Friends, If you’ve been keeping score during this Legislative Session, you know we are not winning, unless you call placing a bill on SUMMER SESSION or referring it to the 2026 SESSION a win, which those of us watching this madness do. There are also a few FAILED bills that even Republicans could not stomach.
After the Session concludes (we’re told on 4/23), I plan to offer a wrap-up with takeaways and opinions. For now, we are limping forward to try to stop the Anti-child immigrant bill scheduled for Monday at 9:00 AM (see my Substack post from 4/10 for more details and how to take action HERE ).
Several of the remaining Republican Super-Majority bills they are rushing to pass will also be heard this week. If you search 4/14 and 4/15 in this post, they will pop up. And if you want to see the full schedule for each day, this can be found on the General Assembly webpage HERE.
Before each bill is a notation as to whether it has PASSED out of that Committee and will be moving forward, if it FAILED for the Session, so it is DEAD or DEFERRED, or if it has PASSED BOTH HOUSE AND SENATE, which means it will be going to the Governor for his signature. (NOTE: I mostly reported on bills just one time rather than repeating them as they passed through each committee).
I am in LA visiting our 15-year-old granddaughter for part of her Spring break, but I will be back to see the damage on Thursday. Thanks for continuing to care. And remember to contact your Democratic Legislator friends to thank them for the good fight they’ve been waging.
May Spring lift your spirits amidst the turmoil. Michele
Monday, APRIL 7
11:00 AM HOUSE Government Operations
Religious leaders and activists (sometimes the same people) gathered outside the Committee room in anticipation of the Legislators’ discussion about the unconstitutional action of barring immigrant children from public schools in Tennessee.
It is always good to be with other people committed to protecting the most vulnerable residents of our State from the rampage of horrible bills targeting them.
There are six Democratic members on the Committee: Clemmons, Parkingson, Hardaway, McKenzie, Glynn, and Townes, all of whom were present.
PASSED • Before getting to the anti-immigrant child bill (which passed in the full Senate on 4/10), the Committee addressed the first item of business (HB0285 Lafferty/SBO180 Johnson) which establishes that permanent rules filed in the office of the Secretary of State on or after January 1, 2024 and that are scheduled for expiration on June 30, 2025, do not expire but remain in effect until repealed or amended by subsequent rule or superseded by legislative enactment (called the Omnibus Bill).
If this is a bit of gobly-gook, just hangfor a minute as the following arguments by Democrats help to explain the conflict. Chair Lafferty, as part of confirming the continuation of last year’s permanent rules, tried to amend the previous negative vote this House Committee had taken regarding not allowing bare knuckle boxing in Tennessee, even though it had been voted upon favorably in the Senate, by bringing it back before the Committee again. Because Lafferty was not following the regular procedure when he made this effort to run around the Committee rules, Democratic members pushed back.
McKenzie protested the undoing of the Committee’s previous negative recommendation.
McKenzie then asked why Lafferty was unwilling to follow the Committee’s previous decision, which would allow the House and Senate to conference together over the differences in the Omnibus bill regarding bare-knuckle boxing.
Faison made a motion for the Amendment to be moved to the Table, which won the majority vote.
The Omnibus bill was then referred to the House Calendar & Rules Committee, where it was originally headed given the previous vote, before Lafferty’s Amendment attempt (Placed on 4/14 House Regular Calendar/ 3/17 passed Senate, 32-0).
PASSED • White then presented Lamberth’s bill (HB1322/1310 Johnson) to allow charter schools to expand their number in a community after being in existence for JUST ONE YEAR. The bill caption reads: “The governing body of an existing public charter school may replicate that public charter school in the same district by applying to the local board of education or directly to the Tennessee public charter school commission.”
Parkinson challenged White’s presentation because it included a glowing report about the positive academic outcomes of children who attend charter schools, when the data documents that they have “failed miserably.”
Parkinson noted that even though his daughter had attended a charter school, he felt compelled to challenge White’s assertion that all charter schools received a 4 or 5 rating out of 5, pointing out that the 41 charter schools under the State of Tennessee pilot program “performed miserably…Failed…doing worse than the schools they took over.”
Clemmons reminded Committee members that the Charter School initiative was originally a bipartisan effort because they were supposed to only be “a laboratory for teaching techniques that could be adopted if successful. That’s why they were limited…But unfortunately, they were unlimited because people figured out how to make money off of them.”
As a result, when some of the LEA’s began to reject the Charters in their district, due to poor performance and they became a drain on local education resources, the newly established Charter School Commission, comprised of local charter school advocates and former Board members, was given the power to override the decision of the local LEA. The bill introduced by White would effectively steer more money out of public schools and toward newly formed charter schools that are an extension of existing charter schools. Clemmons charged this was “fiscally reckless, fiscally irresponsible, takes away a lot of the transparency in the process,” and asked, Why are we continually taking power away from our locally elected officials?”
Clemmons went on to say that Charter Schools are no longer writing applications to request approval of the local LEAs, but instead are crafting their request for expansion directly to the Charter School Commission, where they know the power currently lies, and expecting that their application will be rubber-stamped. According to Clemmons, charter schools wishing to expand can “navigate the crooked system on the front end…This is not about school choice. This is about steering money into private hands without any oversight of locally elected officials who are responsible at the end of the day.” He concluded that this is a system designed for failure. It simply offers investors a way to make money without evidence that charter schools provide a better education to Tennessee students. (NOTE: Will they next become the new voucher schools?)
The bill passed along party lines (4/10 placed on House Regular Calendar/ 3/24 passed Senate, 27-5)
PASSED • HB1325 Lamberth/ SB0207 Johnson “establishes a fund for the development and implementation of programs that benefit Tennesseans by preserving farmland and forestland, including a grant program for conservation easements.” Clemmons pointed out that there are several existing programs already in place to do this exact thing. He asked, “What are we doing additionally with this legislation,” which sets aside $25 million for this purpose. He also asked if the Governor was exempted from benefiting from this program, if passed? There was no answer forthcoming to either question.
(4/9 placed on 4/14 House Finance, Ways, and Means Sub/ 3/13 passed Senate, 27-4)
PASSED • SB0836 Watson/HB0793 Lamberth is a direct attack on immigrant school children. (NOTE: The Senate passed this bill on 4/10, as noted in my previous Substack. The House will vote on this bill on the House floor on 4/14.)
The SENATE version REQUIRES schools to verify the immigration status of every student and may deny enrollment or charge tuition for students unable to provide citizenship documentation. However, the HOUSE version ALLOWS verification of the immigration status of all children, and if the District chooses to collect this information, they can then choose to deny enrollment or charge tuition for undocumented children. If collected, they MUST report the number of children they enroll who DO NOT PROVIDE A BIRTH CERTIFICATE. (AND will ICE be notified?)
Both the Senate and House versions of the bill are intended to be in defiance of the 53-year-old U.S. Supreme Court decision, Plyler v. Doe, which prevents states from denying an education based upon immigration status. The Republican Super-Majority is pushing hard to pass this legislation because they want to be the first state in the Country to challenge Plyler, and if successful, children across the US who do not have citizenship status would be barred from attending school.
Clemmons verbally assaulted this bill, focusing on the financial argument being made by Lamberth. It’s worth listening to his words and feeling his wrath on behalf of immigrant children and their hard-working and entrepreneurial parents.
Clemmons also offered a history lesson regarding Tennessee’s ongoing recognition of the importance of educating every child and the negative impacts of denying education to children.
Clemmons declared that immigrant children are not a drain on the state of Tennessee… There is nothing fiscally sound about this, and we know it’s not gonna fix the broken immigration system of this country.” SPEAK IT, CLEMMONS!!
A schoolteacher from Bedford County, Tiffany Anderson, testified against this bill:
This was followed by Attorney Johnny Epstein’s testimony, also against the passage of this bill.
Before the Committee could vote, religious leaders and activists began reciting The Lord’s Prayer over and over and over again.
But while we prayed, the Committee Chair by-passed McKenzie’s attempt to ask a question and responded to another member’s request to “call the vote,” meaning an end to debate, which led to its passage, 8-7 with only Republican Faison voting “No,” along with the Democrats. Afterwards, Faison told Justin Kanew with The Tennessee Holler that no one from his district had asked him to vote FOR this bill.
When the committee took a break- because we would not stop praying- Tennessee Troppers were summoned, and slowly each of us was led out into the hall so the Committee could resume its other work without our presence.
(On 4/9 placed on 4/14 House Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee/ 3/13 passed Senate, 27-4)
This is as good a place as any to share the testimony of Jim Polk, retired educator from Nashville, who was not allowed to testify during Legislative Committee meetings.
A Testimony and Plea for Innocent Undocumented Children.
My name is Jim Polk. Yes, before anyone asks, I am related to that fellow Tennessean James K. buried out on the northeast slope of this hill. Yes, the fellow who slashed the line across a desert, which became the United States’ southern border and greatly enlarged the country.
My Tennessee ancestors arrived near Reelfoot Lake in the early 1820s while many more Chickasaws were present. These ancestors include James Harper, leader of the first wagon train to penetrate the then primeval wilderness, the owners of Troy’s general store from the 1830’s to the 1930’s, farmers, a sheriff, a member of this House of Representatives, schoolteachers and a principal, a newspaper editor/owner and secretary- treasurer of a short-line railroad company. Among all these folks who worked to create a strong, healthy community, I am thankful for a six-generation line of doctors who served their neighbors and countrymen through the Civil War, Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II, and who continue their healing work today.
Today, me? I am a retired public school community educator who worked thirty years as happily as a chimney top mockingbird here in Metro Nashville. During those decades, I was supported in visiting and studying community school programs nationwide- Honolulu to Boston, Minneapolis to San Antonio, Taos to Tampa.
Long before that, back in high school, I made my first trip across the Mexican border and soon came to appreciate the generosity and resilience of the Mexican people. My first border crossing in 1963 was as a 14-year-old Explorer Scout from Union City’s First Methodist Church. Our group traveled twenty-one days by Volkswagen bus, mostly camping on the roadside all the way to Guatemala City. Sleeping one night in a shelter for boys in Puebla, I got a new appreciation of the burdens some boys my age were carrying. As a surgeon’s son in Union City, I had my own air-conditioned bedroom with closets for toys and clothes. I shared a bathroom with one sister. These boys came out of alleys at sundown to a crowded shelter for a cup of soup, a few tortillas, and a stone floor to sleep on.
Since the 1990s, my family has had the benefit of extensive travel and study in Mexico and Guatemala. In Mexico, we’ve traveled mostly by bus, a few times by air, and even once long ago by passenger train going to places with names like Tzintzuntzan, Cholula, Oaxaca, Dolores Hidalgo, and Queretaro. Both of our daughters experienced terribly harsh realities in Nogales, Sonora, while living with Mexican families as part of the Border Links community there. In Guatemala, our older daughter served as a translator of monstrous horror stories for native mothers whose sons had been “disappeared”. Many were tortured to death, and some were buried under the floor of the Catholic church they were visiting. The floor was being excavated by forensic pathologists before the mothers’ and students’ eyes. Contrary to tortured men’s – and their mother’s- nightmare experiences, whenever our daughters were sick or injured in Mexico and Guatemala, they were carefully nurtured back to health by generous homestay mothers in Nogales, Sonora, and Quetzaltenango.
For five years I, our family and church friends spent a week or more each summer volunteering with the leaders of the Methodist Church of Mexico in Salamanca, Guanajuato. We did what we could to support their efforts to train youth to lead activities for children as well as build an alcohol and drug clinic. Again, we experienced amazing generosity while working with Mexican families and children who generally had far fewer resources than we did. We met dozens of beautiful, gentle, smart children who were struggling in perilous situations with very limited educational opportunity and little money. I wish there were time to tell those stories: a petite, smart little girl named Sarai in her blue polka dot dress who carried an injured dragonfly around all day protecting it, then died herself of peritonitis soon after we came home. A little boy with a cleft palate who came crying down a barren rocky trail out of the mountains and got on the bus with his grandmother, but who, before getting off the bus ran back and reached out his tiny hand, blessing me before he left to walk up one more dusty, unmarked trail. What kind of future could there possibly be for him up in those rocks? In Tequisquiapan, two elderly sisters gave up the only bed in their house and sat up all night in straight-back wooden chairs so my daughters had a place to sleep. Near Cholula, a cute little girl took my wife and me into her care, soothing our fears just after we wrongly (but quite reasonably) thought we were being abducted by a taxi driver. The cutie smiled brightly, happily asked if we needed a guide, and led us into her church, with walls covered not with sculptures of saints but of children who lived in the village in the 1600s.
Now, here in Tennessee in 2025, since children’s eligibility for public education is being challenged on the basis of cost, I must point to something that many Tennesseans still believe overrides other arguments: “Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world.” Do you remember that from Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, and church camp? I certainly do. Somehow, I can’t see the Jesus who said “Let the little children come unto me” throwing children out of school who are literally begging to be allowed to attend.
“Let us learn!... Let us learn!!... LET US LEARN!!” echoes down the hallways of the Cordell Hull Legislative chambers. I hope it rings on and on in the ears, hearts, and consciences of Senators and Representatives until they answer the children’s call.
Some of us talk about this being a Christian nation. I, for one, will be quite happy if we follow that basic Christian principle which says, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Seems to me that we should do our best to apply this principle in our treatment of other people and their children. Surely this is a solid foundation for building better relations among all humanity, regardless of where we came from or are trying to go. I suspect that not only Jesus thought that, but probably Buddha, Moses, Chief Seattle, Lao Tzu, Muhammad, and the founders of many other belief systems, lifeways, and philosophies would agree.
Why are we here at these Legislative Committee meetings? Senator Watson’s stated reason is that of a concern about the rising costs of educating undocumented children. It appears there are legislators far more committed to saving money for essentially untaxed corporations than to those purposes for which our public school system was formed. What has happened to the nation’s founders’ vision for an increasingly inclusive democratic society built on the basis of an informed, literate, thinking public? The idea that all are equal?
I don’t know about you, but I’m here as both a grandparent and a citizen concerned with the future of our Tennessee communities. Can we step back, reframe, and consider this from a different angle? Too often, it seems that in addressing single concerns, many other problems are intensified and complicated.
Things to Ponder: Demographics. Where will the needed workers come from? We’re experiencing aging of our population, worker shortages, and loss of expertise. Statewid,e the 65+ age group was the fastest growing population group from 2010 to 2022, increasing by 42.3%, while the 35 to 49 group declined most!
Which jobs do you see undocumented folks now doing?
HVAC and electrical________ Elder and convalescent care_______ Landscaping/lawn_________ Cleaning___________ Childcare _________________ poultry and slaughterhouse________ Carpentry_________________ painting_______________ Roofing____________________ driving (Uber/Lyft, etc.)____________ Herding/ CAFO____________ Plumbing_____________ Farming/gardening_________ Highway and utility work____________ Commercial construction_______ Other_________________
What will the likely impacts on the economy be if large numbers of workers leave, are deported, or their children are left uneducated, untrained, and unable to do the work their parents have done?
How will Social Security and Medicare contributions made by undocumented workers be replaced? Though they pay these taxes, they are not eligible for the benefits of the funds their payments support.
$96.7 billion in tax payments came from undocumented people into our state and federal governments in 2022. Tennessee taxes- as you, of course, know better than I- are mostly sales and property. Undocumented people in Tennessee pay these taxes like everyone else, either directly or indirectly through their rent. $26 billion was paid into Social Security by undocumented people in 2022 and $6 billion into Medicare.
If these bills become law, would Tennessee’s sales and property taxes, which are paid by undocumented people, be used to challenge the Supreme Court’s Plyler v. Doe ruling? Would you use the taxes people pay at the grocery, the pump, with the rent to take away their innocent child’s right to a free public education?
James W. Polk March 23, 2025/ rev. 4/3/25
PASSED • FOSTER KID BILL OF RIGHTS- HB1359 Littleton/SB1015 Haile: Establishes a Bill of Rights for children in foster care (On 4/10 placed on 4/14 Regular House Calendar/ On 4/3 passed Senate, 31-0)
PASSED • PUBLIC PROPERTY FOR CHILD CARE CENTERS- HB1175 Williams/SB1379 Watson: Allows a child care agency to lease or purchase underutilized property from local education agencies; classifies a child care family home as residential property for certain purposes, including zoning and building codes; permits a host-school's fire inspection and facilities to be sufficient for a child care agency's provisional license under the department of human services. (On 4/10 placed on 4/14 Regular House Calendar/ 3/31 passed Senate, 28-1)
PASSED • DEMOCRATIC CONTRIBUTIONS ATTACK - HB0581 Doggett/SB0627 Briggs/: Campaigns and Campaign Finance- Prohibits a candidate from accepting contributions through an online contribution platform (like ActBlue) exceeding more than fifty percent of the candidate's or committee's total contributions for a primary or general election cycle or accepting contributions through an online contribution platform that is not registered as a vendor with the registry. (NOTE: Still allows corporations and corporate PACs to give as much as they like but NOT the grassroots fundraising from small donors, so targets Democrats) (4/7 referred to House Calendar-Rules / 4/1 referred to Senate Calendar Committee)
2:30 PM SENATE Floor Session
Charlane Oliver introduced Nashville students who came together to craft a song that speaks to these times.
PASSED • ABORTION ACCESS-LIGHT- SB1004 Briggs/ HB0990 Terry: Expands the conditions in which a woman could be at substantial risk for death or irreversible impairment, enabling her to have an abortion. (NOTE: House Sponsor Terry told the House Health Committee the bill did not provide any new exceptions to the current total abortion ban language)
Campbell challenged Briggs on the fact that this bill “does not do anything…” It merely offers the appearance that the Legislature is offering women more choice when a pregnancy is unviable (but it does not) and provides protections to doctors who are now in a quandary given the unclear language in the current Tennessee abortion ban when it comes to protecting the life of the pregnant woman (but it does not).
Yabro also pointed to the “do-nothing” stance of this new bill.
Oliver chimed in that this bill does not do enough to protect women facing death from pregnancy complications.
(4/7 passed Senate, 25-3-4 present not voting/ 4/10 placed on 4/14 Regular House Calendar)
PASSED •IMMIGRANT ATTACK- SB1086 Johnson/HB0749 Reeves - Targeting Immigrants: GOP bill criminalizes out-of-state drivers IDs, undermining state-to-state cooperation
(NOTE: 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. This Tennessee bill invalidates out-of-state licenses (creating legal and logistical conflicts between state governments, criminalizing drivers for non-threatening behavior, and inviting racial profiling and harassment).
Johnson confirmed, “If you cross the state line driving on that license (issued legally by another state), you can be charged with a misdemeanor.” He also admitted that in the past, Tennessee had provided driver’s licenses to those who were not citizens of the US, but not any longer. “Therefore, why in the world would we recognize a driver’s license that’s issued to someone who is in the country unlawfully by another state? Yarbro responded by referencing the law requiring all states to respect the laws of another state. “We are using a criminal process to invalidate another state’s Act, which I don’t think is permissible.”
Akbari reaffirmed that the full faith and credit clause of the US Constitution “makes very clear that we must respect the laws of other states.” She then asked Johnson if Tennessee will inform other states of this new law so they can inform their drivers, and he said, “I see no obligation for us to do that.” Akbari then mentioned the 20 states that offer driver’s licenses to people without documentation status, and that she is concerned “we will be the first state to do this.”
The bill passed along party lines. (4/7 passed Senate, 26- 6/ 4/3 Passed House, 68-21)
PASSSED •PRIVATE PRISON CRACK-DOWN- SB1115 Pody/HB1144 Boyd- Cracks down on private prisons with high inmate death rate
(NOTE: This bill is an effort to curb failures at Tennessee’s four CoreCivic-run prisons by requiring the Department of Corrections to reduce the population at CoreCivic facilities by 10% if the death rate of inmates is twice the death rate of an equivalent state-operated facility until conditions improve. All four Core Civic prisons are currently out of compliance. The U.S. Department of Justice opened an investigation last year into CoreCivic’s prison in Trousdale County, which had failed audits, experienced lawsuits, and continual reports of assaults, abuse, and death.
(4/7 passed Senate, 31-0/ 4/9 placed on 4/14 Finance, Ways, and Means Sub)
PASSED SENATE & HOUSE- REVERSE DISCRIMINATION- SB0376 Rose/HB0377 Zachary: 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 based on race, color, ethnicity, and national origin.
Yarbro offered an Amendment to disallow legacy admissions at colleges and universities in Tennessee, which he said aligns with the proposed bill to prohibit exclusion of anyone based on race, gender, disability, or religious affiliation.
The Amendment failed along party lines.
Yarbro then highlighted the fact that “if we wanted to be serious about ensuring these decisions were based on merit,” he might better appreciate the intent of this bill, but “That’s not what we’re doing with this legislation,” as demonstrated by the vote on legacy admissions.
The bill passed the Senate, 25-6 (On 4/10 passed House, 73-22)
PASSED- INSURANCE EMPOWERMENT- SB0428 Reeves/HB0037 Davis: Authorizes an insurer of group insurance plans offered to state employees the right to adopt or amend a state preferred drug list. (NOTE: Why give private insurers the right to set the state’s preferred drug list?) (4/7 passed Senate 34-1/ 3/24 passed House, 75-19)
3:30 PM HOUSE Floor Session
PASSED BOTH HOUSES- SEXIST & HOMOPHOBIC INDOCTRINATION- HB0178 Bulso/ SB0471 Bowling: Bill to add to the Family Life Curriculum taught in schools the so-called Success Sequence: high school diploma to college to getting a job to getting married, and then having children.
Johnson pointed out that most likely 50% of the legislators did not come up this way and according to research, the path offered by Bulso is not the determining factor as to whether a child will be successful but instead the schools should be focused on helping children: to become good problem solvers; hone their skills to become successful; increase their grit and determination; and help them to set goals and make a plan for how to accomplish it.
All the Democrats voted against the bill except Freeman, who voted present-not-voting (4/7 passed House 73-20-2/ 3/27 passed Senate, 25-5)
PASSED • HB601 Freeman/SB0256 Gardenhire: District Attorney or person convicted of a criminal offense may, at any time, request post-conviction relief by filing a verified petition alleging actual innocence based on new evidence that was not known by the judge or jury at the time of conviction.
Freeman presented his bill.
No questions were asked. The House passed the bill, 85-7/ (4/10 passed Senate, 24-6)
PASSED- HB679 Freeman/SB0920 Campbell: Increases from $1,000 to $2,500 the amount of compensation that may be awarded from the criminal injuries compensation fund to a health care provider who performed a forensic medical examination on a victim of a sexually oriented crime.
Freeman presented his bill. No questions were asked.
The bill passed 94-0 in the House (4/2 referred to Senate Calendar Committee)
PASSED BOTH HOUSE AND SENATE- ANTI-LGBTQIA+ HB1044 Terry/SB0955 Haile: Enacts the "Medical Ethics Defense Act," allowing medical licensed personnel to refuse to treat LGBTQIA+ individuals.
After Haile introduced his bill, Hardaway related that he had been racially profiled in a medical situation, so he worried that this bill would allow this and other types of profiling by medical providers.
(NOTE: No one commented about the discrimination that could/would be experienced by other minorities - including LGBTQIA+ persons, women, immigrants and refugees, and faiths other than Christian -when seeking medical care.)
The bill passed in the House along party lines, except Republicans Reneau and Warner, who voted against it. (4/7 passed 71-24 in the House/ 3/6 passed Senate, 27-3)
PASSED • ENVIRONMENTAL ATTACK- SB0880 Reeves/ HB0896 Todd- BLOCKS REGULATION of toxic ‘forever chemicals.’
(NOTE: See Campbell’s comment against passage of this bill in the 4/3 Senate debate. This is a state-by-state effort led by the U.S. Chamber – the national lobbying group for big businesses – intended to prohibit state agencies from adopting public health and safety regulations on pollutants and hazardous waste until officials prove an exposure to the toxin caused "manifest bodily harm" to people. These PFA “forever chemicals “ have been linked to disease, infertility, and death, and are found in 60% of the waters in Northeast Tennessee.
Immediately after the Sponsor substituted the Senate bill, Warner asked the previous question, which cut off any debate. The bill passed in the House along party lines, 74-22 (4/3 passed Senate, 24-5)
Tuesday, April 8
8:30 AM- SENATE Finance Ways and Means
PASSED •TAX INCREASE- HJR0017 McCalmon/ HJR0017 Johnson: Urges Congress to enact H.R. 25, the Fair Tax Act of 2023. (NOTE: Adds a 17-23% national sales tax on every dollar spent by Tennesseans, in addition to the current 9.5% sales tax on purchases. VERY REGRESSIVE TAX POLICY!!) ( 4/8 referred to Senate Calendar Committee/ 3/31 passed House, 69-22)
PASSED• EXTENDED FOSTER YOUNG ADULT SUPPORT- SB1266 Johnson/HB0103 Lamberth: Expands the voluntary extended foster care services by the Department of Children's Services to include young adults between 20 and 23 who were in the custody of the Department at the time of the young adult's 18th birthday and young adults who were adopted from, or approved for subsidized permanent guardianship. (4/11 placed on 4/14 Senate Consent Calendar 2/ Passed House 95-0)
PASSED •SJR0028 Lowe: Supports the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of the 119th U.S. Congress. (4/8 referred to Senate Calendar Committee)
PASSED • SB0263 Hensley/HB0318 Rudd: Prohibits the enforcement and recognition of requirements or mandates issued by the World Health Organization, United Nations, or World Economic Forum in Tennessee.
PASSED • SB0670 Taylor/HB0541 Vaughan: Prohibits the Department of Environment and Conservation from applying criteria that will result in the classification of real property as a wetland, or otherwise regulating real property as a wetland, unless the property is classified as a wetland under federal law. (4/11 placed on 4/14 Senate Regular Calendar for 4/14/2025/ 4/9 placed on 4/14 FWM Subcommittee)
9:00 AM- House Judiciary
DEFERRED IN HOUSE UNTIL 2026 •HB0809 Grills/ SB0527 Stevens: Specifies that if a manufacturer or seller of a pesticide registers it with the Commissioner of Agriculture and with the Environmental Protection Agency under the federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) they are then NOT LIABLE in a civil action related to the labeling of the pesticide, if the pesticide bore a label approved by the EPA under FIFRA at the time of sale.
Since the petitions have been filed with the US Supreme Court regarding this issue, Bulso asked if the Legislature should wait to act on this until the question is resolved in that Court before hearing the merits of this bill (NOTE: Sometimes we have strange bedfellows!!)
Johnson asked the experts who spoke against the bill why there has not been a massive impact on farmers in the many other states that have voted this bill down.
Johnson then noted that Court cases are being won by the people who bring these cases against Monsanto/Bayer and other chemical companies because these chemicals are dangerous. “Tennessee should join those other states that voted it down.”
Hardaway said if he was going to err, he would err on the side of caution to fulfill his oath to protect public safety. He then asked whether “EPA has ever been wrong” when determining what products hurt the American public.
Matthew Hinson testified that he is a father, husband, farmer, veteran, and lifelong Republican living 2 hours outside Nashville who suffered from testicular cancer linked to the pesticides he used on his farm. He asked, “If these companies’ products cause no risk, why are they paying out billions of dollars in settlements?”
Jess Curley, Republican and concerned Tennessean citizen, stated she opposed the bill “because it takes away constitutional trial rights from Tennesseans.”
Courtney Parker testified with her daughter Jett on her lap. Her research showed that the “new Roundup is 45 times more toxic to human health” than the previous iteration of the product. She’s worried about long-term health problems, birth abnormalities, reproductive dysfunction, and kidney failure that have been linked to the product whose label merely says it causes eye irritation.
Tiffany York testified that the best friend of her 8-year-old daughter was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma when she was just 6. “It has been devastating to watch… There are hundreds of chemicals that have been banned in other countries that are being used in the US, and that are approved by the EPA.” She listed just 10 of them.
Powell asked if any of the people testifying had been paid to be here, and they all said no. He then asked Hinson if he had heard other farmers say they want this bill to pass. He again said no, but also said big farmers may be concerned that without pesticides, they may not be able to grow all the crops they want and not make all the money they’d like. While he understands this concern, “You can’t spray these chemicals knowing what they are capable of. I feel like that is wrong.”
Another panalist, Brittany Ruiz, said that not a single farm-related person is supporting or has asked for this bill. In fact, “100 to 1 the people are against this legislation in Tennessee. So, it’s not what Tennesseans want.”
Powell asked Parker, if the right to litigate is taken away, as this bill proposed, what will protect her? Parker answered, “We need to protect ourselves. We need to protect our children by keeping a law in place that helps protect us, preemptively and then protects us when people are harmed…There is no doubt that people are harmed.”
She related that her father, who was a farmer, passed away from cancer. He used Roundup. Her mother, who is an avid gardener, was diagnosed with breast cancer, and before she passed away, they checked her toxicology, and the number 1 chemical in her body was a yard pesticide. “These things harm us, and we don’t necessarily know. The best thing to do is to keep our rights in place.”
When Legal was asked about the law regarding these pesticides, she said, “A pesticide that is registered with the Commissioner of EPA is deemed a sufficient warning label for a civil action.”
Johnson pointed to earlier expert testimony detailing how this product changes DNA, so it causes a lot of different cancers. She asked York if she felt this was the cause of the cancer her daughter’s friend was suffering from, and she said yes.
(4/8 action deferred in the House Judiciary Committee to the Second Calendar of 2026/ 4/3 passed Senate 21-7-2 present not voting)
DEFERRED IN HOUSE TO 2026 • HB0661 White/SB0673 by Taylor: Criminal Offenses - Enacts the "Comprehensive Assault Crime Intervention Act." (4/8 Action deferred in House Judiciary to Second Calendar of 2026/ 4/8 assigned to General Subcommittee of Senate Judiciary)
PASSED- HB0445 Hulsey/SB0407 Gardenhire: Revises the procedure for the restoration of rights of citizenship. (NOTE: It sounds good, but it merely removes the requirement that gun rights need to first be restored while adding more hoops to jump through than exist under the current law).
Jacola Lane testified against the bill.
Keeda Haynes, of Free Hearts, also testified against Hulsey’s bill.
Johnson confirmed that this bill, as written, would make it harder for people to have their right to vote restored, rather than easier.
Johnson posed a question to Haynes:
Haynes commented on the bill section regarding the current requirement to have one’s gun rights restored before getting back the right to vote.
PASSED 15-6 along party lines (4/10 placed on 4/14 Regular House Calendar/ 4/11 placed on 4/14 Senate Regular Calendar)
PASSED • HJR0182 Hulsey: Designates June 2025 as "Nuclear Family Month." Johnson chided Bulso that June was already designated as Pride month along with other memorials.
PASSED 16-6, along party lines (4/10 placed on 4/14 House Consent Calendar)
PASSED • HJR0053 Reedy- Proposes an amendment to the Constitution of TN to remove the provision that authorizes the legislature to regulate the wearing of arms to prevent crime and to clarify that citizens have a right to keep and bear arms.
District Attorney Crump recommended that the Committee vote against this bill.
Powell asked Crump whether people with mental health challenges would be able to get a gun if this law were in place. Crump said yes, and continued to share that while it is rare for a DA to make a recommendation contrary to the Legislature, in this case, he felt he must.
Johnson questioned why the Sponsor was referencing the lack of law enforcement in 1870 as a basis for passing the law when law enforcement is in place now and they “have overwhelmingly told us they don’t support this legislation.” She also asked whether “kids can be armed as well?”
Republican Travis joined the Democrats to vote against the bill, which still passed 14-7 (4/9 placed on 4/14 House FWM Subcommittee)
PASSED- ARMS DEALERS • HB0873 Fritts/SB1360 Hensley: Removes the ability to bring a civil liability action for negligence against a seller of a qualified product; expands "qualified products" to include knives, body armor, pepper spray, silencers, and other certain products; requires physical injury for a negligent entrustment action rather than an unreasonable risk of physical injury; specifies that a person who will be subject to an ordinance in the future or reasonably intends to be physically present in the political subdivision is an adversely affected party for purposes of filing certain actions; makes various other changes regarding civil actions against arms dealers, manufacturers, and sellers and the preemption of local regulation of firearms.
District Attorney Crump expressed his strong opposition, and that of the DA Conference, to this bill. He said it will make it difficult for juries to differentiate between why a person can commit a crime and be arrested in one instance and charged in one manner, but when the same crime is committed at a different time of day, it might be charged differently. He said this is not a gun bill but rather “We see it as a deadly force” bill. Further, “This bill diminishes the value of life in this state,” and the people of Tennessee believe “A life is more important than a piece of property.”
(4/10 placed on 4/14 Regular House Calendar/ 4/11 placed on 4/15 Senate Regular Calendar)
PASSED •HB0327 Bulso/SB0503 Rose: Designates the month of June as "Celebration of Life" month, the month of July as "Celebration of Liberty" month, and the month of August as "Celebration of the Pursuit of Happiness" month in Tennessee.
Passed 16-4 along party lines, with Harris and Townes present but not voting. (4/10 placed on 4/14 House Consent Calendar/ 3/26 passed Senate, 26-6)
PASSED- Legislature cannot regulate wearing of “long-guns”! • HJR0053 Reedy: Constitutional Amendment to remove the provision that authorizes the legislature to regulate the wearing of arms to prevent crime and to clarify that citizens have a right to keep and bear arms- including “long-guns” (a firearm having a long barrel and intended to be fired from the shoulder).
Rose expressed his belief that while a handgun is protected by the Second Amendment, it does not give free license to carry whatever weapon is desired and wherever wanted.
(4/9 placed on 4/14 Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee)
FAILED IN SENATE- Protect property over people • HB0856 Capley/SB1407 Hensley: Firearms and Ammunition- Lowers the standard for the use of deadly force to protect property; specifies that deadly force does not include the display of a weapon, the brandishing of a weapon, or the use of force in circumstances that do not result in death or serious bodily injury.
Rose said, “When I hear I’m allowed to shoot someone in the back, I just can’t go along with that.”
(4/8 failed in Senate Judiciary Committee/ 4/9 taken off notice in House Judiciary)
12:30 PM- House Finance Ways and Means
PASSED • HB0133 Raper/SB0110 Lowe: Authorizes a residential facility for persons with disabilities to operate in the eastern grand division of Tennessee, administered by the Department of Disability and Aging. (4/9 placed on 4/14 Finance, Ways, and Means Committee/ 2/24 passed Senate, 33-0)
PASSED- DISABILITY ATTACK• HB1314 Lamberth/SB1296 Johnson: Creates new Class E felony offenses for threats of mass violence (TMV) made “knowingly” against four or more people AND enhanced to a Class D felony IF committed at a school, religious institution, government property, or live performance/event; the person has a prior conviction for a TMV; or the person takes a substantial step toward preparing for and/or carrying out the threatened action. (4/10 placed on 4/14 Regular House Calendar/ 4/8 placed on 4/15 Senate Finance, Ways, and Means)
(NOTE: This bill fails to address the impact of current TMV law on students with disabilities, particularly those with autism or intellectual disability who have verbal outbursts during meltdowns, make joking statements, repeat words or rumors they’ve heard, and have other behaviors that may be a manifestation of their disability.
There is also no requirement that a TMV cause a reasonable expectation that the threatened act will occur, so over the last year, students with disabilities have been arrested and charged for potentially non-credible statements. Last year, the penalty was raised from a Class A Misdemeanor to a Class E felony in response to ‘hoax’ threats mostly made by non-students coming from outside the school, but students with disabilities are being disproportionately impacted by being arrested and taken in handcuffs to sheriff and police stations across the state. The Governor’s budget includes the $900,000 price tag for this item, so we can expect to see more children with mental health and intellectual disabilities criminalized in Tennessee.)
(4/10 placed on 4/14 Regular House Calendar / 4/8 Placed on 4/15 Senate FWM)
PASSED- VAPING ATTACK• SB0763 Yager/HB0968 Hawk: Tobacco Products- Requires the Department of Revenue to maintain a directory of all vapor products authorized to be sold in TN and increases taxes on these products. (NOTE: The American Heart and American Lung Associations oppose the law. It regulates and increases taxes on vapor products but does nothing to address vaping among youth and merely limits competition. The tobacco industry is pushing this bill- a competition issue!! ( 3/31 PASSED Senate, 24-4-1/ 4/9 placed on 4/14 House Finance, Ways, and Means)
1:00 PM- Senate Judiciary Committee
PASSED - EARLY GUN ACCESS• SB1318 Johnson/HB1332 Lamberth- State has issued 802 handgun carry permits to people aged 18-20 in 2024. This bill would codify current practice, allowing the Safety Department to issue handgun carry permits to individuals baged18-20. (NOTE: If the person had a DUI over 5 years old, they can get a permit to carry) (4/11 Placed on Senate Regular Cal/ 4/10 placed on 4/14 House Regular Calendar)
REFERRED TO 2026 HOUSE GENERAL SUB- GUNS & Order of Protection- SB1244 Massey/ HB1210 Keisling: The person who has an Order of Protection against them must transfer their firearms to a third party not prohibited from possessing firearms, and the third party must sign an affidavit that they will keep the firearms away from the person with the OP against them. (4/8 assigned to General Sub of Senate Judiciary / 4/2 Action DEFERRED to 2026 House Civil Justice Sub)
FAILED in SENATE Judiciary/TAKEN OFF NOTICE in HOUSE- LICENSE TO KILL (Protect Property over People) - SB1407 Hensley/0856 Capley- Lowers the standard for the use of deadly force to include PROPERTY PROTECTIONprotect property (4/8 FAILED in Senate Judiciary Committee/ 4/9 taken off notice for in House Judiciary Committee)
Lynn Ketchum, Moms Demand Action, testified against this bill:
DA General Crump testified against it as well.
Taylor, White, Stevens, and Harshberger voted YES, but Lamar, Kyle, G Gardnerhire, and Rose voted NO, so the bill failed.
(4/8 FAILED in Senate Judiciary Committee/ 4/9 TAKEN OFF NOTICE in House Judiciary)
FAILED • SB1227 Lowe/HB1189 Grills: Firearms and Ammunition - Authorizes a permit holder to carry ANY firearms, rather than JUST handguns, that the permit holder legally owns or possesses, including LONG GUNS!!
4 Yes VOTES-Taylor, Harshberger, White, Stevens- and 4 NO Votes- Gardenhire, Kyle, Lamar, and Rose. (4/8 FAILED in Senate Judiciary Committee/4/9 No Action Taken in House Judiciary)
TAKEN OFF NOTICE in HOUSE- LOCAL CONTROL GUNS- SB1176 Akbari/HB1231 Miller: Firearms and Ammunition -Permits the largest municipality in Shelby, Davidson, Knox, or Hamilton county to regulate the manner of storage of firearms, firearm ammunition, and firearm accessories by ordinance, resolution, policy, rule, or other enactment. (4/8 Assigned to General Sub of Senate Judiciary/ 4/2 TAKEN OFF NOTICE House Civil Justice Sub of Judiciary)
ROLLED- GUNS & DV SB1184 Akbari/HB0948 Brooks. Domestic Violence - Persons convicted of domestic assault or subject to an order of protection must dispossess any firearm by transferring it to a law enforcement agency. (4/8 assigned to General Sub Senate Judiciary/ 4/2 taken off notice Civil Justice Sub of Judiciary)
OFF NOTICE UNTIL 2026 AKILAH’s LAW•GUN RESTRICTION- HB0947 Brooks/ SB1191 Akbari- Akilah’s law: Creates the offense of selling, offering to sell, delivering, or transferring a firearm to a person knowing the person has been a patient in a mental institution within the previous five years. (4/8 Assigned to General Sub of Senate Judiciary/ 4/8 No Action Taken in House Judiciary)
Akbari introduced Akilah’s Law, which originated from the killing of Representative Brooks’ son in the Waffle House mass shooting. She read Brooks’ statement about the loss of her son: “No parent should have to bury their child, but I did.” The person who shot Akilah was armed by his parents, even though they knew he should not have these weapons because they had been hospitalized at a mental institution. This bill would prevent this from happening in Tennessee in the future. This bill is not about the Second Amendment, it is about safety.
Rose questioned what a mental health institution is defined as, and also if this included someone under treatment at a clinic.
Akbari defined mental institution as a facility primarily used for the care of mentally ill persons, exclusive of those treated for substance abuse, but rather for those who have been committed.
The law defined a “patient” as someone who is admitted to an institution, not an outpatient.
Akbari worried about the will of the Committee and decided to take the bill off notice and to bring it back in 2026.
(4/9 No Action Taken in House/ 4/8 assigned to General Subcommittee of Senate Judiciary Committee)
TAKEN OFF NOTICE IN HOUSE- SB1350 by Akbari/HB1390 by Pearson: Firearms and Ammunition - Allows a court to issue an extreme risk protection order if there is “clear and convincing evidence” that a person poses a significant danger of causing personal injury to themselves or otheres if they possesses or purchased a firearm; law enforcement officer or relative can file a petition for an extreme risk protection order; illegal to store or keep a firearm in any place unless it is secured in a locked container, unloaded, and separate from ammunition except with its owner or other lawfully authorized user; illegal for gun dealers to deliver a firearm to a purchaser until 15 business days after the completion of certain requirements. (4/8 assigned to General Sub of Senate Judiciary/ 4/2 taken off notice in House Civil Justice Sub of Judiciary)
DEFERRED TO 2026 • SB1128 Yarbro/HB1295 Powell: The "Shielding Tennesseans from Oligarchic Power and Eliminating Lawless Obstruction of Necessities Act (STOP ELON Act)," creates the offense of theft for interfering with an individual's or entity's receipt of a loan, grant, or financial assistance from the federal, state, or local government; Allows a civil action to recover the funds that the victim lost because of the theft.
Yarbro introduced his bill:
(4/8 deferred in Senate Judiciary Committee to 1st Calendar of 2026/ 4/1 deferred in House Criminal Justice Sub to First Calendar of 2026)
ROLLED TO 2026 at Sponsor’s Request- •SB1129 Yarbro/HB1190 Shaw: Creates a Class E felony when a person exercises control over a motor vehicle knowing that the person does not have the permission of the owner of the motor vehicle; creates a Class A misdemeanor of possessing a firearm that the person knows or reasonably should know has been stolen.
4/8 assigned General Subcommittee of Senate Judiciary/ 3/26 Assigned to House Criminal Justice Sub)
FAILED HOUSE JUDICIARY -50/50 PARENTING TIME •SB1331 Yarbro/HB1131 Parkinson: CAPTION BILL offering the presumption of equal, shared parenting time (maximizing the time) to each parent upon divorce. (NOTE: Currently, the standard is “best interest of the child.”)
Lamar testified to the importance of fathers being involved in the life of their child.
Lamar continued to advocate on behalf of women for both parents sharing equal responsibility for being engaged in children’s lives.
Kyle expressed her concern about “unintentional effects related to domestic violence, possible child support, schooling, travel, health issues, continuous court appearances…But I’m going to vote Yes to advance the bill, hoping all interested parties would meet together and see if they can work out some of these interests for the child.”
Yarbro said his intent was not to create a rigid rule, and he wants Judges to have discretion. He also said it has nothing to do with the rights of a particular parent. “Children don’t initiate those actions and they can’t stop them…” and can end up in a situation where they effectively lose part of Mom or Dad. “I don’t think that’s right.” Research supports the positive outcomes of shared parenting, according to Yarbro, and although this may not be true in every case, the law should ensure every child has meaningful relationships with their parents.
(4/11 placed on 4/15 Senate Regular Calendar/ 4/9 FAILED in House Judiciary)
DEFERRED TO 2026 •SB0034 by Campbell. (HB0599 by Freeman.)
Criminal Offenses - Creates a Class A misdemeanor for knowingly giving, selling, lending, delivering, or otherwise transferring a firearm to a person when the transferor knows or reasonably should know that the person receiving the firearm is prohibited from purchasing or possessing a firearm under state or federal law. (4/8 assigned to General Sub of Senate Judiciary / 4/1 Deferred in House Criminal Justice Sub to First Calendar of 2026)
DEFERRED TO 2026 • SB0642 by Campbell. (*HB0596 by Freeman.)
Firearms and Ammunition - Enacts the "Tennessee Voluntary Do Not Sell Firearms Act," which permits a person to voluntarily waive their firearm rights through filing a waiver with the clerk of the circuit court in the county of the person's residence; specifies procedures the clerk, TBI, and department of safety must follow upon receipt of a waiver. (4/8 assigned to General Sub of Senate Judiciary / 4/1 Deferred in House Criminal Justice SSub to First Calendar of 2026)
FAILED - DEI is American Dream• SR0006 Oliver: Affirms that the American Dream belongs to all of us. Oliver declared that the American dream is important for all of us and that DEI, “a centuries-old movement,” is deeply rooted in American principles and is grounded in civil rights and social justice aimed at allowing the country to live up to its Constitution’s promises.
(4/8 FAILED in Senate Judiciary Committee)
DEFERRED TO 2026 •SB0043 Lamar/HB0814 Miller: Firearms and Ammunition-Authorizes a county legislative body to elect not to permit persons within the county to lawfully carry a handgun without a handgun carry permit by passage of a resolution; requires a county that has passed such a resolution to provide notice to persons present within the county by posting notice of the resolution in conspicuous public locations throughout the county. (4/8 assigned to General Sub of Senate Judiciary / 2/10 assigned to Civil Justice Sub)
TAKEN OFF NOTICE- •GUN REFORM - SB0957 Lamar/HB1082 Camper- ‘Glock switch’ ban prohibits devices that transform regular guns into machine guns- Prohibits the possession, manufacture, transport, repair, or sale of a switch or auto sear device designed, made, or adapted to convert a weapon to shoot automatically more than one shot, without manual reloading, by a single function of the trigger unless certain exceptions apply. (NOTE: A similar bill is being considered by the Alabama legislature) (4/8 assigned to General Sub of Senate Judiciary/ 4/1 Taken off notice in House Criminal Justice Sub of Judiciary)
DEFERRED TO 2026 SB0673 Taylor/HB0661 White: Criminal Offenses- Enacts the "Comprehensive Assault Crime Intervention Act." (4/8 assigned to General Sub of Senate Judiciary/ 4/8 DEFERRED in House Judiciary Committee to Second Calendar of 2026)
FAILED- SB0819 Roberts/HB0554 Capley: Creates a civil action against any person or government entity that infringes upon a person's right to bear arms under the Tennessee or United States Constitutions; requires the person or entity to be liable for actual or statutory damages, punitive damages, attorney's fees, and court costs. (4/8 assigned to General Sub of Senate Judiciary/ 4/2 FAILED in Civil Justice Sub of Judiciary)
PASSED •SB0662 Akbari/HB0625 Hardaway: Mental Illness- Establishes a rebuttable presumption that a person poses an imminent substantial likelihood of serious harm and needs emergency detention and examination if the person was charged with one of certain criminal offenses and ordered by the criminal, circuit, or general sessions court to undergo an evaluation to determine whether the person is incompetent to stand trial or the person's mental capacity at the time of the commission of the crime; requires clear and convincing evidence to rebut the presumption. (4/8 assigned to General Sub of Senate Judiciary/ 4/9 NO ACTION TAKEN in House Judiciary)
PASSED- IMMIGRANT ATTACK- SB0392 Taylor/HB0322 Todd: Creates the offense of harboring, hiding, or assisting an individual known to have illegally entered the US. Taylor introduced his bill by saying it DOES NOT create criminal liability for any individual or charitable organization that provides assistance or services to any person they don’t know is an immigrant without documentation, don’t try to conceal them from law enforcement, or don’t induce them to stay in Tennessee. It is intended to prevent human trafficking, smuggling, or hiding someone who is in Tennessee illegally.
Lamar asked if business owners would be charged with human smuggling. Taylor responded that they would have to know they were in the US illegally and try to hide them from law enforcement.
Lamar commented, “I guess that is a yes.” She went on to say there are a lot of businesses in Tennessee with a workforce shortage, and immigrants are doing the jobs that citizens don’t want to do. She warned that those businesses, “and you know who you are,” could be charged with human trafficking under this bill, and she lamented that there are “so many attacks against such a vulnerable community who contribute so much to the Tennessee economy,” and now employers will be at risk.
Gardenhire said he had constituents involved with church charities who serve anybody who walks in the door, and Taylor’s response was they would not be implicated in this bill, only those who transport for profit- a “mule.”
Legal drew attention to the “transporting for financial gain” section, but also the language about “harboring” that is not for financial gain.
Taylor said the charities are not looking to conceal anyone from law enforcement, so he argued it would not apply to non-profits as long as they are not looking to conceal.
Legal again clarified that it depends on the definition of harboring (something that is way too vague).
(NOTE: Gabe Hart offered a Commentary in the Tennessee Lookout that includes the perspective that “Tennessee anti-immigration bills show that the Legislators have no conception of complex issues- and I add no understanding of how to address these issues.” He went on to say that Representative "Chris Todd’s bill to criminalize those who help immigrants without lawful immigration status is not designed to help vulnerable people.” Instead, “..it takes problematic issues that every Tennessean hopes to avoid and presents faux solutions by advancing a fundamentally conservative agenda.)
Only Kyle and Lamar voted against the bill, while all the Republicans voted in favor.
(4/11 placed on 4/14 Senate Regular Calendar/ 4/9 Placed 4/14 House FWM Subcommittee)
2:00 PM HOUSE STATE AND LOCAL
DEFERRED to 2026- • HJR0180 Reeves: Urges the federal government to streamline the legal immigration process. (4/8 DEFERRED in State & Local Government Committee to First Calendar of 2026)
PASSED- DISMANTLE DEI- • HB0622 Maberry/SB1083 Johnson: Enacts the "Dismantle DEI Act," to prohibit local governments and public institutions of higher education from basing hiring decisions on any metrics that consider an applicant's race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or disability, or hiring a particular candidate to achieve any goals to increase diversity, equity, or inclusion in the workplace. (4/9 referred to Calendar & Rules/ 4/11 placed on 4/14 Senate Regular Calendar)
PASSED- DISMANTLE DEI HB0923 Maberry/SB1084 Johnson: Human Rights - Enacts the "Dismantling DEI Departments Act." (4/9 placed on 4/14 House FWM Sub/ 4/11 placed on 4/14 Senate Regular Calendar)
PASSED- AF AMERICAN GRANTS- HB0686 Camper/SB1172 Akbari: Enacts the "African American Cultural and Historical Grant Act." 4/9 Placed on 4/14 Government Operations/ 4/11 Placed on 4/14 Senate Regular Calendar)
DEFERRED to 2026- DISCRIMINATION- HB0744 Wright/SB0305 Briggs: Prohibits an organization or entity receiving financial assistance from this state for programs or activities from denying benefits to, excluding from participation in, or discriminating against a person otherwise eligible for the program or activity based on race, color, religion, or national origin. (4/9 DEFERRED in State & Local Government Committee to First Calendar of 2026/ Passed Senate 30-0)
HISTORY PRESERVATION (Confederate?) HB1071 Wright/SB1034 Bowling: Historical Sites and Preservation - Designates a seal that has been erected for, named, or dedicated on public property in honor of any historic conflict, historic entity, historic event, historic figure, or historic organization as a memorial for purposes of protection under the Tennessee Heritage Protection Act. (4/9 referred to Calendar & Rules/ 3/24 passed Senate 27- 6)
APRIL 9, 2025
8:30 AM – SENATE FLOOR -Regular Calendar
PASSED- STATE CONTROL • SB0674 Taylor/HB0900 Todd: Clarifies that the General Assembly preempts and occupies the entire field of regulating the terms and conditions of employment; prohibits local governments from adopting or enforcing any law, rule, or policy that requires a term or condition of employment that exceeds or conflicts with state or federal law. (4/9 Passed Senate, 24-5/ 2/12 assigned to Banking & Consumer Affairs Subcommittee)
PASSED- ANTI-IMMIGRANT •SB0750 Yager/HB0833 Keisling: Law Enforcement - Requires each law enforcement agency, except for the Tennessee bureau of investigation, to report monthly to the department of safety each interaction that the law enforcement agency had with illegal aliens over the previous month; requires that such report include the date of the interaction, the number of illegal aliens encountered, and a description of identification documents, if any, in their possession. (4/9 Passed Senate as amended, 26-5/ 4/10 placed on 4/14 House Regular Calendar)
11:00 AM – HOUSE FWM Subcommittee
PASSED- ANTI-TRANS/ANTI-IMMIGRANT • HB0055 Lamberth/SB0030 Pody: Creates new misdemeanor offenses, including intentionally refusing to give one's name or giving a false name to a law enforcement officer who has lawfully detained or arrested the person and requested the information. (4/9 placed on 4/14 House FWM Subcommittee/ 4/11 Placed on 4/14 Senate Regular Calendar)
PASSED- ANTI-IMMIGRANT • HB0069 Lamberth. (SB0133 Johnson: Requires the coordinator of elections, in collaboration with the Department of Safety and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, to create two electronic portals to verify an applicant's eligibility to vote based upon United States citizenship and conviction of a felony before registering. (4/9 placed on 4/14 House FWM Subcommittee/ 4/10 placed on 4/15 Senate FWM Committee)
NEGATIVE RECOMMENDATION IN SENATE-GROCERY- •HB0021 Davis/SB1367 Watson: Exempts from the state sales and use tax the retail sale of food and food ingredients. (4/9 Placed on 4/14 House FWM Subcommittee / 3/18 Referred to Senate FWM Committee with negative recommendation)
DEFERRED to 2026- MENSTRUAL PRODUCTS • HB1218 Johnson/SB1205 Kyle: Exempts the sale or use of menstrual hygiene products from sales and use tax. (4/9 Action DEFERRED in FWM Sub to First Calendar of 2026/ 3/18 Referred to Senate Finance, Ways & Means Committee with negative recommendation).
PASSED -HUMAN RIGHTS • HB0910 Garrett/SB0861 Stevens: Transfers to the attorney general and reporter, the Human Rights Commission's responsibility of identifying state laws, rules, programs, services, and budgetary priorities that conflict with the components, guidelines, and objectives of a comprehensive state policy. (4/9 Placed on 4/14 House FWM / 4/10 Placed on 4/15 Senate FWM Committee)
DEFERRED TO 2026-WETLANDS •HB0882 Travis/SB0281 Watson: Prohibits the department from regulating farming activities involving topsoil rock removal, or the building of a pond when the activities are conducted in an area that is less than three acres in size, and the property on which the activities occur has greenbelt classification. (4/9 DEFERRED in House FWM Sub to First Calendar of 2026 / Re-referred to Senate Calendar Committee)
PASSED- ANTI-TRANS- PROUNOUN- • HB1270 Cochran/SB0937 Rose: Certain individuals are not required to use another's preferred name or pronoun, if the preferred name or pronoun is not consistent with the individual's legal name or sex. (4/9 Placed on 4/14 House FWM/ 4/3 Passed Senate, 25-5)
11:00 AM – HOUSE Judiciary Regular
PASSED-ANTI-IMMIGRANT •HB0322 Todd/SB0392 Taylor: Creates the offense of human smuggling; creates the offense of harboring or hiding, or assisting another in harboring or hiding, within this state an individual who the person knows or should have known has illegally entered or remained in the United States; authorizes the attorney general to take certain actions against a person or organization who commits or is about to commit a human trafficking offense or an aggravated human trafficking offense.
Salinas asked if there is an exception for a licensed health care facility that would be exempt from the law regarding harboring. Legal read the law as crafted.
Salinas followed up to ask if housing was to be provided that is related to health care services, such as the Ronald McDonald House, but is not licensed as a health care facility; she wondered if they could be charged with harboring under this bill. Legal said it would depend on the circumstances, and Salinas said the bill is “very vague.”
Johanna Keohane, Republican from Robertson County, testified against the adoption of this bill:
Ashley Warbington, a mother whose husband is undocumented, also testified against this bill:
Johnson asked if school staff, acting in their duties, might violate this law as written. Warbinton said absolutely, they would be at risk.
(4/9 Placed on 4/14 House FWM Subcommittee/ 4/11 Placed on 4/14 Senate Regular Calendar)
PASSED- CHILD ABUSE WITNESS DV • HB1360 Littleton/SB1241 Jackson: Expands the definition of child abuse to include a person under the age of 18 witnessing the abuse of another child in the person's immediate family or household or domestic abuse of a member of the person's immediate family or household; specifies that reunification between a parent and a child placed in foster care due to abuse must not occur unless the parent has complied with the parent's statement of responsibilities in the permanency plan and the child has received mental health counseling. (4/10 Placed on 4/14 House Regular Calendar / 4/11 Placed on 4/15 Senate Regular Calendar)
PASSED- PROTEST OBSTRUCTION •HB0729 Keisling/SB0672 Taylor: 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.
Macy Fluharty testified against this bill.
Homeless Planning Council advocates also testified against this bill for its unintended consequences to unhoused people:
Johnston mentioned that she was in a march, and when the protestors stopped in the street, she was unsure whether a permit had been pulled to allow this, but she is concerned that others may not know if a permit has been called or might just assume and therefore will be criminalized.
Fluharty said that folks exercising their right to free speech may step off the sidewalk and have a felony charge slapped on them.
Powell mentioned “We have a long, rich history of protest and marches” and referenced John Lewis as well as his own protests, and worried about the impact on a citizen’s right to protest.
Johnson reiterated her concern that this bill will negatively impact those who may not know the details about a protest but want to join and inadvertently get criminalized.
Salinas pointed out that walking on a highway is already a misdemeanor and asked if the sponsor had any research showing that making it a felony would deter it from occurring.
(4/10 placed on 4/14 Regular House Calendar/ 3/27 passed Senate, 24-4)
PASSED- NO ABORTION PILLS BY MAIL + ANTI-TRANS BATHROOM BILL- HB0571 Bulso/SB0468 Bowling: Enacts the "Women's Safety and Protection Act."
Johnson questioned the liability for the service or persons delivering abortion pills from out of state to Tennessee residents, but Bulso said only the entity shipping to Tennessee is liable.
Harris asked how this legislation complied with the Commerce Clause of the Constitution.
Harris followed up by asking how this bill would withstand scrutiny regarding suing companies for lawful interstate commerce.
Hardaway asked who could sue, and when it says “family,” Hardaway asked if this is “grandma, grand-daddy, aunts, uncles, great uncles, great-great-great grandmothers would qualify?” Bulso said the statute doesn’t go as far as that, but instead was targeted to the surviving spouse, the woman’s children, and extended family.
Johnson asked about his amendment to his amendment and asked about the bigger concerns about the “federal rape elimination act” and how this bill will effect that and the lawsuits that will likely come.
(4/10 Placed on 4/14 House Regular Calendar/ 3/27 Passed Senate 24-4)
PASSED- ANTI-IMMIGRANT-NONPROFIT PROVIDES HOUSING- HB0811 Grills/SB0227 Taylor: Allows a charitable organization that provides housing to a person they know is unlawfully present in the United States to be held liable for a loss, damages, injury, or death resulting from a criminal offense committed by that person. (4/9 refer to Calendar & Rules/ 4/3 passed Senate, 24-4-1)
2:00 PM – HOUSE State and Local- Reg Calendar
FAILED HOUSE JUDICIARY -50/50 PARENTING TIME •SB1331 Yarbro/HB1131 Parkinson: CAPTION BILL offering the presumption of equal, shared parenting time (maximizing the time) to each parent upon divorce. (NOTE: Currently, the standard is “best interest of the child.”)
Woman (?) testified against the bill.
4/9 FAILED in Judiciary Committee/ 4/11 placed on 4/15 Senate Regular Calendar)
PASSED- MOVE TO HEEL- FAMILY LEAVE -HB0915 Sparks/SB0322 Massey:
Salaries and Benefits - Grants eligible employees leave of up to six workweeks because the employee is caring for a family member with a serious health condition.
Woman (?) testified to the benefits of paid family leave.
Salinas asked if there were cost savings for employers. The witness said they improve productivity and reduce turnover, among other savings.
Powell encourages passage so people of the “sandwich” generation can care for children and parents.
Six Republicans voted against the bill: Bricken, Martin, Moon, Powers, Rudd, and Wright, but the rest voted along with all of the Democrats to win passage of the bill.
(Placed on 4/14 House FWM Sub/ 4/11 placed on 4/14 Senate Regular Calendar)
TAKEN OFF NOTICE ANTI-IMMIGRANT- HB0177 Reeves/SB1087 Johnson:
Immigration - Urges the Department of Safety to study the enforcement of federal immigration laws, detentions and removals, investigations in this state, and immigration-related progress and challenges; requires the department to submit a report to the governor and general assembly on or before January 1, 2026. (4/8 TAKEN OFF NOTICE in House State & Local Government/ 4/2 assigned to General Sub of Senate State & Local Gov't)
THURSDAY, APRIL 10, 2025
8:30 SENATE FLOOR
PASSED HOUSE & SENATE- Post Conviction Relief-SB0256 Gardenhire/HB0601 Freeman: Establishes a procedure where the DA or person convicted of a criminal offense may request post-conviction relief by filing a verified petition alleging actual innocence based on new evidence that was not known by the judge or jury at the time of conviction, including scientific and non-scientific evidence. (4/10 Passed Senate,24-6 /4/7 Passed House, 85-7)
PASSED SENATE AND HOUSE- REPUBLICAN FAMILY RIGHTS • SB0895 Haile/HB0826 Faison: Requires the administrative office of the courts to submit an annual report by January 15 of each year to the governor, the speaker of the senate, and the speaker of the house of representatives detailing the number of actions brought in the courts of this state for a violation of the Families' Rights and Responsibilities Act, whether the plaintiff in each such action prevailed, and, if the plaintiff prevailed, the person or entity found in violation. (4/10 Passed Senate, 30-1/ 4/7 Passed House 92-0)
DEFERRED in HOUSE to 2026/PASSED SENATE-ENFRANCHISEMENT * SB0336 Akbari/HB0687 Camper: Election Laws - Removes the permanent deprivation of the right of suffrage upon conviction of first degree murder, aggravated rape, treason, or voter fraud; removes the requirement that a person must have paid all court costs to be eligible for restoration of the right of suffrage; requires a person to be compliant with all current child support orders rather than current in all child support obligations to be eligible for restoration of the right of suffrage. (4/10 passed Senate, 24- 8/ 4/1 DEFFERED in Criminal Justice Sub to Second Calendar of 2026)
9:00 AM – HOUSE FLOOR
PASSED- HEMP •HB1376 Lamberth/SB1413 Briggs: Regulates the manufacturing, supplying, wholesale distribution, and retail sale of hemp-derived cannabinoid products. (4/10 Passed House, 69-21-3/ 4/1 referred to Senate Calendar Committee)
PASSED BOTH HOUSE AND SENATE • HB0533 Rudder/SB0449 Massey: Enacts the "Fertility Treatment and Contraceptive Protection Act." (4/10 Passed House, 54-37- 8 / 3/17 Passed Senate, 29-0)
PASSED BOTH HOUSE AND SENATE-MASS SHOOTING- HB1349 Littleton/SB1146 Crowe: 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. (NOTE: Prevention would mean making it harder to get the guns!!) (4/10 Passed House 76-20-1 / 4/7 Passed Senate, 27-5)
PASSED- WETLANDS DESTRUCTION- HB0612 Vaughan/SB0664 Taylor: Expands from wetlands to all areas that an aquatic resource alteration permit may apply to the areas for which the department of environment and conservation is required to exempt from compensatory mitigation an amount of area equal in size to the area for which mitigation would not be required if the permit applicant qualified for coverage under a general permit, if the only factor that disqualifies an applicant for an aquatic resource alteration permit from having the activities for which a permit is sought covered under a general permit is the size of the area that the permit will apply to. (Passed House 74-20 / 4/11 Placed on 4/14 Senate Regular Calendar)