Every January 1, a new group of laws goes into effect. This year these laws cover everything from regulations on debt resolution service companies to new training for tattoo artists to aid in stopping human trafficking to new rules related to the sales and definition of CBD products that can be sold in the state. There are additional law changes related to banking, business, domestic abuse, education, food service, veterinary medicine, insurance, government, healthcare, and much more. Below is an extensive list of the new laws going into effect.
Banking
This law changes the amounts of the franchise and excise tax credits allowed to financial institutions from certain percentages of the unpaid principal balance of certain qualified loans made to eligible housing entities to certain percentages of the month-end average unpaid principal balance of such loans, and makes other related revisions.
Business
The “Debt Resolution Services Act” provides new regulations for businesses providing debt resolution.
This law provides for the regulation of the manufacturing, supplying, wholesale distribution, and retail sale of hemp-derived cannabinoid products by the Alcoholic Beverage Commission and Department of Revenue. It creates licenses for suppliers, wholesalers, and retailers, establishes taxes for such products; the manner in which such taxes are collected and allocated; and establishes civil and criminal penalties for violations.
Through this law, employees will be allowed a leave of up to six workweeks because the employee is caring for a family member with a serious health condition.
This creates an enhanced armed guard registration that may be obtained upon completion of certain training and other requirements by an armed security guard/officer who has at least five years of full-time experience as a law enforcement officer or four years of active duty military experience in a combat arms military occupational specialty. It also directs the Commissioner of Commerce and Insurance to approve an enhanced armed guard training course.
Domestic Abuse
Called “Savanna’s Law,” this creates a registry of persistent domestic violence offenders and requires the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to maintain the registry. Certain conditions apply before registration, including approval of the victim. Registrants will be required to pay a $100 fee that will be put toward grants that fund family violence prevention and intervention services. It is named after Savanna Puckett, a 22-year-old Robertson County sheriff’s deputy who was murdered in her Springfield home in 2022.
Driving Tests
This law will require written examinations administered to applicants for a driver license or intermediate driver license to include questions concerning hand signals used by operators of bicycles to communicate turning, slowing, and stopping.
Drug and Alcohol Treatment
This law will revise present law relative to recovery residences and alcohol and drug prevention or treatment facilities under state certification.
Education
This removes the restriction that earnings in an “achieving a better life experience account” may only be expended for a student’s education expenses. It further redefines “disability certification” and “eligible individual” to have the same meaning as in the Internal Revenue Code, and all rules and regulations released by the United States Treasury.
Food Service
Related to food service and safety, this law deletes present laws pertaining to rented premises unfit for habitation and quick fast food establishment delivery vehicles. It also removes the statutorily set permit fees to operate food service establishments and requires such permit fees to be set by rule. It makes other revisions to present laws pertaining to food service and safety.
Government
The revision of present law concerning court clerks’ fees is enacted by this new law.
As enacted, this law makes revision to law relative to bondsmen.
Known as the “Less is More Act of 2025, it amends Tennessee Code A modernizing forms of communication for meetings and governing bodies.
This law requires a revised and certified population of each county and municipality, and the aggregate population of the state, prior to July 1 each year during the interim between the regular decennial federal census to ensure equitable allocation and distribution of the local share of revenue. It also requires the Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Tennessee, through the Tennessee State Data Center, to generate annual population estimates for each county and municipality and provide the estimates to the assigned department for review and certification.
As enacted, this new law makes changes to campaign finance and related laws.
Under this law any retiree who is a member of the Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System must have had a bona fide separation of service before the retiree is allowed to accept temporary reemployment without a loss or suspension of benefits from the retirement system. It also makes other changes to the present law relative to reemployment after retirement from public employment.
Healthcare
This new law establishes licensure of anesthesiologist assistants and revises provisions authorizing hospitals to employ certain licensed physicians for certain medical services.
This revises law relative to the treatment and coverage of treatment for stage four advanced metastatic cancer, blood cancer, metastatic blood cancer, and associated conditions and makes related changes.
Various changes related to marriage and family therapist licensure are made by this law.
Insurance
This law requires a health benefit plan issuer to provide a claims report to the requesting party no later than 30 days after they receive a written “request for a claims experience report” from a plan, plan sponsor, or plan administrator to the requesting party. It prohibits coverage by a commercial risk insurance policy of farm risks or real or personal property used in farming from being considered in determining whether property is classified as farm or agricultural property under another law or rule in this state. And it revises provisions relating to reinsurance and risk insurance and provisions relating to the readability, content, and style of life and health insurance policies.
This law authorizes an insurer, for purposes of group insurance plans offered to state employees, to adopt or amend a state preferred drug list (PDL). It requires the insurer to ensure that a non-opioid drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment or management of pain is not disadvantaged or discouraged with respect to coverage relative to an opioid or narcotic drug for the treatment or management of pain on the PDL.
Licensure
According to the Ink of Hope Act, after Jan. 1, 2026, tattoo artists renewing their licenses and those receiving their first licenses after this date, will be required to watch a one-hour course focusing on human trafficking as there are certain signs and symbols used by traffickers. Any tattoo artist failing to receive this training before or by Dec. 31, 2028 would have their licenses invalidated until they comply with the law.
Law Enforcement
Revising present law, these changes concern driving under the influence and the administration of breath, blood or both testing.
An ignition interlock provider is required to permit a person to appear for calibration, monitoring, or inspection of the device on their car at any time within a two-week period. It further authorizes a court to order reinstatement of a person’s driver license if the person has no other revocations or suspensions on the person’s driving record and the person’s only noncompliance with ignition interlock requirements has been with regard to the required calibration, monitoring, or inspection of the ignition interlock device. And it makes various other changes in regard to ignition interlock devices and the ignition interlock usage period.
This creates a Class B misdemeanor offense for operating a motor vehicle in this state with an invalid driver license. Further, it designates out-of-state driver licenses issued exclusively to illegal aliens as invalid driver licenses in this state.
Veterinary Medicine
HB0164/SB0128
This law would allow licensed chiropractors in the State of Tennessee to also practice on animals. Although opposed by the American Veterinary Medical Association, the bill would require licensed human chiropractors to take six hours of continuing education on animal chiropractic annually in addition to all required education set by the board of chiropractic examiners. They would also be required to receive certification from the American Veterinary Chiropractic Association.
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