New laws taking effect in Tennessee on January 1

1 hour ago

WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News Staff,

Several new bills and laws in Tennessee are set to go into effect in January 1. The list below, compiled by Policy and Research Analyst Daniel Burnham, provides a look at what to expect. According to officials with the state, some of the bills go into full effect and others go into partial effect.

HB 37	Amends TCA Title 8; Title 53; Title 56; Title 63; Title 68 and Title 71. As enacted, authorizes an insurer, for purposes of group insurance plans offered to state employees, to adopt or amend a state preferred drug list (PDL); requires the insurer to ensure that a non-opioid drug approved by the U.S. food and drug administration for the treatment or management of pain is not disadvantaged or discouraged with respect to coverage relative to an opioid or narcotic drug for the treatment or management of pain on the PDL.
HB 119	Amends TCA Section 55-12-139. As enacted, requires the commissioner of revenue, instead of the commissioner of safety, to issue a certificate stating that a cash deposit or bond in the amount required by the Tennessee Financial Responsibility Law of 1977 has been paid or filed with the commissioner of revenue.
HB 321	Amends TCA Title 1; Title 2; Title 3; Title 4; Title 5; Title 7; Title 8; Title 9; Title 10; Title 11; Title 12; Title 13; Title 16; Title 20; Title 22; Title 24; Title 31; Title 33; Title 36; Title 38; Title 39; Title 40; Title 43; Title 44; Title 45; Title 47; Title 48; Title 49; Title 50; Title 53; Title 54; Title 55; Title 56; Title 61; Title 62; Title 63; Title 64; Title 65; Title 66; Title 67; Title 68; Title 69 and Title 71. As enacted, requires each department, agency, office, commission, institution, or instrumentality of the executive branch to accept electronic transmissions; defines the meaning of electronic transmission as applicable to this state’s code; removes the terms “fax” or “facsimile” in certain statutes and replaces the terms with electronic transmission.
HB 395	Amends TCA Title 56 and Title 68. As enacted, enacts the “Tennessee Genomic Security and End Organ Harvesting Act.”
HB 487	Amends TCA Title 8; Title 18; Title 55 and Title 67. As introduced, increases, from $100 to $125, the fee for crossfilings and counter complaints in civil cases in courts of record.
HB 496 (partial)	Amends TCA Section 71-4-803 and Section 71-4-806. As enacted, removes the restriction that earnings in an achieving a better life experience account may only be expended for a student’s education expenses; redefines “disability certification” and “eligible individual” to have the same meaning as in the Internal Revenue Code and all rules and regulations released by the United States treasury.
HB 576 (partial)	Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 3, Part 13; Title 39; Title 40; Title 41; Title 56; Title 62 and Title 67, Chapter 4, Part 8. As introduced, clarifies that a notice received with a person’s bail bond informing that person the person has employed a professional bail bondsman or bonding agency may contain different sized fonts and colors so that the substance of the notice is conspicuous and easy to read.
HB 683 (partial)	Amends TCA Title 4; Title 39 and Title 62, Chapter 35. As enacted, creates the enhanced armed guard registration that may be obtained upon completion of certain training and other requirements by an armed security guard/officer who has at least five years of full-time experience as a law enforcement officer or four years of active duty military experience in a combat arms military occupational specialty; directs the commissioner of commerce and insurance to approve an enhanced armed guard training course.
HB 691	Amends TCA Section 67-4-2109. As introduced, changes the amounts of the franchise and excise tax credits allowed to financial institutions from certain percentages of the unpaid principal balance of certain qualified loans made to eligible housing entities to certain percentages of the month-end average unpaid principal balance of such loans; makes other related revisions.
HB 743 (partial)	Amends TCA Title 47, Chapter 18. As enacted, enacts the “Debt Resolution Services Act.”
HB 749 (partial)	Amends TCA Title 55, Chapter 50. As enacted, creates the Class B misdemeanor offense of operating a motor vehicle in this state with an invalid driver license; designates out-of-state driver licenses issued exclusively to illegal aliens as invalid driver licenses in this state
HB 780	Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 3; Title 4, Chapter 49; Section 9-16-101; Title 54, Chapter 4; Title 55, Chapter 4; Title 57, Chapter 5, Part 2; Title 57, Chapter 3, Part 3; Title 67, Chapter 3, Part 9; Title 67, Chapter 4, Part 9 and Title 67. As introduced, requires the department of economic and community development to revise and certify the population of each county and municipality, and the aggregate population of the state, prior to July 1 each year during the interim between the regular decennial federal census to ensure equitable allocation and distribution of the local share of revenue; requires the Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Tennessee, through the Tennessee state data center, to generate annual population estimates for each county and municipality and provide the estimates to the department of economic and community development for review and certification.
HB 858	Amends TCA Title 8; Title 56; Title 63; Title 68 and Title 71. As introduced, requires the commissioner to conduct a study on the ease of access for patients and prescribing practitioners to insurers’ online processes to request step therapy exceptions to determine whether insurers in this state are complying with the current law requirement for ease of access in a manner that does not impose any unnecessary barriers to making an exception request; requires the commissioner to deliver findings and recommendations from the study to the chief clerks of the senate and house of representatives and the legislative librarian no later than December 15, 2025.
HB 959 (partial)	Amends TCA Title 33 and Title 63. As enacted, makes various changes relative to marriage and family therapist licensure.
HB 979 (partial)	Amends TCA Title 47; Title 63 and Title 68. As introduced, removes an obsolete provision that required health-related boards to report to the general assembly by January 1, 2019, regarding issues relating to implementation of provisions regarding electronic prescriptions for Schedule II, III, IV, or V controlled substances.
HB 1089 (partial)	Amends TCA Title 33; Title 39 and Title 40. As introduced, requires the punishment for the offense of cruelty to animals to include at least 40 hours of community service work to be determined by the court, in addition to any other punishment authorized by law.
HB 1200	Amends TCA Title 18; Section 38-6-103; Title 39 and Title 40. As introduced, enacts “Savanna’s Law,” which creates a registry of persistent domestic violence offenders; requires the bureau to maintain the registry.
HB 1330 (partial)	Amends TCA Title 4; Title 8; Title 20; Title 33; Title 38; Title 40; Title 52; Title 55; Title 62; Title 63; Title 68; Title 70 and Title 76. As introduced, enacts the “Less is More Act of 2025.”
HB 1376 (partial)	Amends TCA Title 39; Title 40; Title 43, Chapter 27; Title 53, Chapter 11; Title 57 and Title 67. As introduced, provides for the regulation of the manufacturing, supplying, wholesale distribution, and retail sale of hemp-derived cannabinoid products by the commission and department of revenue; creates licenses for suppliers, wholesalers, and retailers; establishes taxes for such products and the manner in which such taxes are collected and allocated; establishes civil and criminal penalties for violations.
SB 128 (partial)	Amends TCA Title 4 and Title 63. As enacted, makes various changes relative to the practice of chiropractors, including animal chiropractic practice.
SB 171 (partial)	Amends TCA Title 62, Chapter 38. As enacted, enacts “The Ink of Hope Act”; requires tattoo operators and tattoo artists to complete up to one hour of training on recognizing and reporting signs of human trafficking.
SB 229 (partial)	Amends TCA Title 2; Title 3 and Title 67. As introduced, makes various changes to campaign finance requirements; requires certain officials in the executive branch to receive ethics training from the bureau of ethics and campaign finance; makes certain records of the bureau of ethics and campaign finance public; distributes 80 percent of the privilege tax collected from lobbyists to the bureau of ethics and campaign finance; makes other changes to the operation of the bureau of ethics and campaign finance.
SB 251 (partial)	Amends TCA Section 8-25-213 and Title 8, Chapter 36, Part 8. As enacted, establishes that a retiree who is a member of the Tennessee consolidated retirement system must have had a bona fide separation of service before the retiree is allowed to accept temporary reemployment without a loss or suspension of benefits in the retirement system; makes other changes to the present law relative to reemployment after retirement from public employment.
SB 232	Amends TCA Section 8-50-813. As introduced, grants eligible employees leave of up to six workweeks because the employee is caring for a family member with a serious health condition.
SB 437	Amends TCA Title 56 and Title 71. As enacted, revises certain protocols for mental health and substance abuse services.
SB 947	Amends TCA Title 62 and Title 68. As enacted, permits tattoo artists who have been licensed in this state for fewer than three years but licensed in another state for 10 years or more to receive a tattoo artist licensure in this state; requires the tattoo artist to provide the tattoo artist’s signature on this state’s tattoo apprenticeship completion application signifying that the apprentice tattoo artist has met the requirement of law.
SB 715	Amends TCA Title 46. As enacted, changes the way that the fair market value of an improvement care trust fund is calculated for certain purposes; clarifies that the fee that a cemetery company charges for the memorial care of a commodity installed in the cemetery cannot exceed the fee charged by the company for installation of the commodity; makes other changes related to cemeteries.
SB 886	Amends TCA Title 62, Chapter 13. As enacted, exempts a real estate broker licensee who was originally licensed prior to January 1, 2005, and does not supervise any affiliate brokers from the requirement to furnish certification of satisfactory completion of 16 classroom hours in real estate courses for reissuance of a license for a licensure period after the period in which the licensee completed the required 120 classroom hours in real estate.
SB 1051	Amends TCA Title 8, Chapter 16, Part 3. As enacted, adds that a person must complete a course of instruction and pass an examination to qualify to be commissioned as an online notary public; clarifies that an application to be commissioned requires a certification that the applicant has reviewed, understands, and will comply with the applicable rules and requirements promulgated by the secretary of state; adds that a course of instruction for online notarization must include, at a minimum, notarial laws, technology procedures of online notarizations, and ethical requirements for online notaries.
SB 1143	Amends TCA Title 2. As introduced, extends the period county election commissions are required to retain files related to purging voter registrations, from two years to three years.
SB 1250 (partial)	Amends TCA Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 13; Title 33; Title 47; Title 63 and Title 68. As introduced, changes the deadline for the department to submit its annual report of data collected related to the use of medication-assisted treatment for opiate addiction by department-funded providers in this state for the prior fiscal year, from February 15 to March 1.
SB 1270 (partial)	Amends TCA Title 56 and Section 68-1-115. As enacted, requires a health benefit plan issuer to provide no later than 30 days after a health benefit plan issuer receives a written request for a claims experience report from a plan, plan sponsor, or plan administrator, the report to the requesting party; prohibits coverage by a commercial risk insurance policy of farm risks or real or personal property used in farming from being considered in determining whether property is classified as farm or agricultural property under another law or rule in this state; revises provisions relating to reinsurance and risk insurance; revises provisions relating to the readability, content, and style of life and health insurance policies.
SB 1282 (partial)	Amends TCA Section 53-8-103; Title 68, Chapter 110; Title 68, Chapter 111; Title 68, Chapter 14 and Title 68, Chapter 15. As introduced, deletes present laws pertaining to rented premises unfit for habitation and quick fast food establishment delivery vehicles; removes the statutorily set permit fees to operate food service establishments and requires such permit fees to be set by rule; makes other revisions to present laws pertaining to food service and safety.
SB 1299 (partial)	Amends TCA Section 55-10-417 and Section 55-10-425. As enacted, requires an ignition interlock provider to permit a person to appear for calibration, monitoring, or inspection of the device at any time within a two-week period; authorizes a court to order reinstatement of a person’s driver license if the person has no other revocations or suspensions on the person’s driving record and the person’s only noncompliance with ignition interlock requirements has been with regard to the required calibration, monitoring, or inspection of the ignition interlock device; makes various other changes in regard to ignition interlock devices and the ignition interlock usage period.
SB 1400 (partial)	Amends TCA Title 39 and Title 55. As introduced, states that a law enforcement officer may assist a qualified practitioner in using reasonable force to obtain a sample of blood from a person suspected of driving while under the influence of an intoxicant; increases the amount of time a driver license must be revoked for an implied consent violation from one year to one year and six months if the person has no prior violations.
SB 1420	Amends TCA Title 55, Chapter 50. As enacted, requires written examinations administered to applicants for a driver license or intermediate driver license to include questions concerning hand signals used by operators of bicycles to communicate turning, slowing, and stopping.
SB 6002 (partial)	Amends TCA Title 2; Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 8 and Title 55. As enacted, creates within the department of safety the centralized immigration enforcement division, to be administered by the chief immigration enforcement officer; establishes a grant program to promote the enforcement of federal immigration laws; creates criminal penalties for officials who adopt sanctuary policies and subsequently requires their removal from office upon conviction; requires the department of safety to issue lawful permanent residents a temporary driver license, instead of a standard license, to aid in determining voter eligibility; makes related changes.