2:30 p.m. - Senate Regular Calendar - Watch - 4. SB1004 by Briggs
- The decision to start a family—or not—is deeply personal, complex and dangerous in Tennessee, which has the nation’s highest rate of death associated with giving birth.
That is why the decision should only be made by a woman, her family and her doctor—without government interference.
- Tennessee’s Republican-backed ban on abortion has caused pregnant women to be denied care and even caused medical professionals to leave the state due to fear of prosecution.
- Senate Bill 1004, which would add several narrow medical exceptions to the ban, is the G.O.P.’s latest attempt to ease the concerns of medical professionals – not women.
Targeting immigrants: GOP bill criminalizes out-of-state IDs, undermines state cooperation
2:30 p.m. - Senate Regular Calendar - Watch - 7. SB1086 by Johnson
- Multiple states have passed laws allowing undocumented people to obtain driver's licenses to promote road safety, insurance coverage and commerce. Tennessee is going the opposite direction.
- Senate Bill 1086 would invalidate out-of-state licenses issued under these circumstances and criminalize the drivers for non-threatening behavior.
- This bill sets a dangerous precedent: Not only does it invite racial profiling and harassment, it establishes that Tennessee is unwilling to respect the laws enacted by other states, creating legal and logistical conflicts between state governments.
Legislation cracks down on private prisons with high inmate death rates
2:30 p.m. - Senate Regular Calendar - Watch - 8. SB1115 by Pody
- Senate Bill 1115 is the first legislative effort aimed at curbing failures at Tennessee’s four CoreCivic-run prisons to reach the Senate floor.
- The bill requires the Department of Correction to reduce the population at CoreCivic facilities by 10 percent if the death rate of inmates at the private prison facility is twice the death rate of an equivalent state-operated facility. The department is required to continue reducing the population until conditions at the private prisons improve.
- A Correction Department official testified [Time 41:00] on March 25 that the state would be required to remove 750 inmates collectively from the four CoreCivic facilities if this proposal took effect, an admission that all four private prisons are out of compliance.
- MORE: The U.S. Department of Justice opened last year an investigation into CoreCivic’s prison in Trousdale County failed audits, lawsuits and continued reports of assaults, abuse and death.
Akbari bill aims to end poll taxes on voting rights restoration
2:30 p.m. - Senate Regular Calendar - Watch - 16. *SB0336 by Sen. Raumesh Akbari
- Voting rights can play a key role in rehabilitating a person who has finished serving their time for a past conviction and is reentering society. But in Tennessee, recent estimates show that over 470,000 people pay state taxes but still have no right to vote in elections – many due to arbitrary “poll taxes” in state law.
- Senate Bill 336 by Democratic Leader Sen. Raumesh Akbari would eliminate two such poll taxes, allowing a person who has finished their sentence and paid restitution to their victims to regain their right to vote. Specifically, the bill removes outstanding court fees and child support as barriers to restoring voting rights.
- Tennessee is the only state in the nation that ties child support to the voting rights restoration process. While this bill does not fully disconnect the two, it would allow a person who is complying with a child support order to restore their voting rights – without erasing any debt.
G.O.P. bill bans public, private colleges from considering skin color, origins in admissions
2:30 p.m. - Senate Regular Calendar - Watch - 18. SB0376 by Rose
- Public and private universities in Tennessee are already complying with the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 decision overturning affirmative action in college admissions.
- But that’s not stopping Republicans from passing a law prohibiting race-based application criteria. The bill also gives white people the right to petition a court when they believe a college “unlawfully” provided preference in admission or benefits to a non-white student.
- This proposal isn’t leveling the playing field based on merit. It’s stacking the deck.
GOP bill raises state’s home loan interest rate cap from 8.56% to 11.5%
2:30 p.m. - Senate Regular Calendar - Watch - 31. SB 0749 *Yager
- Senate Bill 749 will increase the maximum allowable interest rate on home loans in the state by changing the marker state regulators use to set the rate. Under the bill, state officials would begin setting the maximum allowable home loan interest rate at four points above the “average prime offer rate,” which is at 7.50 today.
- If the proposed law were in place today, the home loan rate cap would be 11.5% — the highest allowable rate in 30 years. Under current law, the maximum interest rate on a home loan is 8.56%.
- IMPORTANT CONTEXT. Federal lending laws override Tennessee’s home loan interest cap for home loans issued by national banks, federally insured state-chartered banks and credit unions. But the state cap still applies to loans from non-bank lenders, private lenders and unregulated entities operating within the state. The cap would also go into effect for banks and credit unions if the relevant federal laws and regulations were repealed.
Controversial bill allowing one-time high school transfers frustrates TSSAA
2:30 p.m. - Senate Regular Calendar - Watch - 32. SB0016 by Lowe
2:30 p.m. Senate Floor
1. *SB0943 by Massey. (HB1255 by Alexander.)
Children - As amended, revises, in a suit for annulment, divorce, separate maintenance, or in any other proceeding requiring the court to make a custody determination regarding a minor child, the relevant factors the court must consider in making such a determination. Requires the court in such cases to include certain written findings relative to such considerations.
2. SB0970 by Southerland. (*HB0660 by Jones R.)
Water Authorities - Amends TCA Title 5; Title 6; Title 7 and Title 68. As introduced, permits authorities formed and certified by municipalities under the Municipal Energy Authority Act to have certain water and wastewater treatment powers to the extent that the authority’s exercise of such powers does not conflict with any ordinances or rules adopted by another local government having jurisdiction over such matters.
3. SB1003 by Hensley. (*HB1002 by Haston.)
Local Education Agencies - Amends TCA Title 49. As introduced, requires the state board of education to approve at least one universal screener for pre-kindergarten students as an alternative growth model to generate individual growth scores for pre-kindergarten teachers; requires, instead of authorizes, LEAs and public charter schools that provide a voluntary pre-kindergarten program to allow pre-kindergarten teachers to use the results of a state-board-approved universal screener for pre-kindergarten students as an alternative growth model for annual evaluation purposes.
4. SB1004 by Briggs. (*HB0990 by Terry.)
Abortion - With amendment, defines "inevitable abortion" as cervical dilation before pregnancy viability due to preterm labor or cervical insufficiency. It defines "serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function" as a medically diagnosed condition that severely complicates pregnancy and may include specific complications like preterm membrane rupture, severe preeclampsia, mirror syndrome, and infections risking uterine rupture or infertility. It excludes mental health conditions from this definition.
5. SB1024 by Reeves. (*HB1036 by Baum.)
Education - With amendment, grants university governing boards the discretion to call private meetings, not subject to open meetings and streaming requirements, to discuss senior administration, personnel positions, and contracts.
6. *SB1052 by Haile. (HB1355 by Littleton.)
Children - Amends TCA Title 36 and Title 63. As introduced, specifies that a biological father or alleged biological father who makes token financial support to or for the benefit of a child or the child's mother during the pregnancy or when the mother had physical custody of the child is not a putative father; makes various other changes regarding final orders of adoption.
7. SB1086 by Johnson. (*HB0749 by Reeves.)
Driver Licenses - Amends TCA Title 55, Chapter 50. As introduced, 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.
Watch. Law would invalidate out-of-state driver’s licenses issued to undocumented persons
8. SB1115 by Pody. (*HB1144 by Boyd.)
Correction, Dept. of - With amendment, requires the department of correction to reduce the population at a private prison facility by 10 percent if the death rate of inmates at the private prison facility is twice the death rate of an equivalent state-operated facility. It requires the department to continue the reduction in population until they are able to determine what conditions are causing the higher death rate and have corrected those issues..
Good bill. Holds CoreCivic accountable to keep inmates and guards safe
9. *SB1146 by Crowe. (HB1349 by Littleton.)
Drugs, Prescription - Amends TCA Title 38; Title 53; Title 63 and Title 68. As introduced, requires the medical examiner's office to ascertain and document current drug use, including psychotropic drugs, by a deceased individual who committed a mass shooting; directs the University of Tennessee's health science center to study drug interactions between the psychotropic drugs and any other drugs present in the deceased individual's system; requires the department of health to disclose the psychotropic drug use of the individual to the public upon request.
10. *SB0298 by Roberts. (HB1197 by Kumar.)
Education, Curriculum - Amends TCA Title 49, Chapter 6. As introduced, makes various changes to the approval process and notice requirements for nonsectarian, nonreligious Bible courses; clarifies that public charter schools are authorized to provide nonsectarian, nonreligious Bible courses in the same manner as local education agencies.
11. *SB0421 by Reeves. (HB1239 by Helton-Haynes.)
Opioids - Amends TCA Title 33; Title 41; Title 53 and Title 63. 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.
12. SB0519 by Roberts. (*HB0219 by Reedy.)
Real Property - Amends TCA Title 66, Chapter 2, Part 3. As introduced, requires foreign persons who purchase land in this state and who file a report of such purchase to the United States department of agriculture under the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act to also file the report with the commissioner of agriculture.
13. *SB0212 by Gardenhire. (HB0885 by Todd.)
Open Meetings - Amends TCA Section 8-44-110. As introduced, expands the requirement that state and local governing bodies make an agenda available to the public prior to regular public meetings of the body to include the governing bodies of certain nonprofit organizations, including nonprofit community organizations that receive federal funding, nonprofit organizations that receive community grant funds from this state or certain funding from local governments, nonprofit organizations created for the benefit of local governments, and nonprofit organizations that provide the metropolitan government of Nashville/Davidson County with certain utility services; requires, rather than permits, such governing bodies that maintain a website to post the agenda to the website.
14. *SB0290 by Bailey. (HB0764 by Williams.)
Search & Seizure - Amends TCA Title 49, Chapter 6. As introduced, specifies that certain physical searches of students and searches of lockers, vehicles, and other property must be conducted by a school resource officer.
15. *SB0322 by Massey. (HB0915 by Sparks.)
Salaries and Benefits - 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.
16. *SB0336 by Akbari. (HB0687 by Camper.)
Election Laws - As amended, removes the requirement that an individual pay all court costs assessed against them in order to be eligible to apply for a voter registration card. Authorizes an individual to be eligible to their right of suffrage if they are compliant with orders related to child support arrearages, instead of being current on all child support.
17. SB0357 by Harshbarger. (*HB0335 by Hulsey.)
Local Government, General - As amended, establishes that members of a utility district board of commissioners in Sullivan County must serve without compensation unless the board adopts a resolution that authorizes each commissioner to receive per diem payments of up to $500 per meeting for no more than 12 meetings per calendar year.
18. SB0376 by Rose. (*HB0377 by Zachary.)
Education, Higher - Amends TCA Title 49, Chapter 7. As introduced, prohibits the exclusion of persons from participating in, being denied the benefits of, or being subject to discrimination by a four-year public or private institution of higher education in this state on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, and national origin; prohibits such institutions from using race, color, ethnicity, or national origin in determining whether a prospective student qualifies for admission into the institution, or receives scholarships or financial aid; creates a private cause of action against an institution and its officers, employees, and agents for such unlawful practices.
Ban on affirmative action – again
19. SB0428 by Reeves. (*HB0037 by Davis.)
Opioids - Amends TCA Title 8; Title 53; Title 56; Title 63; Title 68 and Title 71. As introduced, 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 reimbursement is provided to a healthcare prescriber or hospital that provides a non-opioid treatment to a covered employee under the group insurance plan.
Why would legislators give an insurance company the right to set the state’s preferred drug list?
20. SB0495 by Hensley. (*HB0065 by Bulso.)
Municipal Government - Amends TCA Title 6. As introduced, authorizes a city incorporated under a city manager-commission charter to contract with a private entity for the development, construction, management, or operation of an indoor or outdoor sports facility under terms acceptable to the city.
Only affects Brentwood. Though not controversial, this appears to be a violation of the home rule
21. SB0510 by Walley. (*HB0535 by Haston.)
Pensions and Retirement Benefits - Amends TCA Title 8, Chapter 25; Title 8, Chapter 34; Title 8, Chapter 35; Title 8, Chapter 36 and Title 8, Chapter 37. As introduced, establishes that certain public officials, including members of the general assembly, who take office on or after July 1, 2025, have mandatory membership in the Tennessee consolidated retirement system (TCRS); allows a retiree to reannuitize retirement benefits in favor of a new spouse beneficiary following cancellation of a former spouse beneficiary due to divorce; makes other revisions to provisions governing the TCRS.
Watch.
22. SB1069 by Pody. (*HB0974 by McCalmon.)
Motor Vehicles - With amendment, introduces a temporary exemption for certain high-profile vehicle auctions, allowing them to sell previously titled antique cars (25 years or older) and unique motor vehicles without requiring a motor vehicle dealer license. To qualify for this exemption, the auction must be held at a large venue with a permanent seating capacity of at least 20,000 in Wilson County (the Nashville Superspeedway).
23. *SB1153 by Crowe. (HB1205 by Kumar.)
Physicians and Surgeons - With amendment, authorizes a physician, including an osteopathic physician, or podiatrist to prescribe, dispense, or administer medication for, or otherwise treat, the physician's or podiatrist's own self in short-term, minor, or acute emergency situations. Authorizes a physician to prescribe, dispense, or administer medication for, or otherwise treat, immediate family within the physician's regular scope of practice if there is no other physician offering healthcare services at a location within 30 miles of the physician's primary practice site. Authorizes a physician or podiatrist to prescribe, dispense, or administer a scheduled drug to their own self or for immediate family only in acute, emergency situations.
24. *SB1209 by Rose. (HB1188 by Grills.)
Education - Amends TCA Title 49. As introduced, prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, disability, religion, or marital status against a student or an employee in a public institution of education; requires public institutions of education to treat harassment or discrimination against students or employees, or resulting from institutional policies or programs on their campuses, motivated by or including antisemitic intent in an identical manner to discrimination motivated by race; requires Title VI coordinators to be designated to monitor antisemitic discrimination and harassment at K-12 schools and institutions of higher education.
Specifically requires incidents of antisemitic harassment be treated as all other discrimination. Perhaps, like when a student calls their teacher by the wrong pronouns.
25. *SB1282 by Johnson. (HB1310 by Lamberth.)
Food and Food Products - 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.
26. *SB1332 by Harshbarger. (HB1281 by Hill.)
Education - As amended, requires all release-time course instructors, as well as, any other employee of the private entity conducting the course that will be in close proximity to students to submit to a criminal background check prior to the 2025-2026 school year and every five years thereafter. The results would be released to the entity conducting the courses who would then certify to the LEA that all employees had completed a background check and no convictions of an offense that would require the automatic revocation of a teaching license were found.
27. SB1388 by Watson. (*HB1066 by Vaughan.)
Human Services, Dept. of - As amended, requires the Department of Human Services (DHS) to establish and implement a process by which management of public property may submit formal complaints regarding the conduct or performance of a blind individual who is licensed by DHS to operate a vending facility through the business enterprise program for the blind. Requires DHS to subject the licensed blind vending facility operator to a plan of corrective action, including possible removal, if the complaint is substantiated.
28. *SB1399 by Roberts. (HB1353 by Littleton.)
Criminal Offenses - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 16. As introduced, creates an offense for a person who harms or threatens to harm an individual involved in the judicial process or a family member of such person with the intent to impede, intimidate, interfere with, or retaliate against the justice system participant in connection with their participation in the judicial process, punishable as a Class E felony.
Isn’t it already illegal to harm someone or threaten to harm them?
29. SB1410 by Hensley. (*HB1253 by Alexander.)
Teachers, Principals and School Personnel - Amends TCA Section 8-50-814; Title 49, Chapter 6 and Title 49, Chapter 3, Part 3. As introduced, increases from 20 to 30, the maximum number of consecutive days a substitute teacher may substitute for a regular teacher on leave without having to possess a teaching license; requires the six weeks of paid parental leave for eligible employees to be taken consecutively, except in extenuating circumstances, as determined and approved by the director of schools or the director of the public charter school, as applicable.
30. *SB1423 by Akbari. (HB1377 by Harris.)
Education - Amends TCA Title 49. As introduced, requires that a student's report card include a statement of the student's current reading grade level.
31. *SB0749 by Yager. (HB0908 by Garrett.)
Interest Rates - Amends TCA Title 45 and Title 47. 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.
Watch. Raises the maximum allowable mortgage interest rate under state law.
32. SB0016 by Lowe. (*HB0025 by Cepicky.)
Local Education Agencies - Amends TCA Title 49. As introduced, prohibits a public school from using public funds to have a membership with an association that regulates interscholastic athletics and prohibits a student from participating in an interscholastic athletic competition due to the student transferring no more than once from a school at which the student previously participated in an interscholastic athletic competition regulated by the association.