New Tennessee laws that go into effect Jan. 1
It’s a new year, which means new laws on the books in Tennessee.
The Tennessee General Assembly met in fits and starts in 2020, getting interrupted by coronavirus shutdowns in the spring, returning to complete session in June and then once again coming to Nashville for an August special session.
Some of the bills passed last year took effect in July 1, October 1 or at other dates set by the legislature, while others didn’t become effective until the beginning of the year.
Here are some of the state’s new laws as of New Year’s Day.
911 operators get trained in CPR
House Bill 1933 / Senate Bill 1958 The law allows emergency operators across the state to be trained in T-CPR, or telecommunicator cardiopulmonary resuscitation, which is dispatcher-delivered directions to callers in emergency situations. Previously, not all counties allowed 911 operators to provide callers through CPR instructions.
The legislation also includes liability protection for those providing the service.
Training for veteran suicide prevention
House Bill 787 / Senate Bill 673
In an effort to reduce veteran suicides, the state will now require that the Department of Veterans Services provide suicide prevention training to employees who directly interact with veterans.
The training is available free to the department through suicide prevention networks, with the goal of getting help to more veterans in crisis.
Raising tobacco purchase age to 21, in line with federal government
House Bill 2269 / Senate Bill 2202 In December 2019, the federal government raised the legal age to purchase tobacco to 21, which included ecigarettes and vaping cartridges.
This new law raises Tennessee’s legal purchase age from 18 to 21, including possessing and transporting tobacco, hemp or vapor products.
The law makes Tennessee’s tobacco purchase statue consistent with federal law and ensures the state will continue to receive $32 million in federal block grants as a result.
The bill also makes it a Class C misdemeanor for anyone 18 to 20 to purchases or attempt to purchase smoking paraphernalia using a fake identification card.
Accommodations for pregnant workers
House Bill 2708 / Senate Bill 2520 The new law, called the “Tennessee Pregnant Workers Fairness Act,” requires that any reasonable accommodations provided for employees with medical conditions be extended to employees who are pregnant. It also establishes guidelines for employers and employees on how to navigate pregnancy in the workplace.
The law guarantees that unless a temporary and reasonable accommodation would create a “hardship” for a business, a woman will receive the accommodation if her doctor has recommended that it allow her to remain healthy and working.
Examples of those accommodations include having a stool to sit on, extra restroom breaks, temporary limits on lifting and the availability of water.
Women can seek recourse under the law by bringing a civil action in the appropriate court for violations. The issue can also be resolved by the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act before going to court.
Regulating car-sharing industry
House Bill 1593 / Senate Bill 2207 The law sets up a regulatory process for the peer-to-peer car sharing industry, which is gaining popularity.
The industry allows private car owners to rent out the vehicles using an online interface similar to Airbnb. A well known car sharing company is called Turo.
The legislation puts in place various consumer protections and tax regulations, setting minimum insurance requirements and specifying which party’s policy is responsible for coverage.
The law clarifies that car sharing companies making more than $100,000 are subject to Tennessee’s new marketplace facilitator law that requires them to collect and remit sales taxes.
Lower retirement criteria for jailers, emergency services
House Bill 1801 / Senate Bill 1752 This law lowers the minimum years of service for retirement for the state’s correctional officers and emergency services workers.
Instead of requiring 30 years of service to retire, those employees can choose to retire at 25 years with some reduced benefits.
Reach Natalie Allison at nallison@ tennessean.com. Follow her on Twitter at @natalie_allison.