Tennessee Bills

This bill honors Mason Mash, a student from Hampshire Unit School who was named a 2026 Top Ten Senior for his academic achievements. The resolution formally commends his outstanding performance in the classroom, high grade point average, and participation in extracurricular activities. It directs the General Assembly to present a copy of the resolution to the student as a recognition of his accomplishments. The measure does not create new laws or policies but serves as a ceremonial acknowledgment of individual student success.

This bill is a House Joint Resolution that formally honors and commends the Jackson County High School boys' basketball team for winning the 2026 TSSAA Division I, Class A state championship. The resolution recognizes the team's historic first state title, their 32-5 season record, and the individual achievements of players and coaches who contributed to their success. It does not create any new laws, funding, or policy changes but serves as an official acknowledgment of the team's accomplishments by the Tennessee General Assembly.

This bill modifies Tennessee's charitable gaming rules to give nonprofit organizations a five-day grace period after the law takes effect to submit applications for annual gaming events during the 2026-2027 period. It directly affects nonprofits that want to operate charitable gaming events in Tennessee during that specific year by allowing them to apply after the standard deadline. The legislation also requires the Secretary of State to create and share a separate list of approved organizations for this period within ten days of the bill becoming law. These changes are administrative updates to the existing charitable gaming framework rather than new regulations on how events are conducted.

This bill designates October 11 of each year as "General Pulaski Memorial Day" in Tennessee to honor Brigadier General Casimir Pulaski, a Polish military leader who fought for American independence during the Revolutionary War. It adds this observance to state law (Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 15, Chapter 2) but clarifies it is not a legal holiday requiring state office closures. The designation recognizes Pulaski’s legacy, including his role in founding the American cavalry and his death during the Siege of Savannah in 1779. Tennessee residents and communities are directly affected through this formal state recognition of the day.

SB 2549 allows healthcare providers who subcontract through contracted vendors with Tennessee's Department of Correction (or county/municipal jails) to prescribe buprenorphine for opioid use disorder treatment, provided specific criteria are met. The bill amends Tennessee Code Sections 53-11-311 and related provisions to enable this practice in correctional healthcare settings. It directly affects medical staff working within prison or jail healthcare systems by expanding their ability to use buprenorphine - a medication for opioid addiction - under defined conditions. The law would take effect upon enactment, modifying how opioid treatment is delivered in state correctional facilities.

SB 2637 sets a minimum age requirement for childcare staff in Tennessee, requiring anyone serving as a teacher or assistant teacher in programs for children four years old or younger to be at least 18 years old. This bill directly affects childcare providers and educators working with infants and toddlers in licensed early childhood programs. It amends Tennessee law (TCA Title 49 and Title 71) to implement this age requirement, which will take effect on July 1, 2026. The change aims to establish a baseline qualification standard for early childhood educators in state-regulated childcare settings.

SB 2358 amends Tennessee law to adjust the scope of practice for podiatrists by changing the anatomical boundary of the lower leg they can treat. The bill replaces the current limit - "soft tissue structures extending no higher than the distal tibial metaphyseal flair" - with "the soft tissue of the lower leg below the tibial tuberosity." This change directly affects podiatrists in Tennessee by expanding the area they are legally permitted to treat without additional authorization. The amendment updates Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 63, to reflect this adjustment in medical practice boundaries.

SB 2252 designates cast iron cookware as Tennessee's official frontier cookware under state law. This symbolic bill amends Tennessee Code Annotated to formally recognize cast iron cookware as a representative tradition of the state's heritage. It does not create new regulations, affect taxes, or change any existing policies. The bill has passed the Tennessee Senate unanimously and is now awaiting action in the House. This designation is purely ceremonial and affects no specific individuals or businesses.

SB 2578 designates the residential burn building at the Tennessee Fire Services and Codes Enforcement Academy as the "Charles 'Charlie' J. Lewis Residential Burn Building" to honor his service to the firefighting community. The bill requires the academy to install signs or markers identifying the building with this name using existing resources. This is a commemorative measure with no new funding or policy changes, solely recognizing an individual's legacy within the state's firefighting community.

SB 2028 clarifies that local governments in Tennessee (cities, counties, towns, or municipalities) cannot regulate how wildlife is taken, including firearm discharge during lawful hunting. It states that only the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission has authority to set rules and proclamations governing hunting methods, amending Tennessee Code Sections 39-17-1314, 70-1-206, and 70-4-107. The bill ensures hunters can legally use firearm discharge within commission-designated areas during approved seasons, as long as it aligns with commission regulations. This centralizes hunting regulation authority under the state commission, removing local regulatory power over hunting practices.

SB 1879 removes expiration dates for specific public record exemptions in Tennessee law, affecting how government agencies handle certain types of records. The bill amends Tennessee Code Annotated Section 10-7-504 by deleting five subdivisions that previously set time limits on exemptions for records like law enforcement investigations and certain personnel files. This change means those exemptions will now remain in effect permanently without needing renewal. The bill directly impacts state and local government agencies that manage public records, ensuring these specific categories stay exempt from disclosure requirements indefinitely.

SB 1870 ends Tennessee's state credit union insurance program that protected member deposits and shareholdings. It requires credit unions to instead obtain insurance through the federal National Credit Union Association (NCUA) rather than the state program. The bill also revises examination requirements, allowing the commissioner to extend annual exams to 24 months based on a credit union's risk profile. This directly affects all state-chartered credit unions operating in Tennessee by changing their insurance and oversight structure.