Tennessee Bills

HB 816 limits the number of points assessed against a driver's license for operating a vehicle while the license is canceled, suspended, or revoked to four points. It directly affects drivers who face this specific offense, which occurs when someone drives despite having an invalid license. The bill achieves this by reclassifying such violations as "nonmoving traffic violations" under Tennessee law, which typically carry fewer points than moving violations. The law takes effect July 1, 2025, and is now enacted.

HB 45 increases the penalty for child abuse of children aged 9 to 17 from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class E felony. The bill amends Tennessee Code Annotated Section 39-15-401(a) to impose this stricter penalty for knowingly causing injury to a child in this age group through abusive treatment. This change will take effect on July 1, 2025, applying to offenses committed on or after that date. The law directly affects individuals convicted of such child abuse by elevating their criminal penalties under Tennessee statute.

HB 1093 amends Tennessee law to strengthen firearm regulations. It expands the definition of "machine gun" to include parts designed solely to convert a firearm into a machine gun, and increases penalties for possessing, making, or selling such devices from a Class E to a Class C felony. The bill also changes penalties for other gun-related offenses and makes defendants ineligible for parole if convicted of aggravated assault involving a firearm used from within a vehicle. These changes apply to Tennessee residents and anyone violating these provisions within the state. The law took effect on July 1, 2025.

SB 28 expands Tennessee's harassment law to include face-to-face communication as a form of harassment, in addition to existing methods like text, phone, or online messages. This change directly affects individuals who engage in threatening or intimidating behavior while physically present with a victim, such as verbal threats during stalking or nonverbal intimidation in person. The bill amends the definition of "communicate" in state law to explicitly cover in-person contact, alongside written, electronic, or telephone interactions. The law will take effect on July 1, 2025, broadening the legal scope for prosecuting harassment cases that occur through physical presence.

SB 1420 requires written driver's license and intermediate license exams in Tennessee to include questions about bicycle hand signals used for turning, slowing, and stopping. This affects all applicants seeking new driver licenses or intermediate licenses. The bill mandates that the official driver manual must also include sufficient information about these hand signals to help applicants prepare. The law takes effect on January 1, 2026.

SB 1002 clarifies that subsidiaries of Tennessee agricultural cooperatives qualify for a business tax exemption regardless of their legal structure (e.g., corporation, LLC, or partnership). This applies to subsidiaries controlled by agricultural co-ops where profits benefit the co-op, directly affecting agricultural businesses and their subsidiaries. The bill amends Tennessee law to remove previous restrictions requiring subsidiaries to be formed as corporations to receive the exemption. It ensures the tax benefit applies uniformly to all subsidiary entities, promoting agricultural economic activity without changing existing tax rates or requirements.

SB 586 amends Tennessee's unlawful exposure law (TCA § 39-17-318) to clarify that distributing a private intimate image of another identifiable person with intent to cause emotional distress is illegal - regardless of whether the distributor was part of the original private agreement about the image. This directly affects individuals who share such images non-consensually, including those who received them from others. The key provision removes the previous requirement that the distributor must have been a party to the original private agreement. The law takes effect July 1, 2025, strengthening protections against non-consensual sharing of intimate images.

SB 457 lowers the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) threshold for aggravated vehicular assault and homicide in Tennessee. It reduces the required BAC level from 0.20% to 0.15% for these offenses, making it easier to prove these crimes in court. The bill directly affects drivers charged with serious alcohol-related offenses under Tennessee Code Annotated Sections 39-13-115 (aggravated vehicular assault) and 39-13-218 (aggravated vehicular homicide). The change takes effect July 1, 2025, and applies to all cases filed on or after that date. This is a substantive policy adjustment to the legal definition of these crimes, not a procedural or commemorative measure.

SB 276 designates Cheatham County's National Guard Armory as the "First Sergeant Charles Anderson Douglas National Guard Armory" to honor his service. The bill directly affects the armory's official name and requires signage identifying it by that name. It is a commemorative measure with no policy changes or funding mechanisms, simply recognizing First Sergeant Charles Anderson Douglas's military service and advocacy for the armory's construction.

SB 1089 increases the mandatory court fee amount from $1.00 to $2.00 per municipal court case that must be forwarded by municipal court clerks to the state treasurer. The funds are specifically designated to cover administrative costs for training and continuing education programs for municipal court judges and clerks. This change, effective July 1, 2025, modifies Tennessee law (TCA Titles 16 and 17) to provide additional funding for judicial and clerical professional development. The bill directly affects municipal court operations and the administrative office of the courts, with no changes to the fee structure for case participants.

SB 863 requires the Tennessee Fish & Wildlife Commission to create and issue specific waterfowl guide licenses for guides working at Reelfoot Lake in Lake and Obion Counties. The bill directs the Commission to develop rules ensuring guides demonstrate knowledge of Reelfoot Lake's unique features and hazards. This affects professional waterfowl guides operating at Reelfoot Lake, which is Tennessee's largest natural lake and a nationally recognized wildlife area. The policy change establishes a new licensing requirement focused on local expertise for safety and resource protection.

This bill expands Tennessee's legal definition of "state employee" to include soil and water conservation district board members, staff, and volunteers in district programs. It applies only to specific provisions in Chapters 8-42 and 9-8 of state code, covering defense-related matters and other limited legal contexts. The change clarifies who qualifies under these existing statutes but does not alter broader employment rights or benefits.