The following bills are before Committees this week:
SB73(Watson)/HB1181(Garrett) — Data Privacy — As amended, requires businesses with the information of 175,000 or more customers to comply with consumers requests regarding personal information rights. Businesses subject to the act would need to have a designated controller of this information that could respond to consumer inquiries. The proposed legislation will be enforced through the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office of Consumer Protection.
SB273 (Johnson)/HB321 (Lamberth) – Transportation – Enacts the Transportation Modernization Act
SB820 (Hensley)/HB1206 (Cepicky) – Local Government – Allows local governments to establish impact fees as long as there is a two-thirds vote by the county commission in favor of the fees.
SB1053 (Yarbro)/HB1336 (Camper) – Childcare — Enacts the “Workers Need Child Care Act”; establishes the childcare infrastructure fund from which the Department of Economic and Community Development disperses grants to nonprofit entities for establishing new licensed childcare agencies in this state.
SB413 (Yarbro)/HB361 (Love) – Housing – Authorizes local governments to create a program to provide grants to eligible nonprofit organizations that own residential property and rent the property for at least 25 percent below market rate.
Updates on previous bills
SB1263/HB1467 – DEFERRED
SB1015/HB1518 – OFF NOTICE in the House – Workers Compensation – As introduced, permits an injured employee to choose a treating physician in any specialty and makes various other changes related to the selection of treating physicians for injured workers under the Workers’ Compensation Law. Opposed by Tennessee Chamber. Would have significantly increased costs for employers.
SB1109/HB637 – FAILED in the Senate/OFF NOTICE in the House. Employees, Employers – As introduced, requires an employer that requires an immunization as a condition of employment or continued employment to exempt from the immunization requirement a person who files a signed, written statement that the immunization conflicts with the person’s religious tenets or practices; prohibits an employer from taking adverse action against a person who files a statement of religious objection.
SB085/HB0154 – RECOMMENDED FOR PASSAGE. ADDED TO FINANCE, WAYS AND MEANS CALENDAR – This bill enacts the “Employee Ownership, Empowerment, and Expansion Act,” which creates tax incentives for small businesses to establish employee stock ownership plans or employee ownership trusts, or to convert to a worker-owned cooperative, as discussed below. Waiting to be calendared.
