Tennessee Bills

HB 2180 requires third-party booking sites (like Expedia or Kayak) to clearly disclose extra fees for hotel add-ons - such as parking, breakfast, spa services, or late checkouts - before a consumer books. It directly affects these websites, not hotels’ own sites, by mandating upfront disclosure of which services require additional payment beyond the room rate. Violations would be treated as violations of Tennessee’s Consumer Protection Act, subjecting sites to penalties. The law applies to all such sites aggregating hotel options in Tennessee and takes effect July 1, 2026.

HB 2261 clarifies that agreements related to property conveyance (real or personal estate) and associated documents like notices, affidavits, or abstracts can be registered with the Register of Deeds only if they include an expiration date and are properly authenticated. This directly affects property owners, sellers, and title companies who file such agreements. The key change requires all these documents to state the agreement’s full expiration date (day, month, year) and include signatures meeting authentication standards. It updates Tennessee law to ensure registered property-related agreements have clear expiration terms.

HB 2147 creates a new Class C misdemeanor offense for knowingly operating an unmanned aircraft (drone) over school property in Tennessee. The bill amends Tennessee Code Annotated Sections 39-13-903 to add this specific prohibition as a new subdivision (a)(7), making it a separate violation from other criminal offenses. This law directly affects drone operators, including hobbyists and commercial users, who fly near schools. The bill takes effect July 1, 2026, and classifies this violation as a Class C misdemeanor (typically punishable by up to 90 days in jail or a $500 fine).

HB 2302 establishes rules for handling traffic violations committed by autonomous vehicles in Tennessee. It requires police to mail violation notices or citations to the registered owner of an autonomous vehicle within 20 business days, instead of issuing them directly to the vehicle. The notice must include the fine amount, allow 30 days for payment, and specify additional fees for late payment or contesting the violation. This directly affects owners of self-driving vehicles by changing how traffic tickets are delivered and processed. The bill ensures all notices have a Tennessee return address and payment must be handled within-state.

HB 2387 designates the annual winner of Tennessee's Old Time Bluegrass and Fiddlers' Jamboree (held in Holladay) as the state champion fiddler. The bill directly affects the winner of this specific competition, granting them an official title without altering any laws or creating new requirements. It amends state code to formally recognize the Jamboree's West Tennessee Fiddlers' Championship winner as the state champion fiddler. The bill has no policy impact beyond this ceremonial designation and does not affect other fiddling events or regulations.

SB 2334 allows Tennessee local governments with at least $20 million in annual revenue to choose any construction project delivery method (like design-build, design-bid-build, or construction manager at-risk) for projects costing over $5 million. It requires these governments to select contractors through a competitive process and confirms existing local rules authorize such selections. The bill directly affects counties, cities, utility districts, and other local entities meeting the revenue threshold. It does not change existing requirements for smaller projects or governments below the revenue limit. The law would take effect upon enactment.

HB 2407 allows Tennessee local governments with at least $20 million in annual revenue to choose any construction project delivery method (like design-build or construction manager at-risk) for projects costing over $5 million, instead of being restricted to traditional methods. It requires these governments to select contractors through a competitive proposal process and confirms their existing rules permit this approach. The bill directly affects counties, cities, school districts, and other qualifying local entities when planning major construction projects. This change aims to give local governments flexibility in how they manage large-scale building projects while maintaining competitive selection standards.

SB 2371 amends Tennessee law to clarify that tenure rules and dismissal processes for school staff do not apply to individuals holding temporary academic or clinical permits. The bill updates two specific sections of state code (TCA 49-5-501 and 49-2-301) to explicitly exclude these temporary permit holders from definitions of "teacher" and related personnel procedures. This change directly affects educators working under temporary permits, ensuring they are not subject to standard tenure or dismissal protocols. The legislation focuses solely on defining eligibility for existing personnel rules, without creating new policies or funding mechanisms.

HB 2517 restricts Tennessee's animal health commissioner from mandating tests or vaccinations for animals within the state or imported into the state, except for detecting or treating USDA-listed "notifiable" or "monitored" diseases. The bill defines "notifiable disease" as USDA-emergency or regulated diseases and "monitored disease" as USDA-endemic diseases, narrowing the commissioner's mandatory authority to these specific cases. However, it allows the commissioner to *recommend* tests or vaccinations for general animal health protection, maintaining flexibility for broader health guidance without enforcement power. This change directly affects how Tennessee enforces animal health regulations under Title 44 of the Tennessee Code.

HB 2215 allows Tennessee's wildlife agency to partner with local police to enforce wildlife laws, specifically for public safety issues like bear feeding. It directly affects residents and visitors in areas where officials have posted notices prohibiting bear feeding. The bill creates a Class B misdemeanor for intentionally feeding black bears in these designated zones, punishable by a $250 fine, while unintentional feeding due to unsecured food results in a warning for first offenses and a $250 fine for repeat violations. Key mechanisms include requiring detailed reporting by police when enforcing these rules and limiting enforcement agreements to specific wildlife safety concerns. The law takes effect July 1, 2026.

SB 2597 allows Tennessee's wildlife agency to partner with local police to enforce wildlife laws, requiring written agreements that specify which rules officers can enforce (like bear feeding prohibitions) and mandating regular reports on enforcement actions. It creates a Class B misdemeanor for knowingly feeding black bears in areas where such feeding is prohibited, punishable by a $250+ fine, while unintentional feeding due to unsecured food leads to a written warning for first offenses and fines for repeat violations. The law directly affects residents in designated bear areas and local law enforcement agencies participating in the enforcement partnerships. It takes effect July 1, 2026, applying to violations occurring after that date.

HB 2572 requires Tennessee's Department of Health to publish on its website the inspection criteria pain management clinics must follow for compliance. It also mandates that the Department publicly post the criteria used to identify "high-risk" prescribers (those with high patient overdose rates) and establishes a process for removing this designation after prescribers complete required training. The bill exempts pain management specialists from the high-risk prescriber identification process and changes clinic reporting requirements from weekly to quarterly. These provisions increase transparency for clinics and prescribers while updating regulatory procedures.