Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By State Rep. Dennis Powers

14th General Assembly adjourns for 2025

 

State lawmakers concluded their business on April 22 in a successful first session of the 114th General Assembly. House and Senate Legislators delivered results for all Tennesseans this year by prioritizing conservative policies and fulfilling the General Assembly’s constitutional duty of approving a balanced budget.

The 2025 session was highlighted by efforts to strengthen education, improve public health and safety, bolster infrastructure and combat illegal immigration. House Speaker Cameron Sexton, praised the hard work of his colleagues in both chambers, noting the Volunteer State’s remarkable success under conservative leadership.

Lawmakers this session worked to preserve Tennessee’s rich agricultural and natural heritage, ensure government efficiency and promote economic opportunity. They also continued efforts to provide relief to the Tennesseans impacted by Hurricane Helene while helping increase preparedness for future disasters.

 

2025 LEGISLATIVE ACHIEVEMENTS

Education and School Safety

• Legislation to teach Tennessee students the success sequence (House Bill 178)
• Increased access to recess (House Bill 85)
• Prohibited electronic devices in classrooms (House Bill 932)
• Option for districts to implement merit-based pay for teachers (House Bill 759)
• Federal education deregulation task force (House Bill 958)
• Free speech protections (House Bill 1270)
• Parental notice for school threats (House Bill 1088)
• Allowed inhalers in schools (House Bill 760)
• Enhanced drug awareness education (House Bill 382)
• Background checks for released time educators (House Bill 1281)

Criminal Justice and Protecting Victims

• Savanna’s Law establishes a new domestic violence registry (House Bill 1200)
• Marsy’s Law to protect rights of victims (Senate Joint Resolution 9)
• PEACE Act to confront hate crimes, improve public safety (House Bill 55)
• Created offenses for impersonating taxi, ride-share drivers (House Bill 786)
• Enhanced penalty for THC distribution to minors (House Bill 72)
• Ink of Hope Act to spot signs of human trafficking (House Bill 182)
• Created human smuggling offense (House Bill 322)
• Protections against drunk driving (House Bill 190)
• Built on anti-squatter laws (House Bill 216)
• Legislation combats threats of mass violence (House Bill 1314)
• Constitutional amendment to deny bail for violent offenses (Senate Joint Resolution 25)

 

Health

• Supporting regulation of kratom (House Joint Resolution 147)
• Legislation encouraging healthier lifestyles (House Joint Resolution 69)
• Medical Ethics Defense Act (House Bill 1044)
• Expanded prenatal screenings to protect mothers and babies (House Bill 111)
• Required medical examinations of deceased mass shooters to test for psychotropic drugs (House Bill 1349)
• Removed barriers for cancer patients to access recommended medications (House Bill 395)
• Banned Red 40 in schools (House Bill 134)

 

Children and Families

• Criminalized generative artificial intelligence involving minors (House Bill 769)
• Strengthened several penalties related to child abuse (House Bill 1360)
• Increased access to childcare (House Bill 1175)

ª Foster children’s bill of rights (House Bill 1359)

• Protected children in custody cases (House Bill 1255)
• Ensured children use bathrooms/facilities that correspond to their biological sex (House Bill 64)
• Established pro-life protections for mothers facing serious pregnancy complications (House Bill 990)

 

Illegal Immigration

• Created the Centralized Immigration Enforcement Division within the Tennessee Department of Safety to coordinate with federal and local governments to implement immigration policies (House Bill 6001)
• Strengthened the sanctuary city ban by imposing a Class E felony charge on local officials who adopt or maintain sanctuary city policies in violation of state law (House Bill 6001)
• Established the Immigration Enforcement Grant Program to aid local law enforcement (House Bill 6001)
• Created a felony offense for smuggling and trafficking illegal immigrants (House Bill 322)
• Increased accountability for organizations housing criminal illegal immigrants (House Bill 811)
• Enhanced state-issued identification (ID) standards to distinguish between citizens and non-citizens. This ensures that only individuals with permanent IDs are eligible to vote in Tennessee elections. (House Bill 6001)
• Invalidated out-of-state driver’s licenses issued to illegals (House Bill 749)

Dismantled DEI and Restored Merit-Based Systems

• Prohibited local governments and public universities from making hiring decisions based on race, religion, sex, national origin, age or disability (House Bill 622)
• Prohibited race-based discrimination in higher ed admission, scholarship and financial aid decisions (House Bill 377)
• Ended race-based selection for membership of state boards (House 1237)
• Prohibited state and local governments and public universities from having DEI departments (House Bill 923)

 

State Rep. Dennis Powers represents the 36th House District, which includes Campbell, Union and parts of Claiborne County. He is the Full Chairman of the Public Acts Committee in  the Tennessee House of Representatives.  He also serves on the Business and Utilities Subcommittee, the State and Local Government Committee, Commerce Committee, Department and Agencies Sub-committee and Calendar and Rules Committe