2025 Legislative Session of 114th General Assembly adjourns
(Nashville, Tenn) – The General Assembly completed its business for the 2025 Legislative Session on Tuesday, April 22. The session was highlighted by a focus on strengthening education, investing in infrastructure, combating illegal immigration, improving public safety and maintaining fiscal responsibility with Tennessee taxpayers’ dollars.
“This was a tremendously successful and efficient legislative session,” said Lt. Governor Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge). “Not only did we continue our tradition of passing a fiscally responsible balanced budget, we also made great strides on boosting our state’s infrastructure, increasing our commitment to public safety and demagnetizing our state from the scourge of illegal immigration. Building upon a special session focused on education and immigration, our state made it clear this session that Tennessee is leading the way in a nation committed to greatness.”
“This session, we worked efficiently and effectively to pass meaningful legislation that reflects the values Tennesseans care about most,” said Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson (R-Franklin). “From expanding education freedom and eliminating DEI mandates, to combating illegal immigration and upholding strong fiscal stewardship, we delivered real results. I’m proud to stand with my colleagues in the Senate and Governor Lee to keep Tennessee the best place to live, work, and raise a family.”
Legislative highlights of the 2025 session include:
Education Freedom
Established statewide school choice through education freedom scholarships to put power in the hands of parents to choose the best education for their child
Strong Public Schools
Increased investments in K-12 education by $439 million, including teacher pay raises and infrastructure improvements
Illegal Immigration
Created the Centralized Immigration Enforcement Division within the Dept. of Safety to coordinate with federal and local governments to implement immigration policies
Established the Immigration Enforcement Grant Program to aid local law enforcement
Created a felony offense for smuggling and trafficking illegal immigrants
Increased accountability for organizations housing criminal illegal immigrants
Agriculture
Established $25 million Farmland Preservation Fund landowners to put property in conservation easement
Dismantled DEI and Restored Merit-Based Systems
Prohibited public and private colleges in Tennessee from using race or national origin to make admissions or scholarship decisions
Ended race-based selection for membership of state boards
Prohibited state and local governments and public universities from having DEI departments or hiring practices
Caring for Communities and Infrastructure
Added $1 Billion to road fund to help address $30 billion backlog
Redirected tire sales tax revenues from General Fund to TDOT
Provided $516 million for Hurricane Helene recovery to individuals and local governments
Public Safety
Protected private property rights
Cracked down on organized retail crime
Raised penalty for exposing children to fentanyl
Strengthened penalties for sexual abuse
Protecting Children and Families
Strengthened several penalties related to child abuse
Improved the adoption and foster care system
Enhanced protections and rights for children in DCS custody
Established a domestic violence registry
Cracked down on AI-generated child pornography
Pro-Life
Targeted illegal distribution of abortion pills
Established pro-life protections for mothers facing serious pregnancy complications
Health
Expanded prenatal screenings to protect mothers and babies
Required medical examinations of deceased mass shooters to test for psychotropic drugs
Removed insurance barriers for cancer patients to access recommended medications
Other legislation passed in final week
Increasing penalties for unlawful photography
Senate Bill 685, sponsored by Senator Dawn White (R-Murfreesboro), significantly strengthens penalties for unlawful photography offenses, particularly when minors or individuals in vulnerable positions are involved.
Under current law, it is a Class A misdemeanor to knowingly photograph an individual without consent in a manner that would be considered offensive or embarrassing, especially when done for sexual gratification. The bill upgrades this offense to a Class E felony, carrying a prison term of 1 to 6 years and a fine up to $3,000.
If the unlawful photograph is shared with others or the victim is under 13, the offense is now a Class D felony, with a potential sentence of up to 12 years and a fine up to $5,000. The bill also criminalizes the use of a child under 13 to facilitate the offense.
Further, the legislation reclassifies as a Class C felony—punishable by 3 to 15 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine—cases where the victim is under 13 or where the offender held a position of trust or authority over the victim and used that position to commit the offense.
“Victims of unlawful photography feel violated, objectified, and taken advantage of,” said Senator White. “It is legislation like this that will restore feelings of safety and security to victims. Children and other victims deserve to see justice served.”
The bill requires judges to order individuals convicted of unlawful photography to register as sexual offenders—replacing the previous discretionary standard. This legislation reflects Tennessee’s firm commitment to protecting privacy, upholding consent, and ensuring justice for victims of exploitation. Senate Bill 685 has been passed by the Senate.
Cut excessive environmental red tape on wetlands
This week, the Senate passed Senate Bill 670 to ease burdensome regulations on Tennessee’s wetlands, creating new opportunities for responsible development across the state while maintaining basic environmental safeguards.
Sponsored by Senator Brent Taylor (R-Memphis), the legislation addresses isolated wetlands, which are areas no longer protected under federal law following a U.S. Supreme Court decision last year that returned regulatory authority to the states.
“Countless hours of work with TDEC and other stakeholders have gone into this legislation,” said Senator Taylor. “The goal is to provide property owners with a more reasonable framework to determine how to develop and use their land. We are not eliminating regulation. We are modernizing it.”
The bill divides isolated wetlands into four categories, based on ecological function: artificial, low-quality, moderate-quality, and high-quality. It exempts certain isolated wetlands from mitigation and permitting requirements depending on the size and quality of the wetland. Specifically, it exempts low-quality isolated wetlands up to one acre in size, moderate-quality isolated wetlands up to one-fourth acre, and artificial isolated wetlands of any size, provided basic environmental safeguards are followed.
The legislation also stipulates that:
Existing stormwater measures must be considered when determining mitigation.
Isolated wetlands do not factor into cumulative project impact assessments under federal Clean Water Act regulations.
The state board must establish classification criteria and allow public input on wetland assessment tools
Legislation to boost road funding passes Senate
Legislation sponsored by Senator Page Walley (R-Savannah) to increase dedicated funding for Tennessee’s transportation infrastructure passed the Senate this week, marking a significant step toward addressing the state’s $30 billion backlog in road and bridge projects.
Senate Bill 144 redirects all sales tax revenue collected from the sale of new and used tires—an estimated $80 to $95 million annually—from the state’s General Fund to the Tennessee Department of Transportation’s (TDOT) Highway Fund. This sustainable source of funding will directly support critical road repairs and construction projects across the state.
“This legislation fulfills a promise I made to bring more help to our communities for roads,” said Walley. “Improving the quality of Tennessee’s roads is a top priority for my constituents and millions of other Tennesseans. I get ten times more calls about road conditions than any other issue.”
In addition to the recurring tire tax revenues, lawmakers also approved a historic $1 billion one-time investment in this year’s budget to jumpstart urgent transportation projects statewide.
“I’m grateful to my colleagues in the Senate and House, and to Governor Lee, for recognizing the need to act boldly,” Walley added. “This is just the start—but it’s a strong start toward building safer, more reliable roads for every Tennessean.”
Dangerous felonies -To strengthen efforts against crime, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed Senate Bill 1082, introduced by Majority Leader Jack Johnson (R-Franklin). The bill expands the definition of “dangerous felony” to include homicide, kidnapping, trafficking, sexual offenses, robbery, burglary, drug-related felonies, etc. It aims to close judicial loopholes and support law enforcement in fighting crime.
“By updating this list, we can ensure that similarly serious crimes are treated consistently under the law,” said Johnson. “Expanding the scope of dangerous felonies gives prosecutors stronger tools to hold violent offenders accountable and provide law enforcement better opportunities to protect the public. Tennessee will not tolerate violent or predatory conduct.”
Senate expands Safe Haven Laws - Senate Bill 262 has been passed by the General Assembly to expand Tennessee’s Safe Haven Law. Sponsored by Senator Ferrell Haile (R-Gallatin), this bill will increase the time allowed for a mother to drop off her newborn child at a designated facility from 14 days to 45 days, helping to reduce the number of unsafe abandonments of babies in the Volunteer State. More than 130 newborns in Tennessee have been safely surrendered since the General Assembly first approved the Safe Haven Law in 2001.
Supporting retired canines -To provide medical help to retired canines of the Department of Correction, the Senate passed Senate Bill 652. Sponsored by Senator Rusty Crowe (R-Johnson City), the bill establishes an $85/month payment to care for the health of retired canines. The payment will be paid to the employee who cares for the dog.
Increased punishment for detached catalytic converter use - To continue to deter the use of a used, detached catalytic converter by an unauthorized person, the State Senate passed Senate Bill 769. Sponsored by Senator Paul Bailey (R-Sparta), the bill will amend current law, allowing this crime to be punishable by imprisonment, not just a fine.
Ensure all agriculture cooperatives are tax exempt - The Tennessee State Senate passed Senate Bill 1002, sponsored by Senator Ferrell Haile (R-Gallatin). This bill updates previous language to ensure that all agriculture cooperatives are exempt from the franchise and excise tax. The original language only refers to corporations and was written before LLC’s were commonly used. With this bill, any agriculture cooperative will be privilege tax exempt as the original legislation intended.
Ensuring access to property tax relief for Hurricane Helene victims - The Tennessee State Senate passed Senate Bill 782 to ensure all parties affected by Hurricane Helene and eligible for property tax relief can receive those benefits. Earlier this year, the general assembly approved relief and set a deadline for the assessor of property to submit the list of affected properties. Since the passage of that legislation, more properties have been identified. Sponsored by Senator Bobby Harshbarger (R-Kingsport), this bill extends the deadline from January 28, 2026 to April 15, 2026. The extension will allow the assessor of properties to include all affected properties.
Mandatory sentencing for fentanyl charges - Senate Bill 1233 was passed in an effort to crack down on fentanyl in the state of Tennessee. Sponsored by Senator Jack Johnson (R-Franklin), this bill establishes a mandatory minimum sentence for those in possession of fentanyl and its analogs, ensuring the sentence is served in full. The use of a certified drug or recovery court is allowed. Additionally, Senate Bill 1233 enhances stalking victim protections, allowing a victim to petition the court for a lifetime protective order. These changes aim to better protect Tennesseans from these threats.
Removing the bond requirement for personal property - Senate Bill 481, sponsored by Senator Adam Lowe (R-Calhoun), will protect property rights by removing the $350 bond requirement for individuals reclaiming seized property when they have not been convicted of a crime. Effective for seizures occurring on or after July 1, 2025, the bill ensures that claimants no longer have to pay a cash bond or file additional pleadings to assert ownership of seized property, making the process more accessible and fair for Tennesseans.
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