Trauma center hospitals seek new state funding to offset uncompensated care
8:30 a.m. CT - Senate Finance - Watch
- Tennessee’s 14 trauma center hospitals are asking the legislature for a new source of funding after dueling threats have destabilized a state fund those hospitals depend on.
- Enacted in 2007, the Trauma Fund generates revenue from the cigarette tax and distributes that funding to the state’s trauma hospital network.
But cigarette sales are declining.
- Since 2008, the trauma fund has decreased over $3 million despite a two-fold increase in trauma patients treated across the state between 2013 and 2023.
- At the same time, the amount of uncompensated care provided at these hospitals has increased.
- Here’s an idea Republicans have rejected for 15 years: Medicaid expansion to make sure all families have access to health coverage.
Correction officials seek $92M funding increase amid private prison failures, federal probe
10:30 a.m. CT - State & Local Government - Watch
- A senate committee will review the Correction Department’s $91.6 million request for increased funding at a budget hearing next week.
- The current budget allocates $1.4 billion to the department, a $600 million increase over a decade.
- The new funding request would add nearly $100 million to the department’s annual budget, including a $6.8 million raise for CoreCivic — the controversial, for-profit prison giant operating four facilities in the state.
- CoreCivic rakes in $233 million annually from Tennessee taxpayers, even as chronic understaffing, violence, and contract violations have led to nearly $30 million in state fines — and now, a federal investigation.
- FY 15 Correction $910 million to FY 25 Correction $1.4 billion
GOP bill would nix party contribution limits to candidates
10:30 a.m. CT- State & Local Government - Watch - SB 0229 *Briggs
- Republican Sen. Richard Briggs will introduce legislation to change various campaign finance rules, including a removal of candidate contribution limits for political parties and caucuses.
- Currently, political parties and caucuses can contribute $250,000 to statewide candidates; $40,000 to state senate candidates; and $20,000 for state house or local office.
- All other political action committees would still be subject to contribution limits: $7,500 for candidates seeking statewide, state senate or state house; and $5,000 for any other state or local office.
- Another curious provision in the bill would explicitly allow candidates to use campaign funds to pay for legal challenges against the candidacy of their opponents.
Taylor targets protestors with a felony, loss of voting rights
3 p.m. - Senate Judiciary - SB 0672 *Taylor (HB 0729 by *Barrett) - Watch
- Any person who obstructs a roadway, sidewalk or even a hallway could be slapped with a felony, six years in prison and a loss of voting rights, under legislation filed by Republican Sen. Brent Taylor.
- Republicans created the obstruction “crime” to crack down on protestors. It’s currently charged as a class A misdemeanor but Taylor’s bill would increase the penalty to a class E felony – and a felony conviction automatically results in a loss of voting rights.
- The legislation specifically says it is illegal to obstruct any place used for the passage of person or vehicle, but specifically lists: highway, street, sidewalk, railway, waterway, elevator, aisle and hallway
- The fiscal note attached to the bill says an average of 25 persons are convicted annually.
Democratic bills up today—
Bill cracks down on adults committing crime with juveniles
3 p.m. Judiciary - SB 0045 *Lamar (HB 1165 by *Parkinson)
· Senate Bill 45 would add an enhancement factor for criminal offenses where the accused adult committed an offense with a minor.
· Sen. Lamar says the legislation is needed to combat gangs that recruit minors to commit a crime.
Full Senate Schedule
8:30 a.m. Senate Finance
(The committee may take this agenda out of order)
Presentations
Trauma Funding Update
Trauma Care Advisory Council
Tennessee 2024 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report
Comptroller
Budget Hearings
Comptroller of the Treasury
Revenue
TN State Museum
10:30 a.m. Senate State & Local Government
Budget Hearing
Department of Correction
1. SB 0129 *Haile (HB 0331 by *Baum, Grills)
Tennessee Housing Development Agency- As introduced, increases, from $4 billion to $6 billion, the maximum aggregate principal amount for which the agency may issue bonds and notes at any one time.
2. SB 0320 *Massey (HB 0823 by *Lafferty, Littleton)
Alcoholic Beverages- As introduced, lowers the county population threshold, from in excess of 500,000 to in excess of 350,000, for a sports authority facility to be eligible to obtain a liquor-by-the-drink license.
3. SB 0452 *Massey (HB 0496 by *Reedy)
Treasurer, State- As introduced, 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.
4. SB 0115 *Powers (HB 0057 by *Moon, Wright, Rudd, McCalmon, Slater)
Municipal Government- As introduced, specifies penalties for a municipality that fails to timely provide the comptroller of the treasury with copies of audits of the accounts and records of all departments, boards, and agencies under the municipality's jurisdiction that receive and disburse funds.
5. SB 0114 *Harshbarger (HB 0136 by *Atchley)
Public Funds and Financing- As introduced, broadens certain disclosure obligations of state and local governmental entities by requiring their disclosure of covenant violations and credit rating downgrades to the comptroller of the treasury or the comptroller's designee. - Amends TCA Section 9-21-134.
6. SB 0111 *Lowe (HB 0142 by *McCalmon)
Alcoholic Beverages- As introduced, authorizes a licensee that holds more than a 50 percent ownership interest in a manufacturer and a winery that are located on the same deeded property to offer product tastings and make retail sales for consumption on or off of such premises of its wine or spirits manufactured on such deeded property at a location on the overlapping premises other than on the bonded premises of the manufacturer or winery. - Amends TCA Title 57.
7. SB 0015 *Walley (HB 0094 by *Shaw)
State Inmates- As introduced, requires the state to pay for autopsies of deceased inmates and for any transportation associated with the autopsy. - Amends TCA Title 38, Chapter 7; Title 41, Chapter 21 and Title 68, Chapter 4.
8. SB 0380 *Walley (HB 0421 by *Marsh)
Utilities, Utility Districts- As introduced, creates a process by which a utility district commissioner who becomes ineligible to serve for failing to meet training and continuing education requirements may be reinstated; reduces the number of hours of training and continuing education for utility district commissioners from 12 hours to six hours. - Amends TCA Title 7, Chapter 34 and Title 7, Chapter 82.
9. SB 0211 *Gardenhire, Watson (HB 0397 by *Hakeem, Vital)
Taxes, Sales- As introduced, authorizes an entity designated to operate a stadium designed to host games of an intercollegiate football team that competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) to receive a special allocation of state and local sales tax revenue derived from the sale of admission to events occurring within the stadium and from all sales of food, drinks, merchandise, and parking sold on the premises of the stadium to fund capital and operation expenses for the stadium. - Amends TCA Title 67, Chapter 6.
10. SB 0214 *Gardenhire (HB 0434 by *Raper)
Public Officials- As introduced, prohibits a public facility from being named for a local public official who is in office, for two years after the public official leaves office, or if the public official has been convicted of a felony or a crime of moral turpitude; prohibits a local public official from making charitable donations in the public official's name if the donation is from public funds. - Amends TCA Title 3; Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 8; Title 9 and Title 12.
11. SB 0244 *Gardenhire (HB 0396 by *Hakeem)
Housing- As introduced, requires multi-family facilities, buildings, and structures constructed under a voluntary attainable housing incentive program to be deed-restricted to ensure that the attainable housing continues for at least 30 years, instead of in perpetuity. - Amends TCA Title 13, Chapter 3.
12. SB 0306 *Briggs (HB 0459 by *Martin G)
Secretary of State- As introduced, clarifies that administrative dissolution is permitted for certain entities if the entity files a signed document with the secretary of state knowing that it contained materially false information; permits administrative dissolution of certain entities if the entity is owned or controlled by a foreign government or foreign non-government person determined to be a foreign adversary by the United States secretary of commerce.
13. SB 0229 *Briggs (HB 0653 by *Hicks T)
Campaigns and Campaign Finance- 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.
“Unexpended contributions” -- This provision would explicitly allow campaign funds to be used to challenge the legitimacy of a potential opponent's candidacy.
Removes contribution limits for political parties and caucus PACs. Currently $250K for statewide candidates, $40K for state senate, $20K for state house/local office
Maintains candidate PAC contribution limits.
1 p.m. Senate Labor & Commerce
Budget Presentations
Financial Institutions
Department of Economic & Community Development
Department of Commerce & Insurance
1. SB 0041 *Haile (HB 0141 by *Hale)
Consumer Protection- As introduced, prohibits a provider of certain services from billing a consumer for an extra billing cycle if the consumer terminates the contract or agreement for services within the first half of a billing cycle; designates a violation as an unfair or deceptive act or practice affecting trade or commerce in violation of the Consumer Protection Act of 1977. - Amends TCA Title 7; Title 47 and Title 65.
2. SB 0909 *Haile (HB 0781 by *Martin G)
Real Property- As introduced, requires a buyer engaged in wholesaling real property to disclose certain information related to the buyer's equitable interest in the real property to the seller and a subsequent purchaser. - Amends TCA Title 47 and Title 66.
3. SB 0512 *Bailey (HB 0343 by *Capley, Lamberth)
Consumer Protection- As introduced, prohibits persons from selling, offering for sale, or offering a free sample of counterfeit lighters and unsafe lighters. - Amends TCA Title 39 and Title 47.
3 p.m. Senate Judiciary
1. SJR 0025 *Johnson
Constitutional Amendments- Proposes an amendment to Article I, Section 15 of the Constitution of Tennessee to remove the right to bail for the following offenses when the proof is evident or the presumption great: act of terrorism; second degree murder; aggravated rape of a child; aggravated rape; grave torture; and any other offense, as of November 3, 2026, for which a defendant, if convicted, could not be released prior to the expiration of at least 85 percent of the entire sentence imposed.
WATCH: Allows state judges to deny bail under more circumstances, a practice called preventive detention. The U.S. Constitution limits preventive detention by the Fifth Amendment’s due process clause, the Fourth Amendment and the Eighth Amendment’s excessive bail provision.
2. SB 0019 *Gardenhire (HB 0096 by *Davis)
Attorney General and Reporter- As introduced, authorizes the attorney general and reporter to conduct an investigation and initiate criminal prosecution of a judicial elected official or district attorney general whenever the attorney general and reporter has probable cause to investigate whether an official may have violated any state criminal law and either a decision to prosecute the official by the district attorney general may result in a personal, financial, or political conflict of interest or the attorney general and reporter receives a report of a violation of the prohibition on nepotism within state government entities. - Amends TCA Title 8, Chapter 6.
WATCH: Expands the attorney general’s powers
Budget Hearing
Attorney General & Reporter
· Annual budget has more than doubled since FY15-16 ($25.7 million, Pub. Ch. 437, 2015)
· FY17-18 caseload (new) – 8,138 // FY24-25 caseload (new) – 4,361
3. SB 0252 *Haile (HB 0314 by *Littleton)
Treasurer, State- As introduced, requires the state treasurer to compare the maximum award limit for the criminal injuries compensation program with the average of the maximum award limits of other states and territories every three years beginning January 1, 2026, rather than by October 1 of each year; requires the state treasurer to publish an adjustment to the maximum award on the department of treasury website by no later than March 1 of the comparison year; declares that the determination and publication of the adjusted maximum award is not a rule as defined in statute and is exempt from the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act. - Amends TCA Section 29-13-106.
4. SB 0299 *Haile (HB 0830 by *Terry)
Boards and Commissions- As introduced, changes the qualifications for membership on the medical cannabis commission to include a patient caregiver and a subject matter expert with knowledge of how cannabis is cultivated, processed, shipped, distributed, or prescribed for medical use; specifies that the recommendations made by the commission to the general assembly may include policy recommendations. - Amends TCA Title 4 and Title 68, Chapter 7.
5. SB 0591 *Haile (HB 1273 by *Cochran)
Criminal Offenses- As introduced, creates the Class E felony of recklessly, by any means of communication, threatening to commit an act of mass violence on the property of a child care agency, preschool, or religious institution; creates the Class B misdemeanor of failing to report a threat to commit an act of mass violence on the property of a child care agency, preschool, or religious institution. - Amends TCA Title 39.
Budget Hearing
District Public Defenders Conference
Presentation
DNA Collection
6. SB 0045 *Lamar (HB 1165 by *Parkinson)
Sentencing- As introduced, adds as an enhancement factor to be used in determining the sentence within the permissible range for a criminal offense that the defendant is an adult and committed the offense with a minor, regardless of whether the minor was convicted of the offense. - Amends TCA Title 39 and Title 40.
7. SB 0221 *Taylor (HB 0034 by *Gillespie)
Juvenile Offenders- As introduced, permits a court to use juvenile court records, including the disposition and evidence, in pretrial reports used to set bond for criminal offenses; requires the magistrate to consider the defendant's prior juvenile record in determining the defendant's risk of danger to the community. - Amends TCA Title 37 and Title 40.
8. SB 0672 *Taylor (HB 0729 by *Barrett)
Criminal Offenses- As introduced, increases the penalty for obstruction of a highway, street, sidewalk, railway, waterway, elevator, aisle, hallway, or other place used for the passage of persons or vehicles from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class E felony; establishes an increased penalty of a Class D felony if the offense was committed by intentionally obstructing a highway, street, or other place used for the passage of vehicles.
Bad Bill. Makes protests or unauthorized marches a felony with loss of voting rights. In addition to roadways, includes obstruction of elevators and hallways.
9. SB 0678 *White (HB 1352 by *Littleton)
Sentencing- As introduced, increases the penalty for aggravated sexual battery from a Class B felony to a Class A felony if the victim was less than 18 years of age or was mentally defective, mentally incapacitated, or physically helpless. - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 13, Part 5.
10. SJR 0009 *Stevens, McNally
Constitutional Amendments- Proposes an amendment to Article I, Section 35 of the Constitution of Tennessee to expand the rights of victims of crimes.
Marsy’s Law in the state Constitution
11. SB 0371 *Rose (HB 0341 by *Gillespie)
DNA and Genetic Testing- As introduced, requires collection of a biological specimen from certain convicted offenders to be collected within 30 days of sentencing to be used for DNA analysis; requires a law enforcement agency to submit a biological specimen from an offender who dies while incarcerated and was previously convicted of a qualifying offense. - Amends TCA Title 40, Chapter 35, Part 3.
Brandon J. Puttbrese
Senate Democratic press secretary