Tennessee House advances package of bills on hiring rules, coal ash permits, public-safety funding and constitutional amendments

NASHVILLE — The Tennessee House of Representatives on the floor on Monday advanced a broad slate of measures covering hiring practices for state and local governments, coal-combustion residuals permitting, new funding options for district attorneys, limits on foreign international organizations' authority in state policy and multiple proposed constitutional amendments to be placed on the 2026 ballot.

The most contentious action was passage of House Bill 6-22, a measure restricting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs and related hiring policies for governmental entities. Representative Mayberry moved passage after extended debate; Representative Johnson, speaking in opposition on the floor, called the bill “racist,” “sexist” and “ableist” and warned it would harm veterans, women and people with disabilities. Representative Johnson also urged colleagues to consider the law’s potential harms to workplace access and training. The House adopted an amendment filed by Representative Johnson (amendment 4) during debate and then passed the bill on final reading.

Lawmakers also debated and passed Senate Bill 12-74, legislation that sets up a state permitting framework for coal combustion residual (CCR) disposal units and adjusts fee structures for the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC). Chairman Todd said the bill creates a state-level CCR landfill permit program to pursue primacy rather than leave oversight solely to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Representative Pearson and other members raised environmental justice and community concerns tied to coal ash disposal and the Tennessee Valley Authority’s sites; Todd said the measure is intended to keep regulatory authority in-state while meeting federal minimums.

The House approved Senate Bill 5-47 to create a public-safety fund for district attorneys analogous to an existing fund for public defenders, and advanced a vocational-opportunity measure (Senate Bill 13-88) aimed at expanding vending and contracting opportunities for vocational-rehabilitation…