Sen. Joey Hensley

Maddy summaryThis bill honors Ava Grayson Sykes, a student from Maury County, Tennessee, for being selected as the 2026 Mule Day Queen. It is a commemorative resolution that formally recognizes her achievement and expresses congratulations on her role in this annual Tennessee event celebrating mule culture. The text provides background details about Sykes, including her education, community service, and family, but does not create any new laws or policy changes. The resolution serves as a public acknowledgment of her accomplishment rather than establishing any legislative requirements or funding.

Maddy summaryThis bill is a Senate Joint Resolution that formally honors Cayley Jordan Crews, a 17-year-old from Maury County, Tennessee, for being selected as the 2026 Mule Day Court Third Runner-Up. The resolution recognizes her achievement as a source of pride for her family and community while acknowledging her role in the Mule Day festivities. It directs the General Assembly to present a copy of the resolution to Ms. Crews as a gesture of congratulations and well-wishes for her future. The measure does not create new laws or funding but serves as a ceremonial acknowledgment of her accomplishment.

Maddy summaryThis bill is a joint resolution that formally honors LaiLah Webster, a sophomore at Columbia Central High School, for being selected as the 2026 Mule Day Court Fourth Runner-Up. The resolution recognizes her community involvement through her participation in the NAACP and Elevated Young Minds, as well as her leadership roles in school sports teams. It directs the General Assembly to present a copy of the resolution to Webster as a gesture of appreciation for her achievement and contributions to Maury County. The measure does not create new laws or policies but serves as a ceremonial acknowledgment of her accomplishment.

Maddy summaryThis bill honors Phynlee Ryan Keeling, a junior at Culleoka Unit School in Maury County, Tennessee, by recognizing her selection as the 2026 Mule Day Court First Runner-Up. The resolution acknowledges her academic achievements, leadership roles in youth organizations, and athletic accomplishments in softball and basketball. It formally congratulates her on this achievement and expresses the General Assembly's support for her future success.

Maddy summarySB 1630 requires all Tennessee municipalities to hold local elections on the same day as either the August primary or November general election, aligning them with state election cycles. It makes municipal elections partisan (candidates run under party labels), standardizes voting schedules for new city incorporation referendums, and mandates that new cities hold their first election at the next regular state election. The bill also limits term extensions for current officials to two years when changing election dates and specifies primary election timing for municipal races. This directly affects every city and town in Tennessee that holds local elections.

Maddy summarySB 2347 exempts the retail sale of food and food ingredients from Tennessee's state sales tax, directly affecting grocery stores, restaurants, and other food retailers that would no longer collect this tax on qualifying items. Key provisions include removing a 0.5% sales tax earmarked for K-12 education (Section 3) and creating a new funding formula to allocate money to counties and municipalities based on exempt food sales (Section 4). The bill also adjusts definitions to remove references to the previous tax rate for food sales (Sections 8-9). It takes effect July 1, 2026, and does not change how food is taxed under other tax provisions.

Maddy summarySB 2349 requires Tennessee's Department of Health to create a public outreach campaign about Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease (a neurological condition affecting nerves) using media like social media, radio, and print materials. It directs the department to establish a toll-free hotline for patients to report diagnoses or donate to related research. The bill specifies five campaign funding categories, including data portals, community outreach, and materials development. The outreach campaign would end on July 1, 2027, and the law would take effect July 1, 2026.

Maddy summarySB 1715 requires Tennessee school districts (LEAs) to classify school nurses as "licensed personnel" for salary purposes, meaning they must be paid according to the same salary schedule used for licensed teachers. Specifically, school nurses employed by districts must receive the base salary for licensed teachers with a bachelor's degree and zero experience, with adjustments for more or less training/experience. The bill prevents districts from reducing current nurses' salaries when implementing this policy and clarifies it does not apply to contracted nursing services. This directly affects school nurses employed by public school districts, changing how their compensation is structured relative to teaching staff.

Maddy summarySB 1837 would exempt from Tennessee's state sales and use tax the retail purchase of food and food ingredients eligible for purchase with WIC vouchers. This change applies to items meeting the federal WIC program's criteria (42 U.S.C. § 1786) and is set to take effect on July 1, 2026. It directly benefits WIC participants by eliminating state sales tax on these items and affects retailers by requiring them to not collect tax on WIC-eligible purchases. The exemption does not alter federal WIC program rules or apply to non-WIC-eligible items.

Maddy summarySB 1409 expands eligibility for Tennessee's dual enrollment grant program to include high school sophomores, who were previously excluded. Currently, the grant is limited to juniors and seniors, but this bill amends the law to add sophomores as eligible students admitted to a postsecondary institution for dual enrollment. The change would allow sophomores taking college courses while in high school to access this financial aid, taking effect July 1, 2025. This directly affects high school students in their sophomore year seeking dual enrollment opportunities.