As of Sunday, July 1, Tennessee will see a multitude of new laws take effect. From truancy to controlled substances to marriage, state legislators enacted new laws on all of these topics and more.

* HB2376- Students -As enacted, revises and updates law regarding school attendance and truancy and discipline. This amendment requires the principal of a public school to report promptly to the director of schools, or to the attendance supervisor, the names of all students who have withdrawn from school or who have accumulated three days of unexcused absences (under present law, five unexcused absences trigger such notice).

* HB2690 – Local Education Agencies -As enacted requires LEAs (local education agencies) to provide written notice to a student’s parents or legal guardians before the student participates in any mental health screening.

* SB2017- Local Education Agencies- As enacted, extends homebound instruction to all students, instead of only pregnant students, who have a medical condition that prevents the student from attending regular classes.

* HB2330 – Students- As enacted, prohibits the use of corporal punishment against a student with a disability who has an IEP or a Section 504 plan, with certain exceptions.

* SB2015- Local Education Agencies – As enacted, prohibits LEAs from entering into a non-disclosure agreement during, or as a prerequisite to, settlement for any act of sexual misconduct; prohibits employees from assisting others in obtaining employment if the employee knows that the person has engaged in sexual misconduct involving a minor or student.

* HB2348 – Controlled Substances- As enacted, requires a prescriber to provide certain information prior to prescribing more than a three-day supply of an opioid or an opioid dosage that exceeds a total of a 180 morphine milligram equivalent dose to a woman of childbearing age.

* SB0777- Controlled Substances – As enacted, makes various changes and additions to law concerning opioids; creates task force with duty to promulgate rules that create a uniform minimum disciplinary action that will apply to any healthcare practitioner who treats a human patient with an opioid and that healthcare practitioner’s licensing board or agency finds that the healthcare practitioner engaged in a significant deviation or pattern of deviation from sound medical judgment; requires comptroller to conduct certain studies.

* HB1883 – Controlled Substances- As enacted, clarifies that the present law that exempts certain oils containing cannabidiol and used for research or treatment of seizures or epilepsy will not be repealed on June 30, 2018.

* HB1939- Firearms and Ammunition – As enacted, allows county commissioner in the actual discharge of the commissioner’s duties who has a valid handgun carry permit to carry in buildings in which county commission meetings are held, but not in room in which judicial proceeding in progress; not applicable to member of legislative body of metropolitan government.

* HB0149- Criminal Procedure – As enacted, prohibits a person charged with incest from participating in judicial diversion.

* SB2030 –Criminal Offenses- As enacted, enacts the “Tennessee Stolen Valor Act,” It makes wearing military medals that aren’t your own a criminal impersonation.

* SB1512 – Law Enforcement- As enacted, requires each law enforcement agency to ensure that, whenever a person is arrested and taken into custody by an officer of the agency, the person is asked whether that person is the parent or legal custodian of any children that will be left unattended by the person’s arrest; enacts other related provisions.

* HB2014- Privacy, Confidentiality -As enacted, protects residential information of county corrections officers, and punished violations of release of such information, in the same manner the residential information of law enforcement officers is protected.

* SB0912-Driver Licenses – As enacted, allows a victim of identity theft to apply for and receive a new driver license with a new distinguishing number upon presenting proof of the crime, including a law enforcement report that lists the applicant as a victim of identity theft; allows the department of safety to charge a reasonable fee for reissuance of a driver license due to identity theft.

* HB0222- Driver’s License – As enacted, requires a person to establish proof of United States citizenship; lawful permanent resident status; or, in the case of a temporary driver license, a specified period of authorized stay in the United States, if the person, for purposes of obtaining a Tennessee driver license, presents a driver license from another state that issues driver licenses to illegal aliens.

* SB1168 – Dept. of Children’s Services – As enacted, requires the department to maintain case manager staffing levels so that case manager caseloads do not exceed an average of 20 active cases relating to initial assessments or an average of 20 children monitored and supervised per case manager.

* HB1728 – Physicians and Surgeons- As enacted, clarifies that physicians can accept barter of goods or services as payment for healthcare services in certain circumstances. Amendment #1 limits authorization for physicians to accept a barter exchange for healthcare services to services provided to patients who do not have health insurance, removes specific authorization for physicians to offer uninsured patients the option of paying for the cost of healthcare services by barter, and adds a requirement that physicians who accept barter as payment in accordance with this bill must annually submit a copy of the relevant federal tax form disclosing the physician’s income from barter to the physician’s licensing board. Amendment #2 specifies that this bill’s provisions do not apply to any healthcare services provided at a pain management clinic.

* HB 2134- Marriage – As enacted, revises the interest rate on certain unpaid child support arrearages; revises provisions governing the age at which a person may be issued a marriage license. Amendment #1 rewrites this bill to revise the interest rate on certain unpaid child support arrearages. Amendent #2 adds several changes to present law concerning marriage of a minor. While the provisions of House Amendment #1 will take effect July 1, 2018, the provisions of this amendment will take effect upon this bill becoming a law and apply only to licenses issued for applications submitted on or after such date. Present law generally prohibits the issuance of a marriage license to any person where either of the contracting parties is under 16 years of age; provided, that a court may waive the age restriction for good cause.

This amendment prohibits issuance of a marriage license when:

Either of the contracting parties is under 17 years of age; or

One of the contracting parties is at least 17 years of age but less than 18 years of age and the other contracting party is at least four years older than the minor contracting party.

For a full list of laws, CLICK HERE.  (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 06/26/2018-6AM)

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