KLS Keeping Law Simple Legislation in plain English

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

Back to Tennessee

SB2108 • 2026

Immigration

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4; Title 7; Title 8 and Title 9, relative to reporting regarding persons not lawfully present in the United States.

Education Healthcare
Active

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

Sponsor
White, Davis
Last action
2026-03-30
Official status
Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/31/2026
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The candidate explanation included details about criminal gang activities and violations of federal immigration laws that were not explicitly mentioned in the official summary.

Reporting Requirements for Undocumented Individuals

This bill requires law enforcement and local government entities to report information about individuals who are not legally in the United States to state authorities.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires law enforcement agencies to send quarterly reports to a special division of the Department of Safety regarding illegal activities, including criminal gang activities and violations of federal immigration laws, involving persons not lawfully present in the U.S.
  • Asks the Department of Finance and Administration to report annually on or before December 31st about how much money the state spends on public schools, prisons, hospitals, and social services for individuals not legally in the United States.
  • Requires local government entities to inform a special division about violations of local rules by individuals who are not U.S. citizens or qualified aliens, as well as their receipt of public benefits.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Law enforcement agencies
  • Local government entities and officials
  • The Department of Finance and Administration

Terms To Know

Centralized immigration enforcement division
A special part of the state's safety department that collects information about people who are not legally in the United States.
Qualified aliens
People from other countries who have certain legal status, like a green card or refugee status, but are not U.S. citizens.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what happens to the reported information.
  • It is unclear how this reporting will affect individuals' rights and privacy.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB1711

Plain English: The amendment adds new sections to Tennessee Code Annotated that require local governments, state departments, and educational institutions to report data on individuals who may not be lawfully present in the United States and associated costs.

  • Adds a new part titled 'Unlawful-Immigration Cost Reporting Act' under Title 4 of the Tennessee Code Annotated.
  • Requires local education agencies (LEAs) and public charter schools to report on students who cannot provide documentation of lawful presence in the U.S. by January 31, 2027, and annually thereafter.
  • Directs higher education institutions to report on students receiving state or federal subsidies who are unable to produce required documentation for their legal status.
  • Requires hospitals to report data on undocumented patients served during the previous calendar year.
  • The amendment text is incomplete and does not provide full details of all reporting requirements, especially regarding law enforcement costs.
Amendment 2-0 to HB1711

Plain English: The amendment changes how local educational agencies and public charter schools report on students' lawful presence status in the United States.

  • Local educational agencies and public charter schools must now submit reports about students who have or haven't provided documentation of their legal status to the Department of Education by January 1 each year, starting from 2027.
  • The Department of Education will calculate the cost for each student based on whether they produced or failed to produce documentation of lawful presence in the United States.
  • By January 31 each year, the Department of Education must send an aggregated report with this information and costs to collecting entities.
  • The amendment does not specify what happens if a student fails to provide required documentation or how schools should handle such cases.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/14/2026

  2. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed behind the budget

  3. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/8/2026

  4. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  5. 2026-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  6. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/31/2026

  7. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/31/2026

  8. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate State and Local Government Committee to 3/31/2026

  9. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/25/2026

  10. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/31/2026

  11. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/25/2026

  12. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate State and Local Government Committee to 3/25/2026

  13. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 3/31/2026

  14. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  15. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  16. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 3/24/2026

  17. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  18. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  19. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/18/2026

  20. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 3/18/2026

  21. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/11/2026

  22. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 3/11/2026

  23. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/4/2026

  24. 2026-02-17 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  25. 2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Departments & Agencies Subcommittee for 2/17/2026

  26. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  27. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  28. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  29. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Departments & Agencies Subcommittee

  30. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to State & Local Government Committee

  31. 2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  32. 2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  33. 2026-01-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

This bill requires law enforcement agencies to communicate with local governmental entities and officials to submit quarterly reports to the centralized immigration enforcement division of the department of safety, and the appropriate federal official re
garding illegal activities, including criminal gang activities and violations of federal immigration laws, of persons who are not lawfully present in the United States. The law enforcement agency must include in its quarterly reports those persons arrest
ed
or otherwise detained for violations of federal immigration laws.

This bill requires the department of finance and administration to report to the governor and the speakers of the senate and house of representatives on or before December 31, 2026, and each December 31 thereafter, the annual cost incurred by this state
for public schools, including public higher education institutions; prisons; hospitals; and social services agencies to provide benefits and services to persons not lawfully present in the United States.

This bill requires a local governmental entity to report to the centralized immigration enforcement division violations of ordinances and resolutions subject to the imposition of civil penalties by individuals who are not United States citizens or qualif
ied aliens, and the receipt of public benefits by individuals who are not United States citizens or qualified aliens. A law enforcement agency must also report individuals who are not United States citizens or qualified aliens who are charged or convicte
d
of criminal offenses to the centralized immigration enforcement division. An employee's or official's failure to report a violation of this bill is a Class A misdemeanor, which is punishable by a term of imprisonment no greater than 11 months, 29 days; a
fine not to exceed $2,500; or both.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 1711
By Davis

SENATE BILL 2108
By White
SB2108
011402
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4;
Title 7; Title 8 and Title 9, relative to reporting
regarding persons not lawfully present in the
United States.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 7, Chapter 68, Part 1, is amended by
adding the following as a new section:
A law enforcement agency shall communicate with local governmental entities
and officials to submit quarterly reports to the centralized immigration enforcement
division of the department of safety, created in § 4-3-2014, and the appropriate federal
official regarding illegal activities, including criminal gang activities and violations of
federal immigration laws, of persons who are not lawfully present in the United States.
The law enforcement agency shall include in its quarterly reports those persons arrested
or otherwise detained for violations of federal immigration laws.
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 4-1-425, is amended by adding the
following as a new subsection (f) and redesignating existing subsection (f) accordingly:
(f) The department of finance and administration shall report to the governor and
the speakers of the senate and house of representatives on or before December 31,
2026, and each December 31 thereafter, the annual cost incurred by this state for public
schools, including public higher education institutions, prisons, hospitals, and social
services agencies to provide benefits and services to persons not lawfully present in the
United States.
SECTION 3. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4, Chapter 58, is amended by adding
the following as a new section:

- 2 - 011402

(a) A local governmental entity shall report to the centralized immigration
enforcement division:
(1) Violations of ordinances and resolutions subject to the imposition of
civil penalties by individuals who are not United States citizens or qualified aliens;
and
(2) The receipt of public benefits by individuals who are not United States
citizens or qualified aliens.
(b) A law enforcement agency, as defined in § 7-68-102, shall report individuals
who are not United States citizens or qualified aliens who are charged or convicted of
criminal offenses to the centralized immigration enforcement division.
(c) An employee's or official's failure to report in violation of this section is a
Class A misdemeanor.
SECTION 4. This act takes effect July 1, 2026, the public welfare requiring it.