Bill would add period products to state sales tax holiday
9:30 a.m. CT – FW&M Revenue Subcommittee – Watch - SB0188 by Lamar
- Exempting period products from Tennessee's state sales tax during the annual sales tax holiday would reduce the financial burden on women and families by recognizing these essential healthcare items as necessities rather than luxuries.
- Tennessee’s annual sales tax holiday is typically the last weekend in July.
GOP attacks TN’s hemp industry: Bill bans most popular product, enacts major regulations
10:30 a.m. CT - State & Local Govt - Watch - *SB1413 by Briggs
- Senate Bill 1413 poses a “significant threat” to Tennessee’s $200 million hemp industry, according to a group representing hemp growers.
- The bill would ban the industry’s most popular product, THCa flower, as well as online sales and purchases at convenience stores. The legislation would also move regulation from the Agriculture Department to the Alcohol Beverage Commission.
- Context: While most state legislatures have provided their citizens legal access to recreational or medical marijuana, Tennessee’s Republican Party-controlled government has been hostile to meaningful cannabis reform.
Loan Sharks: GOP bill hikes fees, interest rates for some moneylenders
1 p.m. CT - Labor & Commerce - Watch - SB 694 by Johnson
- Consumers who are typically unbanked will be paying millions more each year in higher interest rates and fees on some personal loans under legislation scheduled to be heard in the Senate commerce committee.
- SB 694 seeks to increase the limits on effective interest rates and acquisition fees for a segment of non-bank consumer loan providers referred to as industrial loan and thrift companies in Tennessee law. On personal loans over $100, the bill increases the state’s maximum effective interest rate from 30% to 36%. It also eliminates a 24% annual interest rate cap on personal loans over $5,000. Lastly, the bill increases the allowable “acquisition charge” from 10% to 12.5% on personal loans less than $2,000.
- There are 1,136 “industrial loan and thrift” moneylenders in Tennessee and they have issued billions in personal loans each year. In 2022, the average consumer loan amount issued by these lenders was $3,138, according the TDFI’s annual report.
- This bill comes just four years after Republicans passed a law allowing higher fees on these same types of loans.
Mortgage lenders could charge higher interest rates under GOP bill
1 p.m. CT - Labor & Commerce - Watch - SB 0749 *Yager
- In Tennessee, state law currently caps the maximum interest rate on a home mortgage loan at 8.78%.
- Senate Bill 749 would increase the maximum allowable interest rate on home loans by changing the marker used by the Department of Financial Institutions to set the rate.
- Under the bill, mortgage regulators would begin setting the maximum allowable mortgage interest rate at four points above the “average prime offer rate.” If it were in place today, the rate cap would be 11.5%.
Effort to repeal the right to bail could send costs spiraling
3 p.m. CT - Judiciary - Watch - SJR 0025 *Johnson
- Republicans are advancing an amendment to the state constitution that would eliminate every person’s right to bail under certain criminal charges.
- Their effort upends the presumption of innocence, the fundamental American principle underpinning every person’s right to a fair trial.
- Practically, the policy could cost local taxpayer’s millions more for incarceration as people who are denied bail are forced to await trial in county jails.
Bowling brings new medical cannabis bill
3 p.m. CT - Judiciary - Watch - SB0489 by Bowling
- Senate Bill 489 would enact the "Tennessee Medical Cannabis Act” to establish a free-market medical cannabis program.
Voyeurism Victims Act scheduled for committee vote
3 p.m. CT - Judiciary - Watch - SB0335 by Yarbro
- The Voyeurism Victims Act would make it illegal in Tennessee to photograph or record sexual partners without their consent.
- This bill was filed after a Nashville man was charged with eight counts of unlawful photography for allegedly recording sexual encounters with a hidden camera. Police discovered more than 25,000 sexually explicit files, but some victims say they couldn’t file criminal charges due to the state’s statute of limitations.
Full Senate Schedule below:
8:30 a.m. CT - Finance, Ways & Means Committee
Presentation
ALICE Childcare: Quality childcare is a cornerstone of healthy development
United Way of Greater Chattanooga
Budget Hearings
Finance and Administration
Treasury
9:30 a.m. CT - FW&M Revenue Subcommittee
1. *SJR0027 by Johnson.
Taxes, Exemption and Credits - Authorizes the allocation by the Tennessee housing development agency, and credit by the department of revenue, of the tax credit created by the Tennessee Rural and Workforce Housing Act against a taxpayer's liability for premium tax, retaliatory tax, franchise tax, and excise tax; authorizes $10 million per year to be allocated in credits for the next three calendar years.
Gov. Lee’s agenda
2. *SB0925 by Jackson. (HB1181 by Hicks T.)
Taxes, Sales - Amends TCA Title 67, Chapter 6, Part 3. As introduced, removes the end date of June 30, 2025, from the exemption from sales and use tax for purchases and leases of equipment and infrastructure used to produce broadband communications services or provide internet access.
Watch. $35 million tax break annually for telecommunication companies
3. *SB0188 by Lamar. (HB0813 by Miller.)
Taxes, Sales - Amends TCA Title 67, Chapter 6. As introduced, exempts feminine hygiene products from sales tax on the annual sales tax holiday.
1 p.m. Labor & Commerce
Budget Hearings:
· Public Utilities Commission
· Division of TennCare
· Department of Labor & Workforce Development
1. SB 0453 *Hatcher (HB 0391 by *Atchley)
Charitable Solicitations- As introduced, revises notification requirements regarding the provision to the secretary of state of solicitation materials to be used by a professional solicitor on behalf of a nonprofit organization. - Amends TCA Title 48, Chapter 101, Part 5.
2. SB 0454 *Hatcher (HB 0379 by *Stinnett)
Charitable Solicitations- As introduced, clarifies, by removing certain language, that a professional solicitor includes servants or employees specially employed by or for a charitable organization who are engaged in the solicitation of contributions. - Amends TCA Title 48, Chapter 101.
3. SB 0318 *Lowe (HB 0395 by *Terry)
Anatomical Gifts- As introduced, enacts the "Tennessee Genomic Security and End Organ Harvesting Act." - Amends TCA Title 56 and Title 68.
4. SB 0442 *Seal (HB 0499 by *Jones R)
Business and Commerce- As introduced, requires that, in order to resign an agency appointment, a registered agent file a certification with the secretary of state that the agent has mailed written notice of the agent's resignation, instead of a copy of the original statement of resignation, to the principal office of the entity employing the agent. - Amends TCA Title 43, Chapter 38, Part 1; Title 48, Chapter 15; Title 48, Chapter 208; Title 48, Chapter 249; Title 48, Chapter 25; Title 48, Chapter 55; Title 48, Chapter 65; Title 61, Chapter 1; Title 61, Chapter 2 and Title 61, Chapter 3.
5. SB 0286 *Bailey (HB 0329 by *Martin B)
Insurance Companies, Agents, Brokers, Policies- As introduced, authorizes categorizing certain foreign multiple employer welfare arrangements as domestic multiple employer welfare arrangements if specific conditions are met. - Amends TCA Title 56, Chapter 26.
6. SB 0694 *Johnson (HB 0775 by *Powers)
Interest Rates- As introduced, increases, from 30 to 36 percent per annum, the maximum permitted effective rate of interest that may be contracted for by an industrial loan and thrift company on an unpaid balance where the amount financed is $100 or more; makes other related changes. - Amends TCA Title 45, Chapter 5.
Watch. Raises the maximum allowable interest rate and fees on some personal loans.
7. SB 0696 *Johnson (HB 0161 by *McCalmon)
Insurance Companies, Agents, Brokers, Policies- As introduced, revises the criteria by which certain domestic insurance companies may invest or acquire an interest in foreign investment assets, real property, and certain money market funds. - Amends TCA Title 56, Chapter 3, Part 4.
8. SB 1068 *Johnson (HB 0972 by *McCalmon)
Motor Vehicles- As introduced, revises various provisions of the Modernization of Towing, Immobilization, and Oversight Normalization Act. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 39; Title 47; Title 48; Title 55; Title 56; Title 62; Title 66 and Title 67.
9. SB 1079 *Johnson (HB 0871 by *Rudder, Lamberth)
Real Property- As introduced, adds requirements for declarant access to and use of deposits made in connection with the purchase or reservation of a condominium unit; makes other similar changes. - Amends TCA Title 66.
10. SB 0559 *Reeves (HB 1154 by *Lynn)
Personal Property- As introduced, specifies that if the occupant of a self-service storage facility does not sign a written rental agreement revision and continues to use the facility for not less than 30 days from the date of receipt of the agreement, then the occupant is considered to have accepted the rental agreement revision; makes other changes related to self-service storage facilities. - Amends TCA Title 66, Chapter 31.
11. SB 0569 *Reeves (HB 0693 by *Baum)
Pharmacy, Pharmacists- As introduced, makes certain changes to the practice of pharmacy, including removing the present prohibition on requiring a patient to pay an administrative fee for pharmacist-provided hormonal contraceptives when the patient is insured or covered and receives a pharmacy benefit that covers the cost of the hormonal contraceptives.
Watch. Fiscal note: “any additional administrative fees charged by pharmacists for hormonal contraceptives will be borne by consumers, rather than insurance providers”
12. SB 0886 *Reeves (HB 0700 by *Burkhart, Hakeem, Behn)
Real Estate Agents and Brokers- As introduced, 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. - Amends TCA Title 62, Chapter 13.
13. SB 0890 *Reeves (HB 0869 by *Rudder)
Health Care- With amendment, Requires health insurance entities to establish and maintain certain application programming interfaces (APIs) for the benefit of insureds and contracted providers that are mandated by rule for plans or product types regulated by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Removes the requirement that certain reports and test results must not be disclosed by a designated entity to a patient as part of the patient's electronic health record until 72 hours after the results are finalized, unless the healthcare provider directs the release of the records prior to the end of such period.
14. SB 0544 *Stevens (HB 1342 by *Lamberth, Cochran)
Uniform Commercial Code- As introduced, specifies that a filing office in receipt of a petition for review filed by a secured party contesting a public official's affidavit that a financing statement was filed without legal cause submit the UCC financing statement that is the subject of the petition and the notarized affidavit of the public official to the administrative procedures division of the office of the secretary of state, in addition to the existing requirement that the petition itself be submitted; requires the prevailing party in the contested case hearing to provide the filing office with a copy of the administrative law judge's determination. - Amends TCA Title 47.
15. SB 1137 *Stevens, Lowe (HB 1339 by *Lamberth, Cochran, Reeves)
Secretary of State- As introduced, allows a litigation financier that is not a business entity or partnership to amend or withdraw its registration with the secretary of state by filing a form prescribed by the secretary of state, along with a filing fee of $20. - Amends TCA Title 47, Chapter 16.
16. SB 0749 *Yager (HB 0908 by *Garrett)
Interest Rates- As introduced, removes the weighted average yield of the accepted offers of the Federal National Mortgage Association's current free market system auction and the 30-year treasury yield as the two bases upon which the maximum effective rate of interest on home loans may be set by the commissioner of financial institutions, and replaces them with the average prime offer rate. - Amends TCA Title 45 and Title 47.
Watch: 8.78% - TN’s current Maximum Effective Rate of Interest on Home Loans
11.5% - Maximum effective rate of interest on homes loans, under SB 749
17. SB 0763 *Yager (HB 0968 by *Hawk, Camper, Lamberth)
Tobacco, Tobacco Products- As introduced, requires the department of revenue to maintain a directory on its website that lists all vapor products certified as authorized to be sold in this state; levies a privilege tax of seven cents per milliliter of consumable material contained in a closed-system vapor product; levies a privilege tax at the rate of 10 percent of the wholesale cost price on an open-system vapor product. - Amends TCA Title 10, Chapter 7, Part 5; Title 39, Chapter 17, Part 15; Title 47, Chapter 25; Title 67, Chapter 4, Part 10 and Title 67, Chapter 4, Part 26.
Watch
3 p.m. CT - Judiciary
1. SB 1364 *Watson
Immigration- As introduced, requires, rather than permits, each law enforcement agency to execute an agreement with the United States department of homeland security to participate in the 287(g) program and the warrant service officer program for purposes of enforcing immigration laws in collaboration with the United States bureau of immigration and customs enforcement (ICE). - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7 and Title 8.
Watch. Bill does not have a House sponsor.
2. 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. -
Budget Presentations:
· District Attorneys General Conference
· Office of the Post-Conviction Defender
3. 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.
Watch.
4. SJR 0001 *Haile, Lowe, Walley, Bailey, Johnson, Briggs, White, Hensley, Pody, Stevens, Massey, Roberts, Rose
Constitutional Amendments- Proposes additional language in Article II, Section 28 to prohibit the general assembly from levying, authorizing, or otherwise permitting a state tax on property.
Watch. This could undermine Tennessee’s franchise tax, which includes a tax on the net worth of company – including property.
5. SB 0304 *Haile (HB 0583 by *Doggett)
Evidence- As introduced, permits the introduction into evidence of a video recording of a child victim being interviewed by a forensic interviewer regarding sexual or physically violent contact with the child if the forensic interviewer confirms the accuracy of the recording and the child is available for cross examination; includes forensic interviews conducted by a forensic interviewer who is employed by a federal agency and conducted the forensic interview in the course of investigating a federal crime. - Amends TCA Title 24, Chapter 7.
6. SB 0916 *Haile (HB 0540 by *Crawford)
Criminal Offenses- As introduced, expands the definition of "racketeering activity" to include committing, conspiring to commit, aiding, attempting to aid, soliciting, coercing, facilitating, or intimidating another person to commit the criminal offense of animal fighting. - Amends TCA Title 39.
7. SB 0992 *Haile, Johnson, McNally (HB 1038 by *Garrett, Lamberth)
Courts, Juvenile- As introduced, requires the administrative office of the courts to maintain a criminal justice information services compliant centralized statewide juvenile case management system; requires all juvenile court clerks to adopt and convert to the new juvenile case management system on a schedule to be determined in consultation with the administrative office of the courts. - Amends TCA Title 8; Title 16; Title 18 and Title 37.
8. SB 0243 *Bailey (HB 0588 by *Butler)
Criminal Offenses- As introduced, creates a Class E felony for altering or defacing a permanent distinguishing number on a firearm and selling, purchasing, or possessing such a firearm with a mandatory minimum sentence of 180 days incarceration. - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 14, Part 1; Title 39, Chapter 17, Part 13 and Title 40.
9. SB 0421 *Reeves (HB 1239 by *Helton-Haynes)
Opioids- As introduced, authorizes certain prescribing physician assistants and nurse practitioners to prescribe buprenorphine products for the treatment of opioid use disorder when the physician assistant or nurse practitioner is employed by or contracts with a state correctional facility or county or municipal jail, and certain other conditions are met. - Amends TCA Title 33; Title 41; Title 53 and Title 63.
Presentation:
· Project Return
10. SB 0480 *Bowling (HB 0444 by *Hulsey)
Housing- As introduced, deletes the definition of "blighted area" and defines "blighted property" for purposes of condemnation by housing authorities; clarifies that housing authorities may acquire real property without using eminent domain; authorizes housing authorities to pay more than fair market value for properties that are not blighted but that are in a blighted area; makes other related changes. - Amends TCA Title 13, Chapter 20; Title 13, Chapter 21 and Title 29, Chapter 17.
11. SB 0489 *Bowling (HB 0872 by *Rudder)
Health Care- As introduced, enacts the "Tennessee Medical Cannabis Act," which establishes a medical cannabis program to be administered by the Tennessee medical cannabis program commission. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 38, Chapter 3; Title 39, Chapter 17; Title 43; Title 50; Title 53; Title 63; Title 67 and Title 68.
12. SB 0335 *Yarbro, Massey, Campbell (HB 0602 by *Freeman, Hawk, Hakeem, Mitchell, Dixie, Behn, Hemmer, Powell, Gillespie, Cepicky)
Criminal Offenses- As introduced, enacts the "Voyeurism Victims Act," which expands the offense of unlawful photography to include an unauthorized photograph that the defendant knew would include the unclothed intimate area of the victim or the victim engaged in sexual activity; authorizes the issuance of an order of protection for a person who has been subjected to, threatened with, or placed in fear of unlawful photography. - Amends TCA Title 28; Title 29; Title 36, Chapter 3, Part 6; Title 39 and Title 40, Chapter 2.
13. 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. - Amends TCA Title 39.
Watch
14. SB 1022 *White (HB 0553 by *Capley)
Criminal Offenses- As introduced, expands "law enforcement officer" to include a correctional officer employed by a county jail, the department of correction, or a private prison contractor and a probation or parole officer employed by the department of correction or a private probation provider for purposes of the offense of assault against a law enforcement officer. - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 13, Part 1.
15. SB 0540 *Stevens (HB 0492 by *Farmer)
Child Custody and Support- As introduced, requires the court to consider any failure to pay child support, rather than failure for a period of three years or more, when making a child custody determination; clarifies that the court may preclude or limit any provisions of a parenting plan if the court finds that a parent has failed to pay child support. - Amends TCA Title 36 and Title 37.
16. SB 0541 *Stevens (HB 0906 by *Garrett)
Probate Law- As introduced, requires the personal representative to notify beneficiaries or intestate heirs of their right to file exceptions to claims of creditors filed against an estate; makes various other changes regarding wills and claims of creditors against an estate. - Amends TCA Title 30 and Title 32.
17. SB 0456 *Rose (HB 0579 by *Doggett)
Criminal Offenses- As introduced, adds the offense of robbery to the definition of crime of violence. - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 17, Part 13.