Tennessee Nonprofit Network

Tracking Legislation Impacting Tennessee’s Nonprofit Sector – Week of January 26th

114th Tennessee General Assembly (2026 Legislative Session)

Throughout the 114th Tennessee General Assembly, Tennessee Nonprofit Network (TNN) is closely monitoring legislation that may impact nonprofits and the communities they serve. To help our members stay informed and focus their advocacy efforts where it matters most, we have created a legislative tracker that organizes key bills by priority level and anticipated impact on the nonprofit sector.

We will publish updated trackers here on the blog throughout the legislative session as a resource for our members and partners.

Legislative Tracker

*No action taken yet in 2026 legislative session

Tier 1 – Priority Legislation

Bill Number

Bill Summary

TNN Position

Status

Committee

Next Key Date

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tier 2 – Monitor  

Bill Number

Bill Summary

Status

Committee

Next Key Date

HB1494 / SB1596

Tax credit for businesses that make contributions to organizations approved by governor’s office of faith-based and community initiatives

Senate: refer to Finance, Ways, & Means Comm (1/14/26)

 

House: refer to Government Operations Committee (1/14/26)

Senate: Finance, Ways & Means

 

House: Government Operations

 

HB1523 / SB1618

Clarifies financial institutions’ duties regarding subpoenas

Senate: Introduced (1/14/26)

 

House: refer to Commerce Committee (1/14/26)

Senate: TBD

 

House: Commerce

 

HB 1553 / SB 1639

Changes filing fees and notification requirements for corporations and charitable organizations with the secretary of state

Senate: Intro’d (1/14/26)

 

House: Referred to Department & Agencies Subcommittee (1/15/26)

 

 

HB 1696 / SB 1823

Requires state agencies to pay business invoices within 30 days and report late payments annually to legislative committees

House: Filed for introduction (1/15/26)

 

 

HB 1884 / SB 1956

Legislative Report on Nonprofit Registration Compliance

House: Filed for introduction (1/21/26)

 

 

SB1470 / HB 1879

Liability of nonprofit entities

Senate: refer to Judiciary Committee (1/14/26)

Senate: Judiciary

 

SB 1711

Venue for dissolving public benefit or mutual benefit corporations

Senate: Filed for introduction (1/15/26)

 

 

SJR 590

Constitutional amendment – bingo games conducted by 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(19) organizations to meet a charitable or community service purpose

Senate: Filed for introduction (1/15/26)

 

 

HJR 794

Constitutional Amendment – bingo games to qualify as charitable or community service activities.

House: Filed for introduction (1/20/26)

 

 

SB 1821 / HB 2020

Removes certain listed nonprofits from the definition of food service establishment.

Senate: Introduced (1/21/26)

 

 

SB 867 / HB 332

Government Services the People Act

Senate: Passed on 2nd Consideration, refer to S&L (2/12/25)

 

House: Assgn to s/c (2/3/25)

Senate: State & Local Government

 

House: Departments & Agencies Subcommittee

 

SB 958 / HB1068

Creation of a community grant advisory board.

Senate: Assgn to s/c (3/12/25)

 

House: Assign to s/c (2/11/25)

Senate: Government Operations – General Subcommittee

House: Health Subcommittee

 

SB1185 / HB 952

Small Business Growth and Empowerment Act

Senate: Assgn’d to s/c (3/18/25)

 

House: Assgn’d to s/c (2/11/25)

Senate: Commerce & Labor – General Subcommittee

House: Business & Utilities Subcommittee

 

SB 1221 / HB 971

 

Creation of a physical education through community service program.

Senate: Spnsr added (2/18/25)

 

House: Taken off notice (2/25/25)

Senate: N/A

 

House: Education – Education Instruction Subcommittee

 

SB 1257 / HB 1384

Pay Stub Protection Act

Senate: Assgn’d to General Subcommittee (3/18/25)

 

House: Ref to Gov’t Operations Committee (3/19/25)

Senate: Commerce and Labor – General Subcommittee

House: Government Operations

 

HJR 146

Constitutional amendment – local boards of education to approve lotteries conducted by nonprofit school organizations

House: Assgn’d to Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee (4/8/25)

House: Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee

 

Tier 3 – Watch List  

Bill Number

Bill Summary

Status

Committee

Next Key Date

SB 42 / HB 557

Creates the State Disaster Relief Program

Senate: Assgn to General Subcommittee (3/18/25)

 

House: Taken off notice (4/2/25)

Senate:  State & Local Government

 

House: State & Local Government

 

SB 165

Funding of human resource agencies

Senate: Engrossed (4/21/25)

 

House: Placed on s/c cal (4/14/25)

Senate: Passed

 

House: Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee

 

SB 185 / HB 173

Reimbursement rate levels for rural hospitals

Senate: Placed on cal (4/21/25)

 

House: Place on s/c cal (4/14/25)

Senate: Finance, Ways, and Means

 

House: Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee

 

SB641 / HB536

Motor vehicle dealer licenses – applicant who is a nonprofit religious organization

Senate: Action def. to first cal of 2026 (3/19/25)

 

House: Action def. to first cal of 2026 (3/18/25)

Senate: Transportation & Safety

 

House: Transportation

Hearing: House Transportation Committee

 

January 20 @ 10:30 a.m. CST

SB 1071 / HB 46

Reimbursement payments to child advocacy centers

Senate: Assgnd to s/c (3/26/25)

 

House: Returned to Clerk’s Desk (3/25/25)

Senate: Health & Welfare – General Subcommittee

House: Clerk Desk

 

SB 172 / HB 7

Creates the hunger-free campus grant program

Senate: Placed on cal

 

House: Sponsor(s) added

Senate: Finance, Ways, and Means

 

House:

 

SB 364 / HB 225

Tennessee Full Service Community Schools Act

Senate: refer to Education Committee (2/12/25)

 

House: Taken off notice (3/11/25)

Senate: Education

 

House: Education

 

SB 802 / HB 841

Establishes the promising futures early learning scholarship program

Senate: Assgnd to General Subcommittee (2/26/25)

 

House: Assgnd to K-12 Subcommittee

Senate: Education – General Subcommittee

House: Education – K-12 Subcommittee

 

SB 1395 / HB1401

Grant payments under the grant assistance program for nursing home care

Senate: Assgnd to General Subcommittee (4/15/25)

 

House: Refer to Finance, Ways & Means Committee (1/14/26)

Senate: Finance, Ways, and Means – General Subcommittee

House: Finance, Ways, and Means

 

Upcoming Events & Key Dates

In addition to tracking bills, we will share information about upcoming committee hearings, subcommittee meetings, and other legislative activities that may be of interest to nonprofits. This will help members anticipate when key decisions are being made and identify opportunities to observe or engage.

Date

Time

Bill(s)

Committee

 

 

 

 

Streaming Links:

Which Bills Will TNN Take a Stance On?

Tennessee Nonprofit Network’s advocacy and lobbying efforts are focused on sector-wide impact. As a statewide association, TNN represents nonprofits across missions, sizes, and regions. Our role is to represent the nonprofit sector as a whole—not individual organizations, missions, or issue areas. As a result, we take formal positions only on legislation that has broad implications for the nonprofit sector as a whole—such as bills affecting nonprofit operations, funding, governance, charitable giving, or advocacy rights. While many important bills may impact individual organizations or specific subsectors, TNN’s primary role is to engage where there is clear, statewide relevance to the sector.

How to Use TNN’s Legislative Tracker

To help members navigate this fast-moving environment, TNN’s legislative tracker organizes bills into three tiers based on sector impact and level of engagement.

Tier 1 – Priority Legislation (Active Engagement)

These are TNN’s highest priority bills with a direct and significant impact on nonprofits. For these bills, TNN takes a clear position (support, oppose, or seek amendments) and actively engages through advocacy, coalition work, and member action alerts.

Tier 2 – Monitor Closely (Situational Engagement)

Bills in this tier may affect nonprofits but are still evolving, limited in scope, or unlikely to move without changes. TNN monitors these bills closely and may elevate them to Tier 1 if circumstances change.

Tier 3 – Awareness / Watch List

These bills are included for transparency and awareness. While relevant to the broader policy environment, TNN is not actively engaged at this time.

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