News

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Several new laws will take effect across Tennessee on Jan. 1, bringing changes that impact families, workers, businesses and communities statewide.

“These new laws address a wide range of issues important to Tennesseans from consumer protection and public safety to health care, taxes and government efficiency,” State Rep. Lowell Russell, R-Vonore, said. “I want constituents to be aware of the changes taking effect Jan. 1 and how they may impact their daily lives.”

New laws going into effect on Jan. 1 include the following:

COMMERCE 

• Vape regulations and consumer protections (PC 324): Strengthens consumer protections by raising the age threshold for required ID checks from 30 years old to 50 years old and creating a statewide database of FDA-approved or pending vape products to prevent the sale of unauthorized and unsafe products, particularly those targeting minors.
• New guardrails for the hemp industry (PC 52): Establishes new limits on potency, licensing and oversight of hemp-derived cannabinoid products. The law prohibits certain intoxicating substances, restricts sales to age 21 and older establishments, bans direct-to-consumer shipping, shifts enforcement from the Tennessee Department of Agriculture to the Alcoholic Beverage Commission (ABC) and creates a new wholesale tax structure.
• Tattoo apprenticeship licensing update (PC 212): Improves tattoo licensure requirements by extending apprenticeships from one year to two years and requiring a signed completion verification before licensure may be granted. This law also allows tattoo artists licensed for at least 10 years in another state to take on apprentices in Tennessee, even if they have been licensed in the state for less than three years. 
• Updates to cemetery reclamation laws, monument installation (PC 119):  Allows cemeteries to reclaim and resell unused gravesites after 75 years of no family contact, while protecting families’ rights to reclaim the site or proceeds if they return within 25 years. 

ELECTIONS 

• Strengthening voter verification (PC 473): Requires real-time verification of U.S. citizenship and felony status before voter registration is completed, closing gaps that previously allowed ineligible registrations. 

ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION 

• Preventing non-citizens from voting (PC 394): Requires training for election officials to recognize temporary IDs issued to non-citizens and reinforces safeguards to ensure only eligible U.S. citizens vote. 
• Strengthening illegal immigration enforcement in Tennessee (PC 1):  Creates the Centralized Immigration Enforcement Division (CIED), strengthens coordination with federal authorities, establishes grants for local law enforcement participation in the 287(g) program which assists in the enforcement and detention of illegal immigrants and ensures state-issued IDs clearly distinguish non-citizens. 
• Invalidating out-of-state driver’s licenses issued to illegal immigrants (PC 288): Prohibits recognition of out-of-state driver’s licenses issued to illegal immigrants, making driving without a valid license a Class B misdemeanor beginning Jan. 1.  

TAXES AND FEES 

• Changes to community investment tax credits (PC 496): Updates how community investment tax credits are calculated to close a loophole that allowed banks to temporarily offer lines of credit at the end of the year and still receive the full tax credit. Under the new law, these lines of credit must be available year-round in order to claim the credit. 
• Changes to litigation fees (PC 486): Establishes a $2 litigation privilege tax in civil and criminal cases in the county, other than those instituted in juvenile or municipal courts, to support continuing education for court clerks. 

HEALTH  

• Expanded opportunities through ABLE accounts for Tennesseans with disabilities (PC 340): Expands eligibility for Tennessee’s Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) accounts which help individuals with disabilities cover a wide range of qualifying expenses. It raises the age of disability onset from 26 to 46, allowing more Tennesseans with disabilities to access tax-advantaged savings accounts. 
• Improved access to cancer treatment (PC 505): Removes insurance step-therapy barriers for patients with advanced or metastatic cancers, allowing immediate access to federally approved prescriptions. 
• Encouraging alternatives to opioid prescriptions (PC 278): Ensures FDA-approved non-opioid medications are treated equally on the state’s preferred drug list. 
• Paid leave for care of family members (PC 423): Allows eligible state employees up to six weeks of paid leave to care for qualifying family members receiving hospice care. 

FOREIGN INFLUENCE 

• Tennessee Genomic Security and End Organ Harvesting Act (PC 96): Protects Tennesseans’ genetic data by banning the use of genetic technology from foreign adversaries and prohibiting insurance coverage for organ transplants linked to China’s illegal organ harvesting practices. 

PUBLIC SAFETY 

• Domestic violence registry / Savanna’s Law (PC 520): Establishes a public registry for repeat domestic violence offenders to improve transparency and prevention
• Ink of Hope Act (PC 19): Requires tattoo artists to receive training on recognizing and reporting signs of human trafficking  
• Animal fighting as racketeering (PC 264): Expands Tennessee’s RICO Act of 1989 to include animal fighting operations 

GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY 

• Eliminating faxes in Tennessee code (PC 94): Updates state code to replace fax references with electronic transmission, improving efficiency and modernizing government operations

The second session of the 114^th General Assembly is scheduled to convene on Jan. 13.

Lowell Russell represents District 21 in the Tennessee House of Representatives which includes part of Loudon and Monroe counties.  

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