Tennessee Bills

SB 2447 would allow graduates of ABET ETAC-accredited four-year engineering technology programs to become licensed engineers in Tennessee, provided they meet specific requirements. To qualify, applicants must have at least eight years of progressive engineering experience under a licensed engineer, submit three professional references from licensed engineers in the state, and pass two exams administered by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (FE and PE). The bill amends Tennessee’s engineering registration laws (TCA Title 4 and Title 62, Chapter 2, Part 4) to create this pathway, directly affecting engineering technology graduates seeking licensure. It does not change existing requirements for traditional engineering degree holders.

SB 2238, known as the "Hunting for Heroes Act," creates a free Tennessee National Guard sportsman license for eligible members. This license allows Tennessee National Guard members in good standing to hunt and fish without cost, providing the same benefits as a standard resident sportsman license. To qualify, applicants must provide a valid U.S. military ID and Tennessee National Guard membership verification from the adjutant general. The state will cover all license costs using general funds, not wildlife resources money, and the law takes effect July 1, 2026.

SB 2212 extends the deadline for estates of emergency responders killed in the line of duty to file claims and appeals. It changes the filing window from three years to the later of the death date or the date a court or official designates the death as duty-related, and extends appeal deadlines from 90 days to one year. The bill specifically adds formal appeal processes for estates of firefighters, volunteer rescue squad workers, and emergency medical technicians through designated commissions. These changes apply to Tennessee Code Annotated sections covering firefighter, law enforcement, and emergency medical services compensation. The bill takes effect retroactively to March 1, 2020.

HB 2527 requires child protective teams handling human trafficking cases to include a representative from a nonprofit agency specializing in combating child sexual exploitation, rather than merely allowing it. It extends the timeline for child welfare agencies to determine if abuse reports are "indicated" or "unfounded" from 60 to 90 days for most cases, and to 180 days for cases involving child fatalities. The bill also mandates annual training for team members on severe child abuse and sexual abuse. These changes directly affect child protective teams, nonprofit anti-trafficking agencies, and families involved in abuse investigations across Tennessee.

SB 2165 requires Tennessee's Department of Children's Services to provide foster parents with a copy of any petition to end parental rights for a child they've cared for continuously for nine or more months. The department must deliver this copy within seven days of the petition being filed or served on them. This applies to foster parents who have served as the child's physical placement for the required period and aligns with existing requirements for sharing child-related information. The bill amends Tennessee law (Sections 36-1-113 and 37-2-415) to ensure foster parents receive timely notice of legal actions affecting their foster child.

SB 2205 requires Tennessee's Department of Transportation to include five specific details in its annual report to state legislators about transportation projects funded by the transportation modernization fund. These details are the project cost estimate, current development phase, how the project will be built, expected completion date, and a map showing the project's location. The bill directly affects the Department of Transportation (which must provide this information) and state legislators (who receive the updated report). This is a procedural change to reporting requirements, not a new policy or funding measure.

HB 2146 would allow juvenile court judges in Tennessee to suspend a student’s driving privileges or deny a driver’s license for up to one year if the student is found unruly for unlawful school absences. This applies specifically to students aged 16+ who face juvenile court proceedings for truancy and are adjudicated as unruly under Tennessee law. The bill amends three sections of state code (TCA Title 37, Title 49, and Title 55) to authorize this penalty as part of a juvenile court disposition. The measure is pending in the Education Committee and would take effect July 1, 2026, if passed.

This bill updates Tennessee law to replace the term "marital and family therapists" with "marriage and family therapists" across multiple code sections (including Titles 4, 8, 33, 36, 52, 56, 63, and 68). It primarily corrects terminology in licensing, practice, and regulatory provisions affecting therapists and the Board of Examiners. Key additions include Section 16, which establishes reciprocal licensing agreements with other states and defines endorsement requirements, and Section 20, which clarifies exemptions for interns and certain professionals. The bill does not alter clinical practice standards but standardizes the profession’s official name in state law.

HB 2398 allows high school students aged 15 to 19 to work in childcare centers during school hours (via work-based learning programs) or outside school hours, provided they’ve completed at least two courses in an education/training career cluster. It does not permit work in childcare centers located in a primary caregiver’s home. The bill amends Tennessee Code sections related to education, childcare licensing, and health to implement this change, effective July 1, 2026. This directly affects eligible students seeking work experience in childcare and childcare centers that may hire them under these conditions.

HB 2450 requires the Tennessee Department of Transportation to include five specific details in its annual report to the General Assembly about projects funded by the transportation modernization fund. These details are the estimated total project cost, current development phase, how the project will be built or contracted, the expected completion date, and a location map or description showing where the project fits within transportation corridors. The bill directly affects the Department of Transportation (which must add this reporting) and lawmakers (who receive the updated reports). This change aims to provide clearer, more detailed information about transportation projects without altering funding or project execution.

HB 2452 allows courts to clear certain violent criminal records from public view after a person receives a pardon. It directly affects individuals who were pardoned for violent offenses that previously could not be expunged under Tennessee law. The bill requires courts to weigh public safety and consider whether the offense was violent (including murder, aggravated kidnapping, or sexual offenses involving minors), along with other factors from both the petitioner and prosecutors. This changes prior rules that blocked expungement of violent offenses even after a pardon. The bill modifies Tennessee Code Annotated Title 40 to enable this process while maintaining safeguards for public safety.

HB 2451 clarifies that Tennessee's Uniform Partition Heirs Property Act does not apply when land is sold from an estate to pay debts, affecting estate administrators and property sellers. It revises how courts calculate a decedent's gross estate for determining a surviving spouse's elective share (their legal right to claim a portion of the estate), requiring courts to use federal estate tax rules (26 U.S.C. § 2031(a)) but excluding assets that wouldn't count toward state inheritance tax under prior law. The bill also specifies that life estates or trusts benefiting a surviving spouse must be valued using actuarial methods. The changes take effect July 1, 2026.