Tennessee Bills

HB 1926 modifies Tennessee's fireworks sales rules for the 2026 retail period. It expands existing sales windows for Independence Day and New Year's, while adding new seasonal sales periods for Memorial Day (May 20-30) and Labor Day (June 10-July 10), plus September and December dates. The bill also increases the seasonal retailer permit fee from $100 to $150 for 2026 and authorizes the state fire marshal to create implementing rules. These changes apply only to 2026 retail activity and expire February 1, 2027. The bill directly affects seasonal fireworks retailers operating under these new schedule rules.

HB 1951 creates a new Class D felony offense called "coercive suicide" for AI owners whose systems advise or encourage a user to commit suicide after the user has communicated suicidal intent. It specifically targets AI systems (including chatbots and generative AI) that generate content like text or images, requiring owners to know or reasonably foresee the risk and negligently allow access. The law applies only to AI entities, not human interactions, and takes effect July 1, 2026. This is a policy change focused on holding AI developers accountable for dangerous system outputs, not general suicide prevention.

SB 2017 modifies Tennessee's retirement system to provide disability-related retirement credit at no cost to certain public safety employees. It requires that state-level commissioned members of the Department of Safety or Tennessee Bureau of Investigation agents receive this credit without paying contributions, effective July 1, 2026. Additionally, local governments (political subdivisions) can pass resolutions to extend this no-cost credit to their police officers, provided they adopt the change on or after that date. The bill does not apply to employees who already received disability credit before July 1, 2026. All credit applications must follow specific certification and contribution rules set by the state treasurer.

SB 1909 changes eligibility rules for Tennessee's drug treatment courts by revising the definition of a "violent offender." It removes convictions for domestic assault from being considered a violent offense that disqualifies someone from these courts, while requiring that a disqualifying violent offense must now be a felony committed within the past 10 years. This means individuals previously barred due to a domestic assault conviction (but without a recent felony violent offense) may now qualify for drug treatment court instead of standard criminal sentencing. The bill amends Tennessee Code Annotated § 16-22-103 and takes effect July 1, 2026.

SB 1762 changes a Tennessee law requiring the Department of Education to publish a directory of apprenticeship program contacts for public high schools. The bill moves the deadline for this publication from September 1 to December 1 each year. This affects the Department of Education directly, as it must now compile and post this contact information later in the school year. The change provides more time for the department to gather and verify the information before making it publicly available on their website. The bill does not create new programs or alter eligibility; it only adjusts the timeline for an existing reporting requirement.

HB 1702 directs Tennessee's Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (TACIR) to study the state's emergency communications system. The study must analyze funding models, emergency communications district (ECD) structures, organizational charts, methods for consistency, consolidation options, and dispatch protocols, with findings due to the General Assembly by December 1, 2026. This procedural bill does not create new laws but requires TACIR to evaluate the system's operations and provide recommendations. It directly affects how emergency communications are managed across Tennessee's ECDs and PSAPs.

HB 1739 authorizes the Megasite Authority of West Tennessee and local law enforcement agencies to enter written agreements allowing sworn officers to enforce traffic laws on designated private roads within the megasite. The bill requires agreements to include detailed road maps, mandatory traffic signs meeting state standards, and clear entrance notices stating local traffic laws apply. It specifies that these agreements do not make private roads public property, transfer ownership, or create public access rights. The law applies only to roads not already dedicated to public use, with enforcement limited to traffic laws under Title 55 of Tennessee Code. This directly affects the Megasite Authority, participating counties/municipalities, and their law enforcement agencies.

HB 1946, the "Curbing Harmful AI Technology (CHAT) Act," prohibits AI chatbots designed to mimic human relationships (called "companion chatbots") from being made available to minors in Tennessee if they could encourage self-harm, illegal activity, secrecy, or unsafe isolation. It requires companies to display clear disclaimers that the chatbot is not human during use and to notify users every 30 minutes. The bill also mandates that AI chatbots detect suicidal thoughts or self-harm expressions and redirect users to crisis services like the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. This directly affects companies developing or deploying companion chatbots in Tennessee that interact with minors, excluding standard customer service or internal business AI.

HB 1991 amends Tennessee law to allow the Board of Dentistry to provide its annual report to interested parties in electronic format, instead of requiring only paper copies. This change directly affects the Board of Dentistry (which produces the report) and any individuals or organizations requesting the report. The key provision simply updates the reporting method by adding electronic delivery as an option under existing law (TCA Title 4 and Title 63, Chapter 5). The bill does not alter the content of the report or dental practice regulations.

HB 1720 would allow counties with fewer than 341,500 residents (per the 2020 census) to pass a resolution prohibiting municipalities or regional planning groups from controlling land use, development, or infrastructure rules outside city boundaries. If a county adopts such a resolution, any existing zoning plans or ordinances by cities or regional groups that extend beyond municipal limits would become unenforceable. The bill requires counties to pass this resolution via majority vote of their legislative body and allows for temporary agreements to handle ongoing projects. It does not apply to metropolitan counties or prevent counties and cities from making cooperative agreements for lawful purposes.

HB 2080 changes the governance of the Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation (TELC) by replacing its current board with a new nine-member board appointed by the governor (3 members), Senate Speaker (3 members), and House Speaker (3 members), effective July 1, 2026. The bill requires that certain information about the corporation’s CEO, including compensation and employment details, be subject to public records requests under Tennessee law. It also sets a termination date for the TELC on June 30, 2030, ending the corporation’s operations. The new board will assume all existing authority and contracts without interruption after the transition.

HB 1677, the "Military Families Licensing Recognition Act," streamlines occupational licensing for military-connected individuals in Tennessee. It allows active or retired military members, spouses, and dependents to obtain a Tennessee license in their occupation if they hold a current license from another state or the military with similar scope, meet education/experience requirements, and have no disqualifying records. Licensing boards must issue licenses within 10 business days after applicants verify their qualifications under penalty of perjury. The bill does not override state licensing laws, make licenses valid in other states, or affect court-regulated professions.