Tennessee Bills

SB 2158 amends Tennessee law to clarify procedures for the Joint Committee on Ways and Means regarding federal aid review. It directly affects state agencies (like the courts or treasury departments) receiving federal funds by changing when they must notify the committee. The key change allows the committee to issue notice that a hearing won’t be held for federal aid under $25 million, rather than requiring hearings for all such cases. For aid of $25 million or more, the committee still must review applications or acceptances through hearings or formal approval. The bill streamlines the process for smaller federal aid amounts while maintaining oversight for larger ones.

SB 2700 increases the monthly salary for Greenbrier city aldermen from $120 to $300, effective after the current term ends for sitting officials. It replaces specific purchasing limits in Greenbrier's charter with requirements to follow state law, streamlining procurement rules. The bill requires a two-thirds vote approval by Greenbrier's city council to take effect. This change directly affects Greenbrier's local government operations and the compensation of its elected city council members.

HB 2639 allows Henry County, Tennessee, to impose a severance tax on the extraction of clay, titanium, and other untaxed minerals within its borders. This tax directly affects mineral extraction companies and landowners operating mines in Henry County. The bill sets the tax rate to match Tennessee’s maximum per-ton mineral tax rate (under §67-7-203), with automatic adjustments if state law changes, and requires all collected revenue (minus administrative costs) to fund only county road construction, maintenance, and repairs. The tax becomes effective only if Henry County’s legislative body approves it with a two-thirds vote.

HB 2637 changes how Athens' mayor and city council members are paid by requiring their compensation to be set through local city council ordinances instead of fixed state-mandated amounts. This bill directly affects future mayors and council members in Athens, as their pay would be determined by the city council via ordinance, with no changes applying during current terms. Key provisions include requiring a two-thirds vote of the Athens city council to adopt the compensation method and ensuring current pay rates remain unchanged for sitting officials. The bill amends specific historical city charter provisions to shift this authority to local government.

HB 2627 creates the office of County Highway Supervisor for Weakley County, establishing it as the chief administrator of the county highway department. The bill sets qualifications requiring an engineering background or four years of highway maintenance experience, residency, and age requirements, with the position elected every four years starting in 2026. It clarifies that the current highway superintendent continues in office until the next election and mandates that the bill requires a two-thirds approval vote from Weakley County’s legislative body to take effect. This is a county-specific private act affecting only Weakley County’s highway governance structure.

SB 2153 would authorize Tennessee’s Department of Health to create a voluntary home visiting program for children aged birth to five and their families. The program provides evidence-based, home-based support through licensed clinicians to improve child mental health, reduce abuse/neglect risks, and strengthen family stability for families facing stressors like poverty or trauma. It requires care coordination to connect families with medical, housing, and social services, and mandates contracting with qualified nonprofit providers trained in trauma-informed practices. The bill also requires annual reports to the legislature tracking families served, outcomes, and funding sources, with implementation pending committee action.

HB 2632 changes Shelbyville's utility board structure by removing the city manager as a voting member and replacing them with an additional city council member. The board will now consist of five citizen members appointed by the council plus two city council members (previously, the city manager held one council seat). This directly affects how Shelbyville manages its power, water, and sewer systems through its governing board. The bill requires Shelbyville's city council to approve the change before it takes effect.

HB 2645 replaces the City of Martin, Tennessee's existing charter (Chapter 158 of the Private Acts of 1992) with a new governing document. The bill establishes Martin as a city with perpetual succession, divides it into three wards for electing aldermen, and sets up a nonpartisan election process for mayor and aldermen every two years. It grants the city broad authority to enact ordinances, levy taxes, regulate public safety (like fire codes and noise), manage infrastructure (water, sewer, gas), and handle waste disposal. The charter also requires ward boundaries to comply with "one person, one vote" principles and be reviewed every decade using U.S. Census data.

SB 2708 modifies rules governing the Williamson County Hospital District's property management. It removes a previous restriction that prohibited the hospital district board from selling real property or leasing most facilities without county approval, now requiring such transactions to be approved by the Williamson County Board of Commissioners. The bill specifies that the hospital district board can sell property or lease substantially all facilities only with this county commission approval. This change affects the hospital district's ability to manage its assets and directly involves Williamson County's governing body in major property decisions. The bill requires a two-thirds vote from the county commission for approval.

HB 2022 modifies Trenton, Tennessee's local laws by expanding the city recorder's duties to include administering all necessary municipal operations and reporting city finances to the mayor and board. It changes residency requirements for both the city recorder and chief of police, allowing them to live anywhere in Gibson County (instead of specifically within Trenton) while still requiring six months of residency after appointment. The bill directly affects Trenton's city recorder and chief of police positions by altering their appointment rules and expanding the recorder's administrative responsibilities. This legislation requires Trenton's legislative body to approve it by a two-thirds vote before taking effect.

SB 2070, the "SHIELD Act," prohibits health insurance companies from penalizing healthcare providers for treating patients with legally recognized vaccine exemptions (based on religious beliefs or medical contraindications). It requires insurers to exclude exempt patients from vaccination-related quality metrics, such as vaccination rate calculations, and bans insurers from dropping providers from networks or reducing payments solely because they treat such patients. The law applies to all quality measures used for reimbursement, including HEDIS, and ensures claims denied in violation of these rules are treated as "clean claims" subject to standard penalties. It takes effect July 1, 2026, affecting Tennessee healthcare providers, insurers, and patients with valid vaccine exemptions.

SB 2079 changes how Tennessee appoints members to the higher education commission, splitting appointments equally between the governor (3 members), senate speaker (3 members), and house speaker (3 members), with specific term expirations. It establishes new graduation rate targets for public colleges and universities (3 years for community colleges, 4 years for universities) to guide funding decisions, and allows the commission to approve different tuition increases for institutions with strong graduation rates. The bill also limits online course fees to 75% of in-person course fees at comparable institutions and requires boards to create plans using out-of-state tuition revenue to lower costs for in-state students by 2026. These changes directly affect public higher education institutions, their funding, and student tuition costs across Tennessee.