By Erin McCullough
NASHVILLE, TN (WKRN) — As we begin 2024, a number of laws passed by the Tennessee General Assembly in the last few years now take effect.
Generally speaking, laws in Tennessee have effective dates of January 1 or July 1, depending on when they’re passed and what they affect in the Volunteer State.
Here are some of the laws that are now in effect in Tennessee.
SB 105. This bill requires the Tennessee Department of Safety to waive the knowledge test and accept alternative requirements for certain service members applying for temporary commercial learner’s permits. The bill applies to members of the National Guard or armed forces reserves as eligible applicants, as well as those who were, for the immediately preceding their application, certain drivers, fuelers, vehicle operators, pavement and construction equipment operators and more in the armed forces.
SB 268. This bill enacts the “Money Transmission Modernization Act,” which seeks to more effectively utilize regulator resources, protect the public from financial crime, standardize which activities are subject to licensing and modernize how protected customers’ funds are in ways that also support innovative and competitive business practices.
According to discussion from lawmakers, the bill replaces a 1994 money transfer-related law in such a way that more accurately reflects how money is transferred between agencies and institutions, such as over the internet and across multiple states. Lawmakers said in February 2023 that multiple other states were considering similar, if not the same, legislation.
SB 360. This bill authorizes the Tennessee Department of Safety to create a voucher program to offset the costs of taking handgun safety courses for the first time. It also requires the department to report the number of courses taken using the vouchers to the Tennessee Senate Judiciary Committee and the House Criminal Justice Committee. The bill would reimburse those taking part in the voucher program up to $30 for their first course.
SB 675. Named the “Kevin Clauson Drug Donation Act,” this bill makes changes to the prescription drug donation repository program operated by the Tennessee Department of Health. Some of the changes include limitations on the participating repositories to only pharmacies in good standing with the state pharmacy board, limiting which drugs can be donated through the program, requiring secure storage and donor information redaction, and requiring depositories to destroy or return prescription drugs or supplies that are no longer suitable for dispensing.
SB 1049. As of Jan. 1, there will now be a permit for farmers market food units. Previously, state law prohibited someone from operating a “food service establishment” if they did not hold a valid permit issued by the Commissioner of Health. This bill requires the health department to issue a “farmers market food unit permit” to qualified applicants who pay the $300 permit fee and successfully complete a pre-operational inspection.
Some other aspects of the bill stipulate that there are no limits on the number of days the permit holder may operate during the period that the permit is valid; and the operator of a farmers market food unit is not required to tear down or remove equipment used from the premises of a farmers market at the conclusion of an operational day, though the farmers market itself may set rules for equipment removal.
