Tennessee Bills

SB 1255 requires Tennessee’s Department of Health to mandate blood lead level testing for all students before attending public K-12 schools and for pregnant women receiving WIC program vouchers. It directs the department to provide support services - including nutritional counseling and educational resources - for individuals with elevated lead levels or lead poisoning. Juvenile detention facilities receiving federal funding must collaborate with health and education agencies to offer these services to detained youth with high lead levels. The bill affects students, pregnant women in WIC, and detained youth, with parental opt-out allowed for school testing.

SB 1326 exempts Tennessee taxpayers aged 85 or older who have received property tax relief for five consecutive years from submitting annual income reports to maintain their eligibility. The bill modifies existing property tax relief rules to allow these seniors to continue receiving benefits without yearly paperwork, provided their income stays below the annual threshold and they meet other eligibility criteria. Instead, a simplified reapplication process will be developed - allowing online or mail submissions with basic checkboxes - to verify income and non-income requirements. This change directly affects elderly homeowners enrolled in Tennessee’s property tax relief program, reducing administrative burdens while maintaining income-based eligibility.

SB 821 requires all Tennessee public schools serving grades 3-12 and public charter schools to implement an annual, research-backed substance abuse prevention program. The program must teach students refusal skills, anti-drug norms, and life skills to reduce tobacco, alcohol, and drug use, while supplementing existing efforts like DARE and character education. Schools must provide these programs year-round without replacing current drug education or health instruction. The law applies starting the 2025-2026 school year, affecting every school district and charter school in the state.

HB 545 requires Tennessee teachers in grades 6-12 to complete at least one free, department-approved professional development course on using artificial intelligence in classrooms by August 1, 2027, or within two years of their teaching license, whichever comes later. The Tennessee Department of Education must provide at least one self-paced, asynchronous course on AI in teaching, created by STEM-experienced entities, available at no cost to eligible teachers. Schools must approve the course for professional development credit under existing licensure rules. This bill directly affects over 20,000 K-12 teachers in Tennessee through mandatory training on AI integration in education.

HB 1380 simplifies property tax relief for Tennessee homeowners aged 85 or older who have received tax relief for five consecutive years. It removes the requirement for these taxpayers to submit annual income reports to maintain eligibility, while still requiring them to meet the existing income threshold (currently $10,000 annually) and other eligibility criteria. The bill mandates creating a streamlined reapplication process - allowing seniors to confirm eligibility via a simple online or mail form with checkbox options. This change directly affects qualifying elderly homeowners who currently navigate annual paperwork, aiming to reduce administrative burden without altering the core relief program's requirements.

SB 677 requires Tennessee's Department of Education to provide at least one free, self-paced online professional development course about using artificial intelligence in classrooms for teachers in grades 6-12. Teachers in these grades must complete one department-approved AI training course by August 1, 2027, or within two years of receiving their teaching license, whichever is later. The course must be created by an entity with expertise in STEM fields and can be used to earn required professional development credits. This bill directly affects all public school teachers in grades 6-12 across Tennessee, mandating specific AI training as part of their professional development requirements.

SB 1232 allows individuals convicted of driving under the influence (DUI) in Tennessee to petition for the removal of their conviction from their criminal record after meeting specific conditions. To qualify, a person must have completed all sentence requirements (including fines, probation, and restitution) for the DUI offense, not have received prior expunctions, and not have been convicted of DUI more than once. The bill creates a new eligibility pathway for DUI expunctions, requiring the offense to be at least 10 years old from the date of conviction and limiting petitions to one per person. It takes effect July 1, 2025, and applies only to DUI convictions under Tennessee law § 55-10-401.

SB 468, the "Women's Safety and Protection Act," defines "female" and "male" biologically (based on reproductive systems at birth) for state law applications. It requires Tennessee state agencies to maintain separate facilities and accommodations for biological females in correctional facilities, juvenile detention centers, domestic violence shelters, restrooms, and dormitories to protect safety and privacy. The bill mandates that biological sex - not gender identity - determines eligibility for these spaces, prohibiting agencies from banning such distinctions in settings where safety or privacy is a concern. It applies directly to women, girls, and facilities serving them, with specific provisions for restrooms, sleeping quarters, and shelter access. The law overrides conflicting state laws to enforce these biological sex-based definitions.

HB 662 changes the deadline for Tennessee's education and health departments to submit a required report about student healthcare procedures in schools. Specifically, it moves the submission date from October 31 to October 1 each year. The report covers self-administered medications and healthcare services for students in all public and nonpublic accredited schools, along with recommendations for improving school health programs. This bill only adjusts the timing of a routine administrative report, with no new requirements for schools or students.

SB 714 changes the annual deadline for Tennessee's Departments of Education and Health to submit a report on student medication and healthcare procedures. The bill moves the submission date from October 31 to October 1 each year, requiring the departments to report on self-administered medications, healthcare procedures, and recommendations for comprehensive school health. This report covers all public and nonpublic accredited schools in the state. The change provides an earlier timeline for reviewing school health practices and recommendations.

HB 571, the "Women's Safety and Protection Act," defines biological sex in Tennessee law and requires specific facilities to maintain accommodations based on biological sex. It directly affects correctional facilities, juvenile detention centers, domestic violence shelters, dormitories, and restrooms by mandating that these spaces remain segregated by biological sex to protect women's safety and privacy. Key provisions include defining "female" as individuals with a reproductive system producing ova and "male" as those producing sperm, and prohibiting agencies from banning sex-based distinctions in facilities where safety or privacy is a concern. The bill requires facilities to maintain separate accommodations for biological females where safety, health, or privacy is at issue. This bill is currently under review in the Tennessee House Rules Committee.

This bill requires Tennessee schools serving grades three through twelve to implement an annual evidence-based substance abuse and violence prevention program aimed at reducing tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drug use among students. The program must include drug prevention education that teaches refusal skills and life skills training, be offered throughout the school year, and supplement rather than replace existing drug education and character education requirements. Local education agencies and public charter schools are directly responsible for selecting and carrying out these programs starting with the 2025-2026 school year.