Immigration enforcement privacy
This bill makes certain records regarding immigration enforcement actions confidential and not subject to public disclosure by the state or local government entities.
The bill states that the name, contact information, address and other personal identifying information of each federal, state or local officer, agent or official participating federal immigration enforcement agencies would not be “subject to public inspection.”
Charlie Kirk Act
This bill would require Tennessee colleges and universities to adopt certain free-speech protections and a policy modeled after the University of Chicago’s Freedom of Expression Policy.
Here is a full look at what would be prohibited by the bill for institutions of higher education and faculty members:
- Refusing to invite a speaker because of the viewpoints expressed or espoused by the speaker, or canceling an invitation of the speaker to speak at the institution in response to threatened protests or opposition from students or faculty
- Prohibiting a student organization from inviting a speaker to campus or restricting a student organization in its choice of invited speakers
- Retaliating against a faculty member on account of the viewpoints expressed in the faculty member’s scholarly work, or on account of any speech or writing protected by the First Amendment
- Discriminating or retaliating against a person on account of the person’s sincere religious beliefs
- Discriminating or retaliating against a person on account of the person’s opposition to abortion, homosexuality or transgenderism, regardless of whether that opposition is motivated by religious or non-religious beliefs
- Denying recognition to any student group or denying any employer access to on-campus student interviews, on account of the student group’s or employer’s beliefs or opposition as described above
Penalties for failing to comply with deportation orders
This bill makes it a Class A misdemeanor for someone who has been ordered by the federal government to leave the United States to remain in Tennessee more than 90 days after that order.
Drink spiking testing
This bill requires testing devices to be stocked in businesses where alcohol is served. It also makes drugging or spiking someone else’s drink a Class D Felony.
If convicted, that would mean up to 12 years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Under the bill, a qualifying drink drug testing device must meet all of the following requirements:
- Utilizes disposable test strips to detect the presence of drugs in beverages
- Is capable of detecting controlled substances, drugs, and drug analogs, salts, and isomers used to incapacitate or intoxicate a person for purposes of assault or committing a crime
- Detects at least 10 controlled substances and at least two date rape drugs as defined by federal law
- Provides results in less than five minutes
- Is manufactured in the United States or its territories
Underage vaping and tobacco purchases
This bill creates penalties for people under 21 who illegally buy tobacco, hemp, vapor products or smokeless tobacco. Those penalties include 50 hours of community service, completion of a court-ordered program and a fine between $10 and $50 for those ages 18 to 21.
Teacher-student relationships
This bill expands the prohibition on sexual relationships between teachers and students.
This comes as a criminal case involving a former Middle Tennessee high school band director charged with rape and accused of having inappropriate relationships with three female students is being investigated.
Deadly force to protect property
This bill allows homeowners to use deadly force to protect their property in certain situations.
It includes to prevent attempted or actual trespassing, arson and damage to property. The bill also protects using deadly force to prevent burglary, theft, robbery, damage to livestock or aggravated cruelty to animals.
Threats against schools and child care facilities
This bill makes it a Class E felony to recklessly threaten mass violence at a child care agency, preschool or religious institution.
Drug testing after suspected mass shootings
This bill requires a county medical examiner or regional forensic center to test a deceased suspected mass shooter for drugs, including therapeutic levels of psychotropic drugs, if the shooting resulted in four or more deaths.
Local police agreements with ICE
This bill requires sheriffs of each county to enter an agreement under an available federal 287(g) immigration enforcement program by Jan. 1, 2027.
If sheriff’s offices do not enter the agreement, the bill says that violations could result in the state withholding funds allotted to the agency or local government for use by the agency.
The bill does allow for sheriff’s offices to temporarily suspend compliance with the agreement during emergencies that would require deputies to be redirected to respond to public safety threats.
Grace Anne Sparks Coercive Suicide Prevention Law
This bill creates the Class D felony offense of coercive suicide. The law applies to people who intentionally encourage another person to die by suicide or attempt suicide within a certain period of time.
Sentencing in cases involving multiple minors
This bill requires judges to order consecutive sentences for defendants convicted of two or more crimes involving more than one minor victim, unless the court decides otherwise.
Aggravating factors in death penalty cases
This bill outlines aggravating factors that can support sentencing a defendant to death or life without the possibility of parole.
Retail theft registry and tougher penalties
This bill targets repeat and organized retail theft. The law increases penalties for people who commit retail theft while carrying a firearm, ammunition or firearm accessory, including a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 days in jail.
Child trafficking awareness in schools
This bill requires public schools and public charter schools to provide child trafficking awareness and prevention instruction to students in kindergarten through 12th grade through health education.
Epinephrine in schools
This bill allows schools to keep epinephrine on hand and administer it to students believed to be experiencing a life-threatening allergic or anaphylactic reaction.
Limiting classroom technology
This bill prohibits students in kindergarten through fifth grade from accessing digital devices at school, prevents teachers from using digital devices to provide instruction and bars electronic testing for those grade levels.
The restrictions would apply to all local education agencies and public charter schools that serve students in kindergarten through fifth grade.
There are some exceptions to the law.
Department of Children’s Services quality assurance
This bill creates a quality assurance overhaul for the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services.
Childcare Red Tape Reduction Act
This bill is intended to make it easier and faster to open and operate child care facilities.
AI mental healthcare
This bill prohibits AI developers from marketing or claiming that an AI system is, or can function as, a licensed mental health professional.
Emergency care for pregnant women
This bill prohibits hospital emergency departments from denying an appropriate medical screening examination to a pregnant woman who presents at the emergency department reporting to be in active labor or experiencing an emergency medical condition. The bill also prohibits transferring the pregnant woman unless her condition has been stabilized.
Any transfer must be under certain conditions and only upon the recommendation of an examining physician or qualified medical professional. The legislation imposes penalties and licensing sanctions for violations.
The legislation comes as Tennessee recorded the highest maternal mortality rate in the country from 2018 to 2022. The March of Dimes gave Tennessee a “D grade” in their 2025 report tracking maternal deaths from pregnancy complications.
Child influencer labor protections
This bill requires influencers who feature kids in their content to pay those children a portion of the money they make online and puts new child labor law regulations in place aimed at protecting kids who are heavily featured in monetized online content.
Under the bill:
- Kids under the age of 14 cannot make money from posting their own content.
- Kids between the ages of 14-18 are entitled to 100% of the money made from content they post themselves.
- If a child appears in at least 30 percent of a creator’s monetized content within a 30-day period, they must be compensated for it. The bill requires the money be set aside in a trust accessible to the child when they turn 18.
- Content creators must keep records of their content and track things like how much money they’re making, how much of the content featured the child and how much money they’ve set aside in a trust.
- If a child between the ages of 14-18 asks to have a video with them in it taken down, the content creator must delete it.
Citizenship checks for public benefits
This bill requires local governments to verify that people applying for public benefits, such as financial aid or government programs, are U.S. citizens or legal residents.
Citizenship checks for professional licenses
This bill requires applicants for professional licenses, permits or certifications to prove they are U.S. citizens or legal residents.