Sen. Shane Reeves

Maddy summarySB 518 allows municipal, county, and utility-owned water and wastewater systems, as well as utility authorities and districts, to borrow emergency cash by issuing short-term negotiable notes secured by future revenue. These notes cannot exceed 60% of projected annual cash flows and must be fully repaid within 12 months. The comptroller of the treasury must approve all note issuances and develop a corrective action plan to ensure systems maintain adequate cash reserves, with the Tennessee Board of Utility Regulation reviewing systems if needed. The bill directly affects local utility systems needing immediate liquidity during revenue shortfalls, without requiring new taxes or rate hikes. It becomes effective July 1, 2025.

Maddy summarySB 437 requires most health insurance plans in Tennessee to cover mental health and substance abuse services through a specific integrated care model called the Psychiatric Collaborative Care Model (PCCM), effective July 1, 2025. This model involves primary care providers, care managers, and psychiatric consultants working together to coordinate patient treatment using validated tools and regular assessments. Insurance plans may deny coverage only if they comply with existing state and federal mental health parity laws (including the MHPAEA) and medical necessity standards. The requirement applies to TennCare and CoverKids programs when services are deemed medically necessary by program guidelines.

Maddy summarySB 880, effective July 1, 2025, requires Tennessee environmental agencies to base new regulations on "best available science" for drinking water, air quality, hazardous substances, and waste handling. It prohibits agencies from adopting stricter rules than federal standards (or new rules without federal equivalents) unless the science is reliable, unbiased, peer-reviewed, and demonstrates a causal link between exposure and human health harm. The law applies only to new regulatory actions after July 2025, not existing rules or federal compliance requirements. It directly affects agencies like the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation when creating new environmental standards.

Maddy summarySB 554, the "Tennessee Physician Workforce Information Act," extends the reporting deadline for medical professionals from 30 to 60 days. It directly affects healthcare providers who must submit workforce data to the state under Tennessee Code. The key change modifies Section 63-1-108(c) to require reports be submitted within 60 days instead of 30 days. This adjustment provides medical facilities more time to compile and submit required workforce information. The bill became effective April 15, 2025, after being signed by the Governor.

Maddy summarySB 883 amends Tennessee law to extend the deadline for local agencies to review subsurface sewage disposal system applications submitted by soil scientists from four to five business days. This change directly affects soil scientists who submit these applications and the local government offices responsible for processing them. The bill modifies Tennessee Code Annotated Section 68-221-406(b) to implement this one-day extension, with no other policy changes. The law became effective April 21, 2025, after Governor's signature.

Maddy summarySB 1024 requires Tennessee's education department to evaluate the effectiveness of innovative school districts after their first full school year and report findings to the state legislature's education committees. The evaluation must assess program success and may recommend expanding innovative school districts, including encouraging public universities to operate more of them based on future educational needs. This bill applies to all existing and future innovative school districts established under Tennessee law and mandates a formal review process for these programs. It does not change current district operations but adds a state-level assessment requirement to inform future policy decisions.

Maddy summarySB 882 amends Tennessee law to change how the health facilities commission appoints a representative from the assisted-care living facility industry. It allows the governor to select this commissioner from lists of qualified candidates submitted by interested groups, including the Tennessee Center for Assisted Living. The bill also requires the commission to submit specific reports to the Tennessee General Assembly. This directly affects assisted-care living facilities by giving industry groups a formal role in selecting a commission representative who advocates for their interests. The law took effect on April 24, 2025, after being signed by the Governor.

Maddy summaryThis bill would repeal two old state laws (from 1975 and 1989) that created Bedford County's road board, effectively abolishing that local government body. It directly affects Bedford County, as the county's legislative body must first approve the bill with a two-thirds vote before it can take effect. The key mechanism requires local approval through the county's legislative process, with the approval certified to the state. If approved, the road board would be eliminated, shifting road governance responsibilities to Bedford County's current structure. The bill is procedural and does not create new policies or funding.

Maddy summarySB 884 clarifies that local governments (like cities or counties) must accept 19 specific energy sources - including solar, wind, nuclear, natural gas, and biomass - as "clean or green energy" when setting requirements for public utilities. It requires these local rules to include all 19 sources as permissible, regardless of whether the government labels the rules as targeting "clean" or "renewable" energy. The bill amends Tennessee law to define "energy project" and "public utility" consistently across multiple code sections. This change ensures utilities comply with local energy rules by using any of the listed sources, without requiring local governments to explicitly classify their requirements as "clean energy" or "renewable energy."

Maddy summarySB 425 amends Tennessee's public records law to protect the residential information of public employees. The bill specifically adds street addresses, cities, states, and zip codes to the list of exempt information, meaning these details will no longer be disclosed in public records requests. This change directly affects all state, county, municipal, and other public employees by making their home addresses confidential. The law now explicitly excludes residential information from public disclosure, expanding an existing exemption under Tennessee Code Annotated Section 10-7-504.