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SB1997 • 2026

Election Laws

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 2, relative to members of the general assembly.

Elections
Active

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

Sponsor
Lamar, Miller
Last action
2026-03-24
Official status
Assigned to General Subcommittee of Senate State and Local Government Committee
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Election Law Changes for Tennessee Legislators

This bill allows long-serving Tennessee state senators and representatives to get signatures from voters outside their districts on nominating petitions.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes the rules about who can sign a legislator's nominating petition.
  • Allows senators with at least eight years of service to use voter signatures from their county, even if those voters cannot vote for them.
  • Permits representatives with at least ten years of service to also get signatures from voters in their county, regardless of eligibility to vote for the representative.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Tennessee state senators who have served for eight or more consecutive years
  • Tennessee state representatives who have served for ten or more consecutive years

Terms To Know

nominating petition
A document used to nominate a candidate for an election.
consecutive years
Years that follow each other without interruption.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how many signatures are needed or what happens if the rules change.
  • It is unclear how this will affect elections in Tennessee.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to General Subcommittee of Senate State and Local Government Committee

  2. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  3. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate State and Local Government Committee to 3/24/2026

  4. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Taken off notice for cal in s/c Elections & Campaign Finance Subcommittee of State & Local Government Committee

  5. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/17/2026

  6. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Elections & Campaign Finance Subcommittee for 3/17/2026

  7. 2026-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Reset on Final cal. of Elections & Campaign Finance Subcommittee

  8. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Elections & Campaign Finance Subcommittee for 3/3/2026

  9. 2026-02-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Elections & Campaign Finance Subcommittee to Next Calendar

  10. 2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Elections & Campaign Finance Subcommittee for 2/17/2026

  11. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  12. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Elections & Campaign Finance Subcommittee

  13. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to State & Local Government Committee

  14. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  15. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  16. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  17. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Abstract summarizes the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
HOUSE BILL 1921
By Miller

SENATE BILL 1997
By Lamar
SB1997
011866
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 2,
relative to members of the general assembly.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 2-5-101(b), is amended by adding
the following as a new subdivision:
(4) Notwithstanding subdivision (b)(1), the nominating petition of a member of
the senate who has held office for at least eight (8) consecutive years or a member of
the house of representatives who has held office for at least ten (10) consecutive years
may be signed by registered voters who are not eligible to vote to fill that member's
office if the registered voters reside in the county in which the district lies.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.