Finance, Ways and Means advances 16 bills, including vaping restrictions, a domestic-violence registry and NIL update

The Finance, Ways and Means Committee advanced 16 bills to the calendar and rules committee during its April 2025 meeting, voting to move measures ranging from a package of youth vaping restrictions to a domestic-violence offender registry and updates to college athlete compensation rules.

The committee approved House Bill 9 68, a broad vaping and flavored product measure that includes manufacturing and import restrictions, FDA-processing requirements for consumable materials, a 1,000-foot limit near K–12 facilities in some provisions and a two-year implementation window. The amended bill drew extended debate, several withdrawn amendments and a final committee vote of 25 ayes, 1 no and 1 present not voting.

The panel also advanced House Bill 1 200, creating a Persistent Domestic Violence Offender Registry described by the sponsor as a five‑year registry for persons with qualifying domestic-violence convictions; the sponsor said funding for operation by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) is in the budget and estimated ongoing staffing and operating costs “about a half a million dollars a year.” The committee moved that bill without recorded objection.

Committee members approved House Bill 194, an annual update to the state’s approach to name-image-likeness (NIL) rules for student-athletes. The sponsor said the bill is intended to provide guardrails that protect athletes and institutions and to keep Tennessee law consistent with recent changes in other states; the measure moved 27–0.

Other measures advanced included: a constitutional amendment on victims’ rights (HJR 48, moved 26–0); a proposed constitutional amendment on bail discretion for violent offenders (HJR 49, 26–0); a constitutional amendment to prohibit a…