Bills are already being pre-filed for the 2025 legislative session in Tennessee.
Some of those bills include Governor Bill Lee’s school voucher program, ending the grocery tax and requiring parents of children committing a third criminal offense (or more) will be required to pay law enforcement expenses.
Below is a look at some of the bills that will be brought up during Tennessee’s upcoming legislative session:
- HB 0001: Education Freedom Act of 2025
- This bill enacts the “Education Freedom Act of 2025,” which creates an education freedom scholarship program (“program”) to be administered by the department of education (“department”). Subject to appropriations and other available funds, the program must provide an education freedom scholarship (“scholarship”) to an eligible student who applies for the 2025-2026 school year or any subsequent school year, subject to certain limitations as described below.
- HB 0002: End the Grocery Tax by Closing Corporate Loopholes Act
- HB 0010: Immigration – As introduced, requires a law enforcement agency in custody of an individual unlawfully present in the United States to request an immigration detainer and detain such individual for the maximum period as specified in the detainer; requires such agency to transport such individuals not taken into federal custody to a sanctuary city; requires department of revenue to request reimbursement for costs of detention and transportation of illegal aliens and to withhold federal petroleum taxes collected in this state if such reimbursement is not received.
- This bill enacts “The Tennessee Illegal Immigration Act,” which requires a law enforcement agency in custody of an individual known to be unlawfully present in the United States to, as soon as practicable after taking custody of the individual, request an immigration detainer for the individual from the United States immigration and customs enforcement (ICE) division within the United States department of homeland security.
- HB 0011: Driver Licenses – As introduced, requires the department of safety to redesign driver licenses, instruction permits, intermediate driver licenses, and photo identification cards issued to lawful permanent residents of the United States, and temporary driver licenses and permits and temporary photo identification licenses issued to qualified noncitizens, so that the licenses and permits may be easily distinguished from driver and photo identification licenses issued to residents of this state who are United States citizens.
- HB 0013: Local Education Agencies – As introduced, requires LEAs and public charter schools to adopt a policy to prohibit students from using wireless communication devices during instructional time except in certain circumstances.
- HB 0014: Abortion – As introduced, clarifies that the term “abortion,” as defined for the offense of criminal abortion, does not include the use of contraceptives, including any device, medication, biological product, or procedure that is generally intended for use in the prevention of pregnancy, whether specifically intended to prevent pregnancy or for other health needs, or the disposal of embryos resulting from fertility treatments, including healthcare services, procedures, testing, medications, treatments, or products.
- HB 0021: Taxes, Sales – As introduced, exempts from the state sales and use tax the retail sale of food and food ingredients.
- HB 0026: As introduced, enacts the “Unborn Child Protection Act of 2025.”
- This bill creates the “Unborn Child Protection Act of 2025,” which prohibits a person or entity from mailing or delivering an abortion-inducing drug into this state.
- HB 0033: Bail, Bail Bonds – As introduced, establishes a presumption that a defendant should not be released on the defendant’s personal recognizance if the defendant is charged with an offense that involved the use or display of a firearm or resulted in the serious bodily injury or death of the victim; requires a magistrate who determines that the presumption has been rebutted to include in the bail order written findings for each factor considered in making such a determination.
- HB 0038: Juvenile Offenders – As introduced, requires a juvenile court, upon finding a child has committed a third or subsequent delinquent act, to enter an order of restitution against the parent, legal custodian, or guardian who had custody of the child at the time of the act for the expenses incurred by any law enforcement agency in responding to and investigating the delinquent act.
- HB 0039: Local Education Agencies – As introduced, enacts the “Menstrual Hygiene Products Accessibility Act,” which requires, instead of authorizes, LEAs and public charter schools to provide feminine hygiene products at no charge in all women’s and girls’ bathrooms, in all locker rooms, and with school nurses at each public senior high school for student use only.
- HB 0041: Education – As introduced, requires each local board of education and public charter school governing body to adopt a wireless communication policy that requires students to keep wireless communication devices turned off and stowed away during a classroom instructional day or during instructional time except in certain circumstances.
- SB 0017: Law Enforcement – As introduced, requires law enforcement agencies and officials to communicate with federal officials regarding the immigration status only for an individual who has been arrested for a criminal offense; sets a civil penalty of up to $1,000 for a law enforcement agency that does not comply to be enforced by the attorney general and reporter.
- Present law requires all law enforcement agencies and officials, in accordance with federal law, to communicate with the appropriate federal official regarding the immigration status of any individual, including reporting knowledge that a particular alien is not lawfully present in the United States or otherwise cooperate with the appropriate federal official in the identification, apprehension, detention, or removal of aliens not lawfully present in the United States.
- EXEMPTIONS
- This bill limits the communication above to communication regarding only those individuals who have been arrested for a criminal offense and exempts the following persons from being subject to the present law described above:
- A school resource officer with regard to the immigration status of a student of the local education agency to which the school resource officer has been assigned; and
- An individual who has not been arrested by the law enforcement agency or official, including an individual whose contact with a law enforcement agency is due to the individual’s status as a victim of or witness to a criminal offense.
- This bill limits the communication above to communication regarding only those individuals who have been arrested for a criminal offense and exempts the following persons from being subject to the present law described above:
- VIOLATIONS
- This bill provides that a law enforcement agency that does not comply with this bill may be subject to a civil penalty in an amount of no more than $1,000. This bill authorizes the attorney general and reporter to bring an action to enforce such civil penalty.
Story courtesy of WVLT
