More than 200 new Tennessee laws took effect at the beginning of Tennessee’s fiscal year on July 1, 2024. Some of which took immediate effect after they were signed by Governor Bill Lee. These laws addressed issues ranging from gun access and criminal justice to AI protections for musicians. New Tennessee laws tackle regulations for AI, second amendment rights and victim (including child/children) protection.
House Bill 878 was recently enacted by the Tennessee House of Representatives and Tennessee Senate. It was introduced by House sponsor Representative Monty Fritts and signed into law by Governor Bill Lee on Feb. 21, 2024. This law allows wedding officiants to legally discriminate against couples entering interracial and same-sex marriages for religious reasons. Monty Fritts stated, “This bill was designed to protect the rights of the officiate or officiates of wedding ceremonies.” This is from Senate Bill 596, Effective Date: February 21, 2024, Public Chapter 511. Tennessee became the first state in the nation to include vocal protections in name, image, and likeness (NIL) protection laws with the ELVIS Act–House Bill 2091. The Ensuring Likeness, Voice, and Image Security (ELVIS) Act of 2024 ensures singers retain property rights over their voice and vocals against illegal infringement. The act prohibits usage of AI to clone the voice of an artist without consent and can be criminally enforced as a Class A misdemeanor. It was passed by the Tennessee House of Representatives on March 4, 2024, and passed by the Tennessee Senate on March 7, 2024. It was signed by Governor Bill Lee on March 21, 2024. This is from Senate Bill 2096, Effective Date: July 01, 2024, Public Chapter 588.
Felony offense for repeat misdemeanors – Lawmakers passed legislation this year to continue to address the issue of persistent crime. A new law creates a Class E felony offense for being a three-to-five-time repeat offender of 37 different misdemeanor offenses. After five or more convictions of qualifying misdemeanors in the past 10 years, the offender would be subject to a class E felony charge at the discretion of a judge. A Class E felony is punishable by up to six years in prison and a fine of up to $3,000. After three or more convictions of certain repeat violent offenses (domestic assault and child neglect), the third or subsequent conviction could be raised from a class D misdemeanor to a class E felony. This is from Senate Bill 2155, Effective Date: July 1, 2024, Public Chapter 987.
Dr. Benjamin Mauck Act – Lawmakers passed a law that increases penalties for assault in a healthcare facility. On July 11, 2023, Dr. Benjamin Mauck was shot point blank three times in his Collierville medical facility. One week prior, his life had been threatened by the individual who murdered him. The law enhances the punishment for assault in healthcare facilities to a Class A misdemeanor and aggravated assault in healthcare facilities to a Class C felony. From Senate Bill 1709, Effective Date: July 1, 2024, Public Chapter 928. Back the Blue Act–A new law increases the penalties for assaulting a police officer from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class E felony. The law also increases the mandatory minimum sentence from 30 days to 60 days and the fine from $5,000 to $10,000. From Senate Bill 2062, Effective Date: July 1, 2024, Public Chapter 976. Penalizing false reports of active shooter – Lawmakers passed a law this year to increase protections against the intentional false reporting of emergencies in Tennessee, often referred to as “swatting.” The law makes it a Class C felony to knowingly make a false report of an active shooter and hostage situation to draw a large law enforcement response to a specific location. This legislation expands on previous state law which imposed a Class C felony for intentionally making a false report regarding a past, present or future bombing or fire. From Senate Bill 2222, Effective Date: July 1, 2024, Public Chapter 794.
Threats of violence at schools – A new law strengthens the punishment for threatening to commit mass violence on school property or at a school-related activity in Tennessee. The law increases the crime from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class E felony. This law does not pertain to individuals with an intellectual disability. From Senate Bill 2263, Effective Date: July 1, 2024, Public Chapter 887.
DUI enhancements – Lawmakers passed legislation that increases penalties for intoxicated drivers. The law increases the jail time requirement for drunk drivers from two days to seven days if their blood alcohol content (BCA) is equal to or higher than .15. From Senate Bill 1055, Effective Date: July 1, 2024, Public Chapter 1011. Prohibiting license plate flippers – The General Assembly passed legislation criminalizing selling, manufacturing, purchasing and possessing license plate flippers. The new law makes it a Class B misdemeanor to purchase or possess license plate flippers and a Class A misdemeanor to manufacture, distribute and sell license plate flippers. License plate flippers allow drivers to switch between their legitimate plate and a blank or expired plate. They are sold in several physical and online retailers. Concealment of a license plate remains a C class misdemeanor in Tennessee. This new law will enhance the penalty for concealing a license plate if a license plate flipper is involved. From Senate Bill 2585, Effective Date: July 1, 2024, Public Chapter 870.
***See future editions for a continued list of new Tennessee laws
