Tennessee Senate Bill SB1915

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/21/26
• Engrossed: 3/30/26
• Enrolled: 4/30/26
• Passed: 5/22/26
• Chaptered: 5/27/26

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4, Chapter 1 and Title 4, Chapter 58, relative to public benefits.

Summary

SB1915 expands Tennessee’s public-benefits verification and enforcement framework to apply not only to state agencies and local health departments, but also to counties, municipalities, and other local governmental entities. It requires these entities, when providing federal, state, or local public benefits, to verify that applicants age 18 or older are U.S. citizens or lawfully present under federal immigration law, subject to federal-law limits. The bill also clarifies what does and does not count as a “public benefit,” including excluding certain benefits listed in federal law and certain licensure privileges obtained through interstate portability compacts. The bill adds implementation timing for local governments, allowing them to comply upon their first reprinting of forms or updating of electronic/phone systems after July 1, 2026. It also requires agencies to keep verification records, prevents delay of benefits solely because final verification is pending, and directs agencies to terminate recurring benefits if final verification shows the applicant is not lawfully present. In addition, it creates complaint and enforcement procedures, including a fund for recovered money to be used only for enforcement of the chapter, and authorizes the attorney general to investigate local-government violations and seek withholding of state funds for noncompliance.

Impact

The bill amends Tennessee Code Annotated Title 4, Chapter 58, the state’s public-benefits eligibility and verification law, by extending its reach to local governmental entities and clarifying related definitions, procedures, and penalties. It also adds new reporting obligations for state and local entities to share information about unlawfully present individuals receiving public benefits with the centralized immigration enforcement division, with a misdemeanor penalty for intentional failure to report. The Department of Children’s Services is exempted from disclosures that would identify a child or family receiving services. The act takes effect immediately for administrative implementation and otherwise on July 1, 2026.

Sentiment

The voting history suggests the bill had generally strong support, especially on final passage, but not unanimous agreement. It passed the Senate committee 6-3 and later cleared floor votes by comfortable margins, including 72-21 on third consideration and 24-6 on concurrence with the House amendment. The pattern indicates broad backing for the bill’s immigration-related public-benefits enforcement approach, while still drawing meaningful opposition from a minority of legislators.

Contention

The main points of contention are the bill’s expansion of immigration-status verification and reporting to local governments, the new enforcement tools tied to state funding, and the criminal penalty for intentionally failing to report unlawfully present individuals receiving benefits. Opponents likely objected to the administrative burden on local entities, the privacy and civil-liberties implications of reporting beneficiaries to immigration enforcement, and the threat of withholding state funds for noncompliance. Supporters appear to have favored tighter eligibility checks, stronger enforcement, and uniform application of public-benefits rules across state and local agencies.