Tennessee Bills

HB 1916 modifies Tennessee's real estate licensing rules to exempt affiliated brokers (brokers working under a larger firm) from needing extra licenses or training hours when handling vacation lodging services. It requires that all vacation lodging services must be directly supervised by a principal broker from the affiliated broker, main broker, or firm. The bill specifically amends Tennessee Code § 62-13-104 to remove these additional requirements for vacation lodging agents while maintaining supervision standards. This affects real estate professionals managing vacation rentals in Tennessee, streamlining their licensing process without changing core regulatory oversight.

HB 2023 increases the victims assistance assessment fee from $45 to $125 for individuals convicted of or pleading guilty to criminal offenses in Tennessee courts. The first $15 of the fee goes to the court clerk for processing costs, while the remaining $110 is directed to county-designated victim assistance programs. This change applies to all criminal cases where a defendant enters a guilty plea, is found guilty, enters a nolo contendere plea, or is found criminally responsible for qualifying offenses. The bill amends Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 40-24-109, to implement this funding shift without altering eligibility for victim services.

HB 2026 would create a new Class A misdemeanor offense for intentionally moving, altering, destroying, or removing specific survey monuments that mark property lines, historical boundaries, or land survey points. It directly affects property owners, surveyors, construction workers, and anyone who might interact with these monuments, which include items like metal pins, concrete markers, or marked trees. The law defines three types of protected monuments (property corner, historic land surveying, and geodetic control monuments) and imposes a serious misdemeanor penalty for violations. The bill, pending passage, would take effect on July 1, 2026.

SB 1826 amends Tennessee law to allow emergency communications district boards to participate in meetings remotely via electronic means while complying with open meetings requirements. It directly affects emergency communications district boards by adding them to the definition of "governing body" under Tennessee's open meetings law (TCA § 8-44-108). The key provision expands existing rules to explicitly permit electronic participation for these boards during regular meetings. This change ensures transparency while accommodating remote attendance needs for emergency communications district operations. The bill is procedural, updating statutory definitions to include these boards in current open meetings provisions.

SB 1723 replaces the Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation's (TELC) current board of directors with a new 9-member board appointed by the governor (3 members), Senate Speaker (3), and House Speaker (3), effective July 1, 2026. The bill requires certain employment and compensation details of the TELC's chief executive officer to be public records subject to disclosure. It also terminates the TELC corporation on June 30, 2030, ending its operation as a standalone entity. These changes directly affect the governance structure and oversight of the lottery, which funds education programs in Tennessee.

SB 1814 creates a Class A misdemeanor offense for intentionally moving, altering, destroying, or removing specific survey monuments, including property corner monuments (marking property lines), historic land surveying monuments (marking government boundaries), and geodetic control monuments (used for precise surveying). The law applies when a person knows or reasonably should know the monument's purpose, such as those established by surveyors or governments. Violating this law is punishable as a Class A misdemeanor under Tennessee law. The bill takes effect on July 1, 2026.

SB 1783 requires Tennessee driver license staff to ask applicants at the time of application or renewal whether they want a REAL ID-compliant license or a non-REAL ID-compliant license. Staff must provide applicants with a printed document detailing the required documents, permitted uses (such as domestic air travel or accessing federal facilities), and alternative IDs like passports for each option. The bill makes REAL ID compliance optional, clarifies that applicants must sign a document confirming they received the information, and mandates that the state website prominently states this choice is optional. This directly affects all Tennessee residents applying for or renewing driver licenses, photo IDs, or learner's permits starting July 1, 2026.

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 1881 removes outdated reporting requirements from Tennessee education laws. It deletes obsolete references in multiple code sections (Titles 4, 9, 12, 48, 49, and 67) that previously required the Department of Education to report on literacy practices, standards, and requirements. This bill directly affects the Department of Education by eliminating an administrative burden that no longer serves a purpose, without changing any actual education policies or standards.

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.