new reporting requirements beyond redefining when a corporation must be considered a political campaign committee.
  • It is unclear how this change will affect current practices and enforcement of campaign finance laws in Tennessee.
Amendment 1-0 to SB0621

Plain English: The amendment changes how corporations are treated as political campaign committees when they use corporate funds to support or oppose candidates or elected officials without their cooperation.

  • Expands the definition of 'political campaign committee' for corporations that use corporate funds to express support or opposition towards both candidates and elected officials, not just candidates.
  • Clarifies that such corporations must report these expenditures as political campaign committees if they act independently from any candidate's consent or guidance.
  • The amendment text does not specify new penalties or enforcement mechanisms for non-compliance with reporting requirements.

Bill History

  1. 2025-05-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 05/09/2025

  2. 2025-05-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 434

  3. 2025-05-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 434

  4. 2025-05-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2025-05-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for action.

  6. 2025-04-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  7. 2025-04-29 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  8. 2025-04-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled and ready for signatures

  9. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 90, Nays 0, PNV 2

  10. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Am. withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - HA0385)

  11. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Subst. for comp. HB.

  12. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  13. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. SB subst.

  14. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/21/2025

  15. 2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/17/2025

  16. 2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee

  17. 2025-04-10 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  18. 2025-04-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Government Operations Committee for 4/14/2025

  19. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  20. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  21. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 25, Nays 2

  22. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0326)

  23. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Government Operations Committee

  24. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/9/2025

  25. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  26. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 4/9/2025

  27. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 4/9/2025

  28. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 4/2/2025

  29. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate State and Local Government Committee to 4/2/2025

  30. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 4/1/2025

  31. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 4/2/2025

  32. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  33. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Elections & Campaign Finance Subcommittee for 3/25/2025

  34. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  35. 2025-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor change.

  36. 2025-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) withdrawn.

  37. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  38. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Elections & Campaign Finance Subcommittee

  39. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to State & Local Government Committee - Government Operations for Review

  40. 2025-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  41. 2025-01-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  42. 2025-01-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

ON APRIL 9, 2025, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 621, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 rewrites the bill to, instead, revise present law to designate as a political campaign committee for purposes of reporting expenditures pursuant to campaign finance laws
a corporation that uses corporate funds, moneys, or credits for communications expressly supporting or opposing the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate or elected official, and such funds, moneys, or credits are not used with the cooperation or with the prior consent of, or in consultation with, or at the request of, or suggestion of, a candidate or elected official or any agent or authorized committee of the candidate or elected official
.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 456
By Raper

SENATE BILL 621
By Briggs

SB0621
001899
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 2,
Chapter 10, relative to campaign finance.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 2-10-107(c)(2), is amended by
deleting the subdivision and substituting instead:
(2) The registry of election finance shall, by rule promulgated in accordance with
the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act, compiled in title 4, chapter 5, enumerate a
nonexclusive listing of examples of the various categories of contributions that constitute
"in-kind contributions" requiring disclosure. The registry shall provide a copy of such rule
to each member of the general assembly at the beginning of each yearly session and
each candidate for state office within one (1) week of the candidate certifying a treasurer
with the registry. Any changes or revisions to the rules must be promulgated pursuant to
§ 4-55-103(1).
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.