New Bills Filed for Introduction January 27, 2025

New bills have been filed in the Tennessee General Assembly today including proposals on persons convicted of misdemeanor to pay and complete training courses, video recordings of children in sexual or physical assault cases, penalty increases for driving without a driver’s license, Bible courses in public schools, driving data sharing, Consumer Protection and Subscription Renewal Act and display of certain significant documents in public schools.

SB300-requires a person convicted of a Class A or Class B misdemeanor in general sessions court to pay for and complete a cognitive behavioral training course; requires the offender to provide proof of course completion to the court or the court’s designee within the time period specified by the court. 

SB304-permits the introduction into evidence of a video recording of a child victim being interviewed by a forensic interviewer regarding sexual or physically violent contact with the child if the forensic interviewer confirms the accuracy of the recording and the child is available for cross examination; includes forensic interviews conducted by a forensic interviewer who is employed by a federal agency and conducted the forensic interview in the course of investigating a federal crime. 

SB303-authorizes local boards of education and governing bodies of public charter schools to display the Ten Commandments, the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, the Constitution of Tennessee, the Bill of Rights, a resolution honoring the history of a school in the LEA or the public charter school, or other historically significant documents in a prominent location in each school building. 

HB359-increases the penalty for driving upon a highway without a valid driver license for the vehicle being driven from a Class C misdemeanor to a Class B misdemeanor for a first offense and a Class A misdemeanor for a second or subsequent offense committed within 10 years of a prior offense.

SB298-makes various changes to the approval process and notice requirements for nonsectarian, nonreligious Bible courses; clarifies that public charter schools are authorized to provide nonsectarian, nonreligious Bible courses in the same manner as local education agencies.

HB367-prohibits certain entities from sharing, selling, or otherwise distributing a vehicle's driving data without the explicit, written consent of the owner of the vehicle, regardless of how or where the driving data is collected or stored. 

SB302-enacts the "Tennessee Consumer Protection and Subscription Renewal Act," which prohibits a business from requiring submission of credit or debit card information, or other payment information for an automatic renewal offer or continuous service offer containing a free gift or trial; makes other changes related to automatic renewal offers and continuous service offers.

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