What's Happening at the Capitol

The first regular session of the 114th General Assembly adjourned on Tuesday, April 22nd. As I reflect on the progress we've made together this session, I feel a deep sense of gratitude. Serving as your State Senator for District 18 is an honor, and I truly value all of the correspondence that has helped shape this legislative session. Your involvement and feedback have been essential in ensuring your voices are represented at the Capitol.

As we head into the summer months, this newsletter will transition from a weekly to a monthly schedule. In this issue, I'll highlight key pieces of legislation I sponsored and provide a broader overview of the major achievements from this year's session. Thank you for your continued support — it is a privilege to serve our community in the Tennessee Senate.

During this legislative session, I sponsored a number of bills to address a variety of policy areas. Last summer, I served on an Ad Hoc Committee that examined the bail bond industry and GPS monitoring. From that committee, five bills were passed to reform the bail bond industry this session, and I carried two of them.

I remain committed to improving Tennessee's adoption and foster care systems, and I passed several bills to simplify adoption procedures and enhance protections for children.

Below, I've outlined the key areas I focused on this session, and have included my legislation that passed to address each topic.

Constitutional Amendment to Prohibit Statewide Property Tax

• SJR1 proposes a constitutional amendment to prevent the General Assembly from ever imposing a state property tax. Having passed the House and Senate this session, the measure will now go before Tennessee voters for final approval. 

Adoption and Foster Care

• SB1015 establishes key rights for children in Tennessee’s foster care system, guaranteeing they have the right to appropriate education, safe and healthy living conditions, necessary medical and mental health services, and protection from retaliation when reporting violations. It also ensures confidential access to legal representatives. The bill was brought to me by Ella Brenin, who courageously shared her experiences in the foster care system to advocate for these protections.
• SB1005 streamlines the adoption process in Tennessee by allowing prospective adoptive parents to adopt multiple siblings—who share at least one biological parent—in a single adoption petition, unless a court determines separate petitions are necessary. By making the adoption process more efficient and affordable, this bill helps more families stay together and provides greater opportunities for children to find permanent, loving homes.
• SB1052 strengthens adoption and child welfare laws. It clarifies that biological fathers who make only "token support" payments will not qualify as putative fathers It also allows prospective adoptive parents to make medical decisions for children awaiting adoption when no other legal guardian is available.
• SB297 removes the 36-month deadline for adopted children to apply for a lifetime sportsman license, allowing them to apply anytime before age 13. This change ensures fairness for adoptees, brings consistency with other lifetime license programs, and supports Tennessee’s commitment to outdoor recreation.

Reforms to the Bail Bonding Industry

• SB1237 requires professional bondsmen and court clerks in Tennessee to submit quarterly reports to the Department of Revenue for auditing and enforcement of the bail bonding tax. Bondsmen will report the number and liability of bonds issued by the county, while court clerks will report the number and value of bonds accepted.
• SB1245 aims to create consistency in bail bonding practices, which currently vary by county, and improve public safety by ensuring only qualified bondsmen operate in our state. It establishes a centralized Board of Professional Bondsmen to oversee licensing, complaints, and disciplinary actions statewide, while still allowing judges to approve which bondsmen can operate in their jurisdiction.
• SB464, SB595, SB601, and SB1202 were carried by other members

Education

• SB897 helps schools manage student use of wireless devices during instructional time. This bill ensures every public and charter school adopts a policy to limit student use of devices like phones, tablets, and laptops during class, while still allowing exceptions for emergencies, health needs, or educational purposes. The policy also ensures students with disabilities can use necessary assistive technology and that parents can be contacted in emergencies. This approach promotes better classroom engagement while maintaining safety and accessibility.
• SB901 makes the School Turnaround Program permanent. Starting next school year, the Department of Education will select up to five underperforming schools each year—no more than fifteen at a time—with at least one school selected from each grand division. Each selected school will develop a customized turnaround plan in partnership with parents, teachers, community members, and an independent expert. These plans will be implemented over three years, and will bring real accountability and strengthen local involvement.

Property and Housing

• SB247 ensures that property designated as Greenbelt and jointly owned by two individuals will not experience a change in ownership in the event of the death or divorce of one of the owners, so long as the property is retained by one of them. By preserving property status through significant life events, this bill provides greater stability and certainty for Tennessee landowners committed to conservation and responsible land stewardship.
• SB129 raises the debt ceiling for the Tennessee Housing Development Authority (THDA) from $4 billion to $5 billion. Notably, the agency operates with no financial support from the state. By strengthening the THDA’s ability to offer affordable housing loans, this bill helps more Tennesseans achieve homeownership and supports continued economic growth across the state.

Health Care and Consumer Protection

• SB955, the "Medical Ethics Defense Act," protects healthcare providers who refuse to participate in procedures, treatments, or services conflicting with their ethical, moral, or religious beliefs. The bill ensures providers are not penalized or discriminated against for exercising their conscience rights, while preserving federal protections in emergency situations.
• SB41 protects consumers by ensuring fair billing practices for Tennesseans who choose to cancel services like internet, cable, or phone. Providers of certain services are prohibited from charging for an extra billing cycle if the consumer terminates the agreement within the first half of the billing cycle. If the consumer cancels after the halfway point of the billing cycle, then service providers can only charge for one more cycle. It’s easy to miss terms within a service agreement, and SB41 eliminates some unnecessary complications.

Juvenile Courts

• SB992 requires all juvenile courts to adopt a uniform, statewide case management system. The bill builds on prior legislation to improve real-time data collection, court efficiency, and statewide consistency. The Administrative Office of the Courts has already implemented the system in 59 counties, with more underway.

Forensic Interviews

• SB304 allows either the child or forensic interviewer to confirm the accuracy of a recorded interview in child abuse cases, as long as the child is available for cross-examination. It also clarifies that forensic interviews conducted by accredited child advocacy centers or federal agencies are admissible in court, even if certain procedural requirements are not met.

Public Safety

• SB1296 strengthens penalties for threats of mass violence and criminalizes doxxing in Tennessee. It creates a Class E felony for making threats of mass violence, with harsher Class D felony charges if the threats involve schools, government property, public events, repeat offenses, or significant steps toward carrying out the threat. This bill takes important steps to enhance public safety and safeguard Tennesseans against physical and digital harm.

Government Accountability and Transparency

• SB39 increases accountability for individuals appointed to boards and commissions by granting county legislative bodies the authority to remove individuals appointed by the body or by the mayor with a two-thirds vote. The bill also reinforces transparency by requiring commissions to provide at least five business days of public notice before a scheduled removal vote, consistent with existing laws on public meeting notices. By strengthening local oversight and ensuring public transparency, this bill promotes more responsible and accountable governance across Tennessee.

Click on the link below for an overview of this session:

Investments in District 18

The State of Tennessee continues to invest in District 18 through projects that strengthen our schools, roads, and neighborhoods. These investments are designed to support long-term growth and community well-being. Here is a list of the initiatives and funding that have been directed to our district:

• $45 million for TCAT Portland
• Sumner County is getting a second full-service Driver Services Center in Hendersonville
• $12 million State Water Infrastructure Grant for Portland
• $500,000 from the State, along with a $250,000 contribution from Meta, to renovate Gallatin Shalom Zone gym
• Funding for Decisions, Choices, and Options
• Advanced the construction date for State Route 386 improvements and the second phase of the Portland Bypass (State Route 109) from 2031 to 2028

Constituent Spotlight!

We want to spotlight a different member of our community each week. Do you know someone in the 18th District who has done something extraordinary recently? Send us an email (sen.ferrell.haile@capitol.tn.gov), with subject line "Constituent Spotlight Submission" and tell us about them. We will read through each submission and decide on one person to highlight in our newsletter each week.