Sen. Brent Taylor

Maddy summarySB 383 requires that lawsuits seeking court rulings on whether government actions are legal or constitutional must be filed in Tennessee state courts, not federal courts. It prohibits seeking monetary damages in these cases and confirms that state governments, agencies, and officials retain their legal immunities under both state and federal law. The bill amends Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 1, Chapter 3 and Title 27, Chapter 1 to establish these rules. It applies to all such cases filed on or after its effective date.

Maddy summarySB 1341 extends the deadline for county and municipal airport boards to submit annual expenditure reports from 30 calendar days to 30 business days before the fiscal year begins. This affects joint boards managing public airports, requiring them to report total expenditures to local governing bodies. The change provides more practical time for preparation by excluding weekends and holidays from the deadline calculation. The bill amends Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 42, Section 42-5-204(a), to implement this procedural adjustment.

Maddy summarySB 237 requires Tennessee juvenile courts to automatically transfer to adult criminal court any 16-year-old or older youth accused of a delinquent act (a crime if committed by an adult) who has a prior court finding of delinquency for any offense. The transfer happens if the court finds probable cause the youth committed the current act and the youth is not committable to a mental health facility. Juveniles and their families must receive 14 days' written notice before a hearing to determine if these conditions are met. The bill applies to offenses committed on or after July 1, 2025, changing how certain repeat juvenile offenders are processed in the justice system.

Maddy summarySB 382, a proposed Tennessee bill, prohibits local governments (including cities, counties, and metropolitan areas) from creating or enforcing programs that provide regular cash payments to individuals without requiring work, job training, or reemployment. The bill defines "guaranteed income programs" as those issuing unconditional cash payments for any purpose, explicitly excluding programs with work requirements. If enacted, it would block local efforts to implement such programs through ordinances, resolutions, or policies. The bill was introduced and passed on first consideration in early 2025 but was later withdrawn on February 10, 2025.

Maddy summarySB 385 would require Tennessee's Department of Human Services to monthly check food assistance card data for recipients who made out-of-state purchases for 90 consecutive days or more. It would mandate sending these recipients a 30-day notice to prove Tennessee residency, removing them from the program if they fail to provide proof or respond. The bill also prohibits granting homelessness exceptions to work requirements without verified proof, such as notarized shelter stay documentation or housing authority confirmation. This bill was introduced on January 28, 2025, but was withdrawn on February 10, 2025, and is not currently law.

Maddy summarySB 675 would allow Tennessee state legislators to request the Attorney General to investigate whether a local government's ordinance, regulation, or policy violates state law or the Tennessee Constitution. The process requires a legislator to first notify the local government of the alleged violation and give it 60 days to fix it before requesting an investigation. If the Attorney General confirms a violation, the local government has 30 days to resolve it; failure to do so would trigger withholding of local sales and use tax revenues until the issue is fixed. This bill directly affects counties, cities, and other local governments by creating a state oversight mechanism for their policies.

Maddy summarySB 216 increases the maximum fine for a specific property fraud offense from $3,000 to $4,000. It targets individuals who transfer land using a general warranty deed while knowingly concealing existing liens or mortgages with the intent to defraud creditors. The bill amends Tennessee Code Section 66-3-104, raising the fine limit within the existing Class E felony framework (which includes imprisonment terms). This change directly affects those committing deed fraud, without altering the felony classification or imprisonment penalties.

Maddy summarySB 665 requires Tennessee's Department of Environment and Conservation to submit annual reports starting July 2025 on water quality permit applications and the compensatory mitigation methods used in those permits. The report must track the number of permit applications and detail how developers offset environmental impacts - such as through wetland restoration projects, in-lieu fee programs, or mitigation banking - including specific financial details like fees collected or credits sold. This affects the department (which must prepare the reports), permit applicants (whose mitigation methods are tracked), and state officials (who receive the reports). The bill aims to increase transparency around how environmental damage from development is compensated, without changing existing permit requirements.

Maddy summarySenate Joint Resolution 26 authorizes the appointment of a joint committee (five senators and five representatives) to evaluate whether to pursue removal of Steven J. Mulroy as District Attorney General for Tennessee's Thirtieth Judicial District. The committee would review allegations of ethical violations and mismanagement, hold a due process hearing with proper notice, and then recommend to the legislature whether removal is warranted. If recommended, the Tennessee General Assembly would vote separately in each chamber to approve removal by a two-thirds majority on each specified cause.

Maddy summaryThis law requires courts to order certain felony defendants released on bail to participate in pretrial monitoring to ensure they follow release conditions. If a defendant fails to comply with these conditions, the court must declare the bail forfeited and issue an arrest warrant. Additionally, only criminal or circuit court judges are authorized to release individuals arrested for violating bail conditions. These changes take effect on July 1, 2024, and apply to cases handled under Tennessee's bail statutes.