Tennessee Senate clears broad slate of bills, from housing limits to civics video mandate

The Tennessee Senate approved a large package of bills and resolutions March 11 as legislators completed a full day of floor work and moved to adjourn until March 12. Lawmakers adopted consent calendars and passed measures on corrections reporting, housing purchases by large investors, water-service authority for lead-pipe replacement, paid parental leave changes, and several naming and administrative bills.

Senate Bill 175, carried by Senator Massey, was amended to require the commissioner of correction to file annual reports on inmates certified for parole or recommended for medical furlough and to produce internal policies and related forms. Senator Massey said the reporting will help Tennessee “get a clear picture of what is happening in Tennessee state prison” and address rising health-care costs for an aging incarcerated population. The bill passed on third reading (Ayes 31, Nays 0).

Senate Bill 242, presented by Senator Oliver, bars a person or business (including affiliates) that already owns 100 or more single-family homes used primarily as rentals from buying additional single-family houses in counties with populations over 150,000, while exempting housing the bill defines as affordable. Oliver said the law is grandfathered for existing owners and addressed affiliate structures so the 100-unit threshold applies to investors across affiliated entities. The measure passed as amended (Ayes 31, Nays 1).

On infrastructure, Senator Wally brought Senate Bill 639 with changes that allow municipalities and utility districts to request permission to replace the service line from meter to building — an amendment tied to federal lead-service-line replacement funding. Wally said property owners still retain the right to refuse such work; the bill passed as amended (Ayes 32, Nays 0).

Lawmakers also approved House Bill 9 57, expanding the state’s paid parental-leave policy for state employees to include foster parents while leaving the six‑week annual cap unchanged. Senator Rose told colleagues the bill “does not increase the amount of paid leave beyond what is current law.” The House bill passed (Ayes 32, Nays 0).

Several other bills and committee amendments advanced on voice or recorded votes, including omnibus specialty-plate and road-naming bills, criminal-code clarifications related to desecration of burial sites, and teacher bonus technical fixes. Where recorded tallies were given on the floor, clerk counts were noted (examples above). Most calendar items were passed by constitutional majority in the chamber.

The Senate ended the day after committee leaders made several calendar additions for upcoming committee work and the lieutenant governor moved adjournment until 8:30 a.m. Thursday, March 12, 2026.