Tennessee House Bill HB2506

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/3/26
• Refer: 2/5/26
• Refer: 3/4/26
• Refer: 3/11/26
• Refer: 3/16/26
• Chaptered: 4/27/26
• Passed: 4/27/26

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 8; Title 10; Title 38; Title 39; Title 40; Title 41 and Chapter 253 of the Public Acts of 2021, relative to confidential records.

Summary

HB2506 is a Tennessee confidentiality and public-records bill focused on protecting the identities and operational details of officers, agents, and officials involved in federal and state immigration enforcement. It requires state and local governmental entities to keep confidential certain information tied to immigration enforcement activities, including names when paired with personal identifying information, names when disclosure would create a safety risk or involve undercover work, and information about future enforcement operations such as dates, locations, logistics, and strategies. The bill also creates criminal and administrative penalties for improper disclosure. A state or local official who acts with criminal negligence in releasing protected information commits a Class E felony, and may also be subject to ouster. The bill amends multiple Tennessee Code provisions governing public records and confidential information, including provisions related to undercover officers and other law-enforcement confidentiality categories, and it preempts conflicting state or local policies. Most provisions take effect July 1, 2026, while the new confidentiality rule in Section 1 takes effect immediately upon becoming law.

Impact

The bill expands Tennessee’s confidential-records framework by adding new protections for immigration-enforcement personnel and operational information in both state and local government records laws. It amends Title 4 and Title 7 to require confidentiality for specified immigration-enforcement information, and it also revises public-records exemptions in Title 10 to cover undercover officers and related sensitive law-enforcement information. In addition, it adds or revises criminal penalties, including Class E felony exposure for criminally negligent disclosure, and updates ouster provisions for officials who unlawfully release protected information.

Sentiment

The committee votes suggest generally favorable support for the bill, with each recorded committee advancing it by a majority vote. The bill moved through the House Public Service Subcommittee, the House State & Local Government Committee, and the House Government Operations Committee, indicating broad enough support to keep it moving through the process. At the same time, the non-unanimous votes show that the measure was not without opposition, likely reflecting concerns about transparency, public access to records, and the scope of confidentiality protections.

Contention

The main point of contention is the balance between public-records transparency and the protection of immigration-enforcement personnel and operations. Supporters appear to view the bill as necessary to prevent harassment, threats, and compromise of enforcement activities, while opponents likely worry that the bill broadens secrecy around government operations and could limit public oversight. The felony penalties and ouster provisions for negligent disclosure are also likely to be controversial because they impose significant consequences on state and local officials responsible for handling records.