More than 170 laws were passed in Tennessee this year. 18 that go into effect July 1
More than 170 laws passed this year by the Tennessee General Assembly are set to become effective Saturday. Here's what to know about a few of them.
Family medicine student loan repayment grant
To help recruit new physicians to serve in rural areas, the state Department of Health will launch a new program to offer up to $40,000 a year in grants for up to five years to residents who commit to serve in an area designated by the state as a “health resource shortage area” for at least five years following residency training. To be eligible, applicants must have graduated from an accredited medical school and be actively enrolled in a family medicine residency program. The loan repayment grant cannot exceed total student loan debt.
Sports betting for emergency services
Local governments receiving state revenue collected from sports wagers will now be able to use the funds to support emergency services, in addition to other authorized uses.
Brownfield cleanup grants available
Brownfield sites are often abandoned or underutilized properties, whose use or development is complicated by the presence of hazardous substances or pollutants. Proposed by Gov. Bill Lee, the state will administer a grant program to offer technical resources and funding to communities to help clean up former industrialized sites. Up to $5 million per year will be available to local governments, economic development agencies and local development boards.
Foreign governments property ban
A new law will prohibit foreign governments, businesses and sanctioned nonresidents from countries on the U.S. Department of Treasury’s sanctions list from acquiring property in the state, including real estate and agricultural lands. Sanctioned businesses, governments and individuals who already own property in the state will be required to register with the secretary of state, beginning July 1.
School security requirements heightened, safety grant funding available
A law taking effect Saturday will require schools to hold additional emergency drills, lock all exterior doors while students are present, hold annual bus safety drills and annually share safety plans with local law enforcement. All newly built schools will be required to have security vestibules for visitor entry and other security measures. The state is also offering $232 million for law enforcement and school districts to coordinate placement of a school resource officer in every public school. Funding will also support a state Department of Safety and Homeland Security agent in each county and private school security officers.
Veterans eligible for temporary teaching license
School districts struggling to fill teacher vacancies will be allowed to hire honorably discharged veterans who do not have a teaching license or bachelor’s degree but have relevant work experience. Permits for teaching veterans will only be valid for a short time and must be approved by the commissioner of education.
Book publishers criminalized
Book publishers and distributors who send or sell obscene materials to Tennessee public schools could face criminal prosecution under Public Chapter 278, which becomes effective Saturday. Under the measure, local district attorneys and the Tennessee attorney general can criminally charge and prosecute book publishers who knowingly distribute materials that violate state obscenity law to public schools and school districts. Book publishers and distributors could face felony charges and fines of up to $100,000 per violation. This builds on a law passed last year prohibiting obscene materials on school computers and in school libraries.
School bus drivers can use GPS
School bus drivers will be permitted to use a portable GPS device to assist with navigation in some cases. Devices must be mounted to the windshield, dashboard or center console in a way that does not obstruct a driver’s view of the road. Drivers may not hold the device or enter information while the bus is moving.
Teacher pay increases begin, with a catch
A new law will raise minimum teacher salaries each year until they reach at least $50,000 in the year 2026-2027. Public Chapter 437 also prohibits teachers union membership dues from being collected by local school districts directly from teacher paychecks — a restriction criticized by Democrats this year as a “poison pill.” The law does not restrict teacher participation in labor unions.
Paid family leave available for state employees, teachers
Three years after Lee first proposed offering state employees paid parental leave, a new law will offer state employees six weeks of paid leave following the birth or adoption of a child. The state will also now cover 50% of state employee dental insurance and 100% of long-term disability benefits. A separate new law offers six weeks of paid parental leave to public school teachers and school employees across the state.
‘In God We Trust’ to be default on license plates
If you don’t want the words “In God We Trust” to appear when you get a new license plate, you’ll now have to opt out.
Penalties heightened for desecrating houses of worship
Offenses against houses of worship may be more strictly punished. A new law expands a felony offense of desecrating a house of worship to include “knowingly or recklessly” desecrating the facility. Intentional desecration of a house of worship is punishable by one to six years in prison and a fine of up to $3,000.
Gun manufacturers get new liability protections
A new law offers new civil liability protections for gun manufacturers, dealers and distributors in all but six specific circumstances, in an effort to prevent them from being held responsible for crimes committed using their products. Lawmakers approved the bill weeks after the Covenant school shooting. Democrats criticized the bill as "disrespectful." Federal law already largely shields the firearms industry from lawsuits. There are 20 firearms and ammunition manufacturers in Tennessee, and the firearms industry accounts for a $1.1 billion impact to the state’s economy.
Three-month grocery sales tax holiday funded
Tennesseans will not pay state grocery sales taxes in August, September and October this year, under a new law. The three-month grocery sales tax holiday is projected to cost the state $288 million in sales tax revenue and provide an average of about $100 in tax savings per family. Tennessee is one of 13 states that still imposes a sales tax on groceries and has the sixth-highest grocery sales tax in the nation, a 4% state tax in addition to local sales taxes. Lawmakers did not consider a tax rate cut, citing national economic concerns.
Business tax reforms take effect
A new law offers a $37.8 million excise tax reduction for small- and medium-sized businesses, excluding the first $50,000 in net income from small businesses. Lawmakers also approved increasing the tax exemption for small businesses to $100,000 in net income — an $8 million tax cut for small businesses.
Text message solicitation added to Do-Not-Call registry
Prohibitions and penalties that now apply to phone solicitations through the state’s Do Not Call Registry will now also apply to solicitations by text message, thanks to a new law. Businesses may not be included on the list, and nonprofits may continue to . The registry is overseen by the Tennessee Public Utility Commission and includes land lines and cellphone numbers of users who do not wish to receive solicitations.
State authorized to facilitate toll or choice lanes
Tennessee’s new budget goes into effect Saturday and includes $3.3 billion in one-time funding for roads to help address the state’s $26 billion backlog of unfunded road projects. Funding will accompany state authorization to pursue privately managed, tolled option lanes in congested areas. Of the total, $3 billion will be divided evenly between the Department of Transportation’s four regions, with $750 million going to each. The remaining $350 million will go to the state’s aid program for local road projects. Locations for new toll option lanes to be built have not yet been identified. User fees for the new lanes will be determined by the private companies contracted by the state.
Delta-8 products age restricted
Retailers offering Delta-8 THC products may no longer sell to anyone under the age of 21 and must store the products behind the counter. The new law also imposes new lab testing and packaging requirements, and regulates advertising for the products. Delta-8 products have been legal and unregulated in Tennessee since the 2018 federal Farm Bill.
Reach Vivian Jones at vjones@tennessean.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: New state laws in Tennessee in 2023: 18 that go into effect July 1
