Part of a new law that took effect Jan. 1, requires different identification and driver licenses for legal permanent residents of Tennessee who are not U.S. citizens. Lawmakers who passed the measure during a special legislative session last January said the change is intended to make it easier to determine voter eligibility and prevent noncitizens from voting. Advocates and some lawmakers have raised concerns that the law could affect access to public education and enrollment. WKRN has more on the issue.

State lawmakers are penciling in Feb. 2 — Groundhog Day — as the date for Gov. Bill Lee’s final budget address to lawmakers, Tennessee Journal reports. Lee is term limited and cannot run for governor again. According to a schedule of opening proceedings proposed by Senate Speaker Randy McNally’s office, the cutoff date for members of the upper chamber to file bills for the second session of the 114th General Assembly would be Jan. 29. The Tennessee Journal has more on the proposed schedule.

Prosecutors agree that ex-Rep. Robin Smith should be resentenced for her role in the Phoenix Solutions public corruption case, the Tennessee Journal reports. Last month, the Hixson Republican filed a motion asking for a judge to re-sentence her to probation after President Donald Trump pardoned former House Speaker Glen Casada and his one-time aide Cade Cothren. Smith is asking for probation and removal of a $7,500 fine in light of the pardons for her two co-defendants. A motion filed with federal Judge Eli Richardson argues that Smith “should be resentenced to a term of probation and have the fine reduced to $0 in order to mitigate the manifest injustice that will result from Ms. Smith being the only one of the three conspirators to face criminal sanctions.”

Rep. Chris Todd, R-Jackson, has filed HB1446 to ban use of the term "West Bank" — referring to the Palestinian territory west of the Jordan River and Dead Sea controlled by Israel — in official state documents. It would replace references to that area with the term "Judea and Samaria." The Tennessean reports that the bill also embeds religious, historical and national security arguments in state law to support permanent Israeli control of the territory. The proposal adopts language commonly used by Israel’s settler movement and asserts a broader ideological struggle rooted in Judeo-Christian values. Todd, a member of the Tennessee-Israel Legislative Caucus, says the bill ensures state documents use what he considers historically and biblically accurate terminology.

Tennessee lawmakers voted unanimously to extend Tennessee State University’s (TSU) Board of Trustees for three years, signaling renewed confidence in the leadership of the state’s only historically Black and land-grant university following years of underfunding and state intervention, the Tennessee Lookout reports. The decision, made by a joint Government Operations Committee, comes after the legislature replaced TSU’s board in 2024 and amid ongoing efforts by new President Dwayne Tucker and trustees to stabilize operations and address decades of underfunding. Lawmakers praised recent progress and the university’s recent memorandum of understanding with the state allowing the use of $96 million in grant funds for operations and prior emergency state funding to support payroll and finances.

A Tennessee lawmaker has filed legislation that would require public schools to administer the Presidential Fitness Test to assess student health and physical fitness. Rep. Scott Cepicky, R-Culleoka, introduced HB1466 last week. It would mandate schools conduct the test, measuring strength, endurance and flexibility. According to News Channel 5, under the bill, the Tennessee Department of Education would provide guidance to local school districts and public charter schools, and students who meet standards could receive a Presidential Fitness Award. Students with individualized education programs would receive accommodations and would not be required to participate if it is unsafe. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on July 31 reviving the test at the federal level. The second session of the 114th General Assembly is scheduled to convene Jan. 13, 2026.

Tennessee lawmakers from both parties are urging marijuana law reform after President Donald Trump ordered cannabis reclassified federally from Schedule I to Schedule III, signaling recognized medical value. Tennessee is one of 10 states that restricts medicinal and recreational marijuana while 22 other states have legalized some form of recreational use. According to the Tennessee Lookout, Sen. London Lamar, D-Memphis, said the change should prompt Tennessee to consider medical marijuana, decriminalization or legalization, arguing current laws are overly punitive and out of step with other states. Rep. Jeremy Faison, R-Cosby, who had previously advocated for passing medical marijuana laws, said, “I truly hope that this fosters medical research that either debunks what many sick Americans have testified to or provides the evidence and foundation showing that cannabis is safer than opioids and other man-altered substances.” Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, pushed back, saying he has no interest in changing Tennessee’s marijuana laws and maintains cannabis remains a dangerous drug despite the federal shift.

Tennessee lawmakers are reviewing proposed changes to enhanced handgun permit training that would prohibit use of live firearms and ammunition during classroom instruction, limiting their use only to the shooting range portion of courses, Fox 17 reports. The Tennessee Department of Safety said the rule aims to improve safety and reduce liability following a classroom shooting incident. The proposal would require instructors to hold the same enhanced permit they teach and restrict the sharing of students’ personal information. Firearms instructors have raised concerns that the ban could hinder effective instruction and increase theft risks if guns are left in vehicles. After discussion in the Government Operations Committee, lawmakers approved a 30-day stay on the rule, giving the department time to work with instructors and clarify concerns before further review.

Tennessee state Rep. Greg Martin, R-Hixson is pushing legislation to expand the state’s death penalty law for child rapists, aiming to streamline the process and add clear “aggravating factors” that prosecutors can use when seeking capital punishment. Under current law, rapists of children under 12 may face the death penalty, but no one has yet been sentenced under that statute, in part because of vague definitions of aggravating circumstances, according to Fox 17. Martin’s bill would clarify factors such as abuse of a child under 4, positions of trust, prior convictions, incest, use of drugs or deadly weapons, filming the crime or other especially cruel actions. Advocates support harsher penalties, saying such crimes destroy a child’s spirit, while others, including some survivors and sexual assault experts, say that capital punishment is not always the preferred path, emphasizing lifetime incarceration and the complexities of abuse within families.

The Tennessee Supreme Court on Dec. 10 rejected two constitutional challenges to the state’s 2022 redistricting of legislative districts. A challenge from Gibson County voter Gary Wygant claimed the new House map was unconstitutional because it split the county into two districts, while a challenge from Davidson County voter Francie Hunt claimed the Senate map was unconstitutional because it did not consecutively number the county’s four districts for that body. During trial, the state argued that the challengers had limited or no standing to sue.

The three-judge panel issued a divided opinion holding that: (1) Wygant had standing to bring a district-specific challenge to the House plan; (2) the House plan was constitutional; (3) Hunt had standing to challenge the Senate plan; and (4) the Senate plan was unconstitutional. The panel dismissed Wygant’s challenge to the House plan with prejudice. The panel entered judgment for Hunt as to the Senate plan and ordered the General Assembly to adopt a constitutionally compliant Senate plan by Jan. 31, 2024.

The Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part. It affirmed the trial court’s judgment rejecting Wygant’s district-specific challenge on the merits, reversed the judgment concluding that Hunt had standing, and vacated the judgment holding the Senate map unconstitutional. Read more about the decision in a news release from the Administrative Office of the Courts or view the opinions in the case.