HB 2402 requires Tennessee local government chief executives (like mayors or county commissioners) to order all flags at public buildings to fly at half-mast for at least one day whenever a first responder from their local emergency management agency dies in the line of duty. This bill amends Tennessee law to establish this mandatory flag protocol for such deaths, directly affecting all local governments with emergency management agencies. The key provision specifies that the half-mast display must occur for a minimum of one full day following the death of a qualifying first responder. The bill focuses solely on this ceremonial recognition, with no other policy changes or funding provisions.
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Emergency Management
Public Safety
This bill is a non-binding resolution expressing the Tennessee General Assembly's support for the state's bid to host a Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus from the U.S. Department of Energy. It urges Governor Bill Lee to submit a comprehensive response to the federal request by April 1, 2026, and declares legislative intent to take necessary actions to position Tennessee as the host. The resolution highlights Tennessee's existing nuclear infrastructure, including its history with the Manhattan Project, current nuclear facilities, and recent investments in nuclear energy development. As a statement of position rather than a law, it does not create new legal obligations but serves to publicly affirm the state's commitment to pursuing this federal opportunity.
HB 2463, the "Bring Your Own Generation Act," targets large data centers in Tennessee with a peak demand of 100 megawatts or more. It requires these facilities to source 50% of their electricity from new onsite carbon-free energy (like solar or wind) and imposes a 100% surcharge on them to fund clean energy grid upgrades. The surcharge revenue funds the Tennessee Environmental Protection Fund, while prohibiting fossil fuel power contracts from qualifying for state economic incentives. This bill directly affects major data center operators and aims to accelerate clean energy integration without shifting costs to residential customers.
SB 2228 modifies Tennessee's education laws by ending the Dyslexia Advisory Council and directing the existing Advisory Council for Students with Disabilities to handle dyslexia-related matters. It also terminates the Energy Efficient Schools Council and creates a new Office of Energy Efficient Schools within the Department of Education. The bill expands eligibility for individualized education accounts, which allow families to use public funds for approved educational services. These changes affect students with dyslexia or disabilities, families using education accounts, and the Department of Education's administrative structure, while amending multiple education-related statutes.
SB 2565 requires Tennessee electric utilities and large transformer owners (public or private) to assess their high-voltage transformers (100kV+ and 25MVA+) for vulnerability to geomagnetically induced currents (GICs) caused by solar storms. By January 2027, these entities must complete technical assessments using specific industry standards and submit detailed reports by July 2027 to state officials. Reports must include transformer specifications, risk analysis, protection solutions, costs, and a priority list, while redacting sensitive location and operational details as "Critical Energy Infrastructure Information." The bill explicitly prohibits relying solely on operational fixes like load shedding for GIC protection.
SB 2502, the "Electric Grid Resilience, Transparency, and Planning Act," requires local electric systems serving 10,000+ customers in Tennessee to publicly share detailed plans and reports. Key provisions include annual reliability reports identifying outage patterns, annual vegetation management plans, and a ten-year grid resilience plan outlining hardening strategies (like undergrounding) and prioritization criteria. It also mandates after-action reports following major outages and minimum emergency communication standards during severe weather events. The bill focuses on transparency and proactive planning for grid resilience, not new infrastructure construction, and applies to municipal and county utilities.
SB 2681, the "Bring Your Own Generation Act" (BYOG), requires large data centers and AI facilities in Tennessee with peak demand over 100 megawatts to generate 50% of their electricity from new onsite clean energy sources. It imposes a 100% surcharge on these facilities to fund grid upgrades for clean energy, with the revenue deposited into the Tennessee Environmental Protection Fund. The bill also prohibits using fossil fuel power purchase agreements for state economic incentives or state-subsidized fossil fuels for primary power at qualified data centers. This bill directly affects major data center operators and aims to accelerate clean energy integration without shifting costs to other utility customers. The bill is pending in the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee as of March 2026.
SB 1999 creates a "Clean Transition Tariff" (CTT) requiring large data centers, AI facilities, and other energy-intensive operations (with 25+ megawatts of demand or focused on data/AI/cloud computing) to pay for new clean energy infrastructure and grid upgrades needed to support their growth. The bill ensures these costs are borne solely by the large users, preventing rate increases for residential and small business customers. It establishes a voluntary tariff system approved by the Tennessee Public Utility Commission, mandating that new clean power for these facilities must be "additional" and not funded through general ratepayers. The law also requires local utilities to enforce this cost responsibility and report on large-load impacts annually.
HB 1875 prevents homeowners' associations (HOAs) and condominium associations from banning lot or unit owners from installing personal electric vehicle (EV) charging stations on their own property, including designated parking spots. The bill allows associations to set reasonable limits on station size, placement, and installation method but prohibits them from blocking installations in owners' designated parking areas. Homeowners installing EV chargers must cover liability costs and maintain insurance, with associations required to be named as insureds. This directly affects homeowners seeking EV infrastructure and HOAs managing community rules, effective July 2026.
SB 2008 establishes the "Climate Resiliency Fund" to finance climate adaptation projects across Tennessee. It requires fossil fuel businesses (like coal and oil operations) that existed between 1995 and 2026 to pay cost recovery charges into the fund. The fund will support concrete projects such as flood protections, infrastructure upgrades, nature-based solutions, and healthcare programs addressing climate impacts like extreme weather and heat waves. Priority funding is directed to environmental justice communities facing higher climate burdens due to income, race, or language barriers.
