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SB2659 • 2026

Utilities, Utility Districts

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 47, Chapter 18; Title 65 and Title 67, relative to communications over a telephone.

Active

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

Sponsor
White, Baum
Last action
2026-04-17
Official status
Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/21/2026
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide details on enforcement mechanisms or specific penalties for non-compliance with reporting requirements.

Telephone Solicitation Rules

This bill requires companies using automated systems to call people at home with recorded messages to keep track of their calls and report this information if they make over 500 calls a month, limiting them to no more than 10,000 such calls per month.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires companies that use automated systems to call people at home with recorded messages to maintain records of the number of calls made each month.
  • Companies making over 500 calls a month must provide copies of these records to the Tennessee Public Utilities Commission every six months and upon request by the commission or attorney general.
  • Limits companies from making more than 10,000 automated recorded message calls per month to residential subscribers.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Companies that use automated systems to make phone calls with recorded messages to people's homes.
  • The Tennessee Public Utilities Commission
  • Residential subscribers receiving these calls

Terms To Know

Automated Telephone Dialing System
A machine or computer that automatically dials numbers and plays pre-recorded messages.
Tennessee Public Utilities Commission
The agency responsible for regulating public utilities in Tennessee, including telecommunications services.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This bill does not specify the consequences if a company fails to report the required information.
  • It is unclear how this legislation will be enforced or monitored by the commission and attorney general.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB2408

Plain English: The amendment adds new requirements for companies making automated calls to Tennessee residents, including record-keeping and a limit on the number of monthly solicitations.

  • Companies must keep records of automated phone solicitations made each month starting October 1, 2026, if they make at least 500 such calls per month.
  • Companies making more than 500 automated solicitations per month must provide these records to the commission and attorney general every six months or upon request.
  • A new limit of no more than 10,000 automated solicitations per month is set for companies making artificial voice messages to residential subscribers.
  • Violating this limit can result in penalties under Tennessee's Consumer Protection Act and a minimum civil penalty of $1,000 per violation.
  • The exact penalties for non-compliance are not detailed beyond mentioning they exist under the specified act.
Amendment 1-0 to SB2659

Plain English: The amendment adds new rules for companies making phone calls to people's homes in Tennessee, including record-keeping requirements and a limit of 10,000 calls per month.

  • Companies must keep records of how many phone solicitations they make each month and provide these records when asked by the state.
  • There is now a monthly limit of 10,000 telephone solicitations to residential subscribers in Tennessee.
  • Violating this limit can result in penalties under the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act.
  • The amendment does not specify what happens if someone tries to sue for violating these rules.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/21/2026

  2. 2026-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/21/2026

  3. 2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Received from House, Passed on First Consideration

  4. 2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to Sen.

  5. 2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  6. 2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., as am., Ayes 94, Nays 0, PNV 0

  7. 2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. adopted am. (Amendment 1 - HA0854)

  8. 2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  9. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  10. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee

  11. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Government Operations Committee for 3/30/2026

  12. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  13. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Commerce Committee for 3/25/2026

  14. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec for pass if am by s/c ref. to Commerce Committee

  15. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Banking & Consumer Affairs Subcommittee for 3/18/2026

  16. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Banking & Consumer Affairs Subcommittee to 3/18/2026

  17. 2026-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  18. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Commerce and Labor Committee calendar for 3/10/2026

  19. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Banking & Consumer Affairs Subcommittee for 3/11/2026

  20. 2026-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Commerce and Labor Committee to 3/10/2026

  21. 2026-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Commerce and Labor Committee calendar for 3/3/2026

  22. 2026-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Banking & Consumer Affairs Subcommittee

  23. 2026-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Ref. to Commerce Committee - Government Operations for Review

  24. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Commerce and Labor Committee

  25. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, caption bill, held on desk - pending amdt.

  26. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  27. 2026-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  28. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  29. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

ON APRIL 6, 2026, THE HOUSE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED HOUSE BILL 2408, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 rewrites the bill to, instead, require a person or entity that makes telephone solicitations using an automated telephone dialing system to delivery artificial or prerecorded voice messages to residential subscribers in this state to maintai
n a record of the number of such telephone solicitations made each month. A person or entity that makes at least 500 telephone solicitations per month must provide copies of the required records to the Tennessee public utilities commission ("commission")
a
t least every six months. Further, a person or entity that makes at least 500 telephone solicitations to provide copies of the required records upon request by the commission or the attorney general.

This amendment prohibits a person or entity from making more than 10,000 telephone solicitations per month using an automated telephone dialing system to deliver artificial or prerecorded voice messages to residential subscribers in this state. A violat
ion of this provision also
constitutes a violation of the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act of 1977 and is subject to the penalties and remedies as provided in that Act, which includes, but is not limited to, restraining orders, injunctions, private rights
of action, and damages.
Further, a court that finds a person or entity violated this provision must impose a civil penalty of at least $1,000 per violation.

APPLICABILITY

This amendment applies to conduct occurring on or after July 1, 2026.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 2408
By Baum

SENATE BILL 2659
By White
SB2659
012769
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 47,
Chapter 18; Title 65 and Title 67, relative to
communications over a telephone.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 65, Chapter 4, Part 4, is amended by
adding the following as a new section:
The commission shall include with the annual report required under § 65-1-111, a
separate report regarding compliance with this part to the chair of the committee of the
house of representatives having jurisdiction over commerce and the chair of the
commerce and labor committee of the senate.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.