SB 2674, the "Public Education Investments Act," increases funding for Tennessee public education through three key changes. It raises the minimum teacher base salary from $50,000 to $50,290 starting in the 2026-2027 school year, directly affecting all public school teachers. The bill also boosts extra funding for high-poverty schools by increasing their weighted allocation from 5% to 10% per student. Additionally, it mandates a 3% annual increase to Tennessee middle college scholarships for 9 academic years, beginning in 2026-2027. These changes take effect July 1, 2026.
HB 2090 amends Tennessee law to exclude certain indoor, above-ground swimming pools at fitness facilities from being classified as "public swimming pools" under health regulations. Specifically, it exempts privately owned pools installed indoors at fitness facilities that meet six criteria: installed per manufacturer instructions, have controlled access, maintain water quality, and are used *only* by staff and students for swimming instruction (not for rentals, parties, or public sessions). This means these pools would no longer be subject to the same health department regulations applied to typical public pools like those in hotels or recreation centers. The bill directly affects fitness facilities operating such specialized pools, reducing regulatory oversight for this specific use case.
HB 2169, the "Electric Grid Resilience, Transparency, and Planning Act," requires Tennessee's local electric utilities serving at least 10,000 customers to publicly share detailed planning and performance data. Key provisions include annual reports on outage patterns, vegetation management plans, and 10-year grid resilience plans outlining hardening strategies like undergrounding or automation. Utilities must also publish after-action reports following major outages and maintain minimum emergency communication standards (e.g., hourly updates during crises). The bill focuses on increasing transparency and accountability for grid reliability, directly affecting city and county utility providers across Tennessee.
HB 2306 prevents homeowners' associations from enforcing rules that block licensed family or group child care homes in residential properties, as long as the provider has the required state license and local permits. It also prohibits landlords from refusing to rent to tenants operating licensed child care homes in residential dwellings. The law makes such restrictions invalid and allows providers to seek actual damages plus up to $1,000 in punitive damages if HOAs or landlords violate it. This affects child care providers, homeowners' associations, and landlords across Tennessee, applying to new HOA rules and rental agreements after the law takes effect.
SB 2384 requires Tennessee school districts and public charter schools to notify parents or guardians 30 days before offering firearm safety instruction, allowing them to opt their student out of the class. Students who opt out cannot be penalized for missing the instruction. The bill also expands school staff authority by allowing state-licensed school social workers to provide certain counseling services to students without first getting parental consent, previously limited to counselors and psychologists. These changes directly affect parents/guardians (through notification and opt-out rights), students (who can choose participation), and school social workers (gaining new counseling authority). The bill amends Tennessee Code Annotated Sections 49-6-1016 and 63-1-176.
HB 2419 requires municipalities to obtain county legislative body approval before annexing land, mandating they submit a financial impact study (covering infrastructure, schools, and county costs) and a statement proving service capacity (water, roads, police, etc.). Counties must review these documents within 60 days and vote on approval; if they fail to act within 90 days, the annexation is automatically denied. The bill excludes single, contiguous lots of five acres or less from these requirements. It aims to ensure counties can assess fiscal impacts before annexations occur, protecting county taxpayers and services.
HB 2456 requires data centers in Tennessee with over 20 megawatts of power capacity to register with the Department of Revenue starting January 1, 2027. Electric utilities, water utilities, and fuel suppliers providing service to these registered data centers must report usage and rates monthly to the Department. The Department will compile and publish this data on its website to track energy and water consumption at large data centers. Non-compliance may result in daily civil penalties up to $25,000. This bill directly affects data center operators and their utility providers, with implementation beginning July 1, 2026.
HB 2635 amends the Town of Stanton's charter (Chapter 142 of the Private Acts of 1990) by revising its general powers. The bill replaces Section 5 with updated provisions allowing the town to tax, borrow money, issue bonds (including those backed by public utility income), and grant exclusive franchises for public utilities for up to 25 years. These changes directly affect Stanton's local government, clarifying how it can finance projects, manage utilities, and regulate service providers within its corporate limits. The bill does not alter how the town judge operates, as the title's mention of the town judge is not detailed in the provided text.
HB 2166 requires blood banks to follow a physician's order for a patient's own blood donation (autologous) or a donation specifically designated for that patient (directed). It also mandates hospitals to permit such donations for patients scheduled for medical procedures, unless medically unsafe or incompatible with safety standards. The bill allows facilities to charge reasonable administrative fees but explicitly states it does not override existing federal or state blood safety, testing, or compatibility requirements. This directly affects patients needing scheduled procedures, blood banks, and hospitals by streamlining access to pre-donated blood while maintaining all current safety protocols.
HB 2339, the "Fair Access to Non-Inflated Seats (FANS) Act," regulates ticket sales in Tennessee to prevent deceptive practices and inflated prices. The bill prohibits resellers from selling "speculative tickets" (tickets they don’t currently own) and bans unauthorized presale access by resellers or resale platforms. It requires clear disclosure of transfer restrictions before purchase and mandates full refunds for counterfeit tickets or tickets that don’t match the advertised description. These rules directly affect primary ticket sellers (like venues and event organizers), resellers, and online ticket platforms, aiming to create a more transparent ticket market for consumers.
SB 2445 prohibits formal meetings ("collaborative conferencing") between school boards and staff representatives (like teachers or principals) to discuss working conditions. It directly affects school boards and professional employees by banning these meetings and preventing boards from allowing staff organizations to use school facilities under community access policies. The bill redefines "collaborative conferencing" to exclude attorney involvement and explicitly prohibits both staff and boards from participating in such discussions. The law expires on July 1, 2026, though existing contracts signed before that date remain valid until their natural expiration.
HB 2478 requires property transfer document handlers in Shelby County to present a government-issued photo ID card (with name, address, and photo) when filing in-person. It mandates that the register of deeds copy or record the ID information without charging a fee, while keeping the data confidential. The law applies only to Shelby County (population over 900,000 per 2020 census) and is a two-year pilot program. The bill explicitly states that property documents remain valid even if the ID information isn't recorded.
