Rep. William Lamberth

Maddy summaryHB 1232 requires certain criminal offenses to be reported in writing to authorities, replacing the prior oral reporting requirement under Tennessee law (TCA 39-16-202(a)(1)). This change affects entities legally obligated to report specific crimes, such as healthcare providers or school officials in mandated reporting scenarios. The bill became law on May 15, 2025, after being enacted as Public Chapter 462.

Maddy summaryHB 1344 amends Tennessee Code Section 49-7-112(e) to require the higher education commission to submit an annual report to the governor and specific legislative committees (education, commerce, and labor) by July 1, 2025, and each year after. This change modifies the commission's reporting obligations for higher education oversight. The bill title references a separate provision about redirecting capital outlay funds, but that text is not included in the provided bill document, so this summary focuses solely on the reporting amendment. The bill became law as Public Chapter 467.

Maddy summaryHB 55 creates new misdemeanor offenses in Tennessee for deliberately refusing to provide one's name to law enforcement during a lawful detention or arrest, or for intentionally giving a false name. It also establishes misdemeanor penalties for approaching within 25 feet of an officer who has ordered you to stop, and for riding in the cargo area of a box truck (defined as enclosed vehicles without passenger seats). The law directly affects individuals interacting with police, drivers using specific vehicle configurations, and those placing signs on public infrastructure without permission. Key provisions include classifying these violations as misdemeanors (Class B or C) and clarifying that failing to show ID isn't a violation if verbal identification is attempted. The bill takes effect July 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 1307 requires Tennessee's Department of Education to create a plan closing the Achievement School District (ASD) by the start of the 2026-2027 school year, releasing all schools currently in the ASD. It mandates the department to establish a new intervention system for schools identified as "priority schools" instead of the ASD model. The bill amends the deadline for implementing school interventions from October 1 to October 15 annually. This directly affects schools currently under ASD oversight and the state's approach to supporting struggling schools. The bill became law as Public Chapter 464 on May 15, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 1325 establishes Tennessee's Farmland Preservation Fund to support conservation easements on farmland and forestland. The bill creates a dedicated fund within the state general fund (administered by the Department of Agriculture) that provides grants for landowners to place permanent conservation easements on their property, held by qualified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations. Key provisions require land to remain in agricultural or forestry use, prohibit selling or transferring easements acquired through the grant, and mandate unspent funds carry forward annually. This directly affects Tennessee landowners seeking to preserve their property through conservation agreements and qualified nonprofit easement holders. The policy change formalizes a grant program to secure long-term land preservation without restricting farming or forestry activities.

Maddy summaryHB 1299, the "Preventing Deepfake Images Act," creates a civil legal remedy for individuals whose non-consensual intimate digital images or videos - whether AI-generated deepfakes or manipulated real likenesses - are shared without their consent. It directly affects victims of such disclosures and those who distribute them, requiring explicit written consent for disclosure (not just creation) and defining "intimate digital depictions" to include explicit images of identifiable people. Key provisions allow victims to sue for up to $150,000 in liquidated damages, actual damages for emotional harm, or recovery of the defendant’s profits, plus attorney fees. Exceptions cover disclosures made in good faith to law enforcement or during legal proceedings, while courts may grant anonymity to plaintiffs.

Maddy summaryHB 124 amends Tennessee's environmental laws to adjust fees for regulatory programs and update rules for coal ash disposal. It increases certain fees (e.g., raising a fee from $18.75 to $38) and defines "coal combustion residuals" (coal ash from power plants) and "disposal units." The bill requires liners and final caps for new coal ash disposal facilities, with limited exceptions like agricultural use. It also creates a cost-recovery mechanism for the Department of Environment and Conservation to cover oversight costs of coal ash disposal, while exempting these units from standard fee structures. The bill became law as Public Chapter 399 on May 13, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 1323 modifies Tennessee teacher licensure rules to allow schools to fill staffing gaps with emergency teaching credentials when qualified licensed teachers are unavailable. It creates three specific temporary credentials: a "temporary academic permit" for those with a bachelor's degree (but no license), a "temporary clinical permit" for individuals enrolled in approved teacher training programs, and a "license endorsement exemption" for currently licensed educators. These credentials expire June 30 after issuance, cannot be renewed for clinical permits, and cannot be used for special education courses. The bill also requires schools to report certain teacher convictions to the state board and mandates mentorship for teachers with temporary academic permits teaching courses with end-of-course exams.

Maddy summaryHB 1310 modifies Tennessee's food service regulations by removing fixed permit fee amounts for restaurants, food trucks, child care centers, schools, and other food service operations, requiring the commissioner of health to set these fees through rulemaking instead. The bill affects all businesses needing food service permits by shifting fee determination from specific statutory amounts to a flexible rulemaking process. Key changes include updating definitions of the "Food Code," adjusting inspection frequencies for certain facilities, and deleting outdated provisions about rented premises and quick food delivery vehicles. Most provisions take effect January 1, 2026, with rulemaking authority beginning immediately upon enactment.

Maddy summaryHB 117 permanently extends a requirement for retailers selling food, candy, or nonalcoholic beverages (including bottled soft drinks) to submit sales data to the Tennessee Department of Revenue. It removes the July 1, 2025, expiration date from existing law (TCA § 67-6-410), making the reporting obligation indefinite. This affects retailers who sell the specified products, requiring them to continue filing annual net sales reports. The bill became effective May 2, 2025, after being signed by the Governor.