Tennessee House Bill HB0321

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/22/25
• Refer: 2/3/25
• Refer: 2/11/25
• Refer: 2/19/25
• Engrossed: 2/25/25
• Enrolled: 3/11/25
• Passed: 3/28/25
• Chaptered: 4/4/25

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 1; Title 2; Title 3; Title 4; Title 5; Title 7; Title 8; Title 9; Title 10; Title 11; Title 12; Title 13; Title 16; Title 20; Title 22; Title 24; Title 31; Title 33; Title 36; Title 38; Title 39; Title 40; Title 43; Title 44; Title 45; Title 47; Title 48; Title 49; Title 50; Title 53; Title 54; Title 55; Title 56; Title 61; Title 62; Title 63; Title 64; Title 65; Title 66; Title 67; Title 68; Title 69 and Title 71, relative to electronic transmissions.

Summary

HB0321 is a broad government modernization bill that standardizes the use of “electronic transmission” across Tennessee law. It defines that term to include communications such as email and internet-based messages that create a retrievable record, while expressly excluding fax and facsimile. The bill then makes dozens of conforming changes across the Tennessee Code to replace references to fax, facsimile transmission, and in many places email, with the new umbrella term. A major part of the bill updates procedures for state agencies, courts, election-related filings, and other public-facing processes so that documents and notices may be submitted or delivered electronically. It directs executive branch entities to accept electronic transmissions for documents that previously could have been faxed, and it encourages the Tennessee Supreme Court to develop rules for electronic filing and related court procedures. The bill also revises provisions in areas including elections, child support, public records, insurance, taxation, labor, and professional licensing to reflect electronic submission and notice practices.

Impact

The bill amends a wide range of Tennessee statutes across many titles, replacing outdated fax-based language with a uniform electronic-transmission framework. It affects how documents, notices, applications, releases, and filings may be submitted to or by state agencies, courts, election commissions, and other regulated entities. In practical terms, it expands and clarifies electronic communication options in state law while removing statutory reliance on fax machines and facsimile-specific procedures. The act takes effect January 1, 2026.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have been broadly supported and noncontroversial. It passed the relevant House subcommittee and full committee unanimously, then cleared the House floor and final passage in the Senate without any recorded dissenting votes. The available voting history suggests general agreement that the bill updates state law to reflect common modern communication practices.

Contention

No major substantive opposition is reflected in the available record. The only likely area of discussion is the bill’s choice to replace many references to both fax and email with the broader term “electronic transmission,” which may raise implementation questions for agencies and courts about acceptable formats, filing rules, and signature requirements. The bill itself anticipates those issues by urging the Supreme Court to establish procedures governing electronic filings, fees, timing, and original-document requirements.