AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 10-7-604, relative to data provided to the secretary of state.
Summary
HB1496 amends Tennessee’s public records/data reporting law governing information provided to the secretary of state. The bill requires the secretary of state to compile an annual update of the data listed in Tennessee Code Annotated § 10-7-603 and to publish the compiled data from all agencies on or about November 15 each year.
The bill also clarifies an exception to disclosure by excluding the personal mailing addresses and telephone numbers of members from the published data. Those contact details are treated as confidential and not subject to disclosure under the amended section. The act takes effect July 1, 2026.
Impact
The bill updates Tennessee Code Annotated § 10-7-604 by changing the timing and scope of the secretary of state’s annual publication of agency data. It imposes a specific annual publication deadline and reinforces confidentiality protections for personal mailing addresses and telephone numbers of members, limiting what information may be released from the compiled data. The practical effect is on the secretary of state, state agencies required to provide data, and any members whose personal contact information would otherwise be included in the publication.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been broadly supported and noncontroversial. It advanced through subcommittee and committee with strong favorable votes, including unanimous recommendations in the early stages and a 94-0 floor passage on third consideration. The voting history suggests general agreement on the administrative and privacy-related changes made by the bill.
Contention
There is little evidence of significant contention in the available record. The only notable issue is the balance between transparency in state data publication and privacy for members’ personal contact information, but the bill’s unanimous or near-unanimous committee support indicates that this privacy carve-out was not a major point of dispute. The lone committee vote with opposition occurred in House Government Operations Committee, where the bill still advanced 10-2.