Capitol Roundup: Rep. Reneau Supports Free Speech, Constitutional Rights, and Public Safety

It's been another busy week at the State Capitol, and I wanted to share some important updates on legislation that affects our community. As always, your input guides my work in Nashville, and I'm grateful for your continued engagement.

Last week included one particularly intense day where we were in House Chambers for nearly 8 hours to vote on a backlog of bills. With three days of House sessions, we made significant progress on important pieces of legislation. Here are some notable bills:

Bills I Supported

Protecting Constitutional Freedoms

House Bill 1270 – Free Speech Protections (Co-Sponsor)

This year, I introduced legislation in response to an incident at Soddy Daisy Middle School, where a biological male substitute teacher instructed students to refer to him using feminine pronouns. The issue highlighted a clear need for legislative action, and Leader Cochran introduced a similar bill with the same goal in mind.

In working closely with Leader Cochran and Education Committee Chairman White, I made the strategic decision to table my original bill and co-sponsor HB 1270. This legislation ensures that students, state employees, and contractors cannot be compelled to use pronouns that conflict with a person’s biological sex. It safeguards the right to free speech and protects individuals from being forced to say something that goes against their beliefs—particularly in our schools and government institutions.

House Bill 1332 – Handgun Carry Permit Compliance

Brings Tennessee law into alignment with the federal court ruling Beeler v. Long, allowing 18- to 20-year-olds to lawfully obtain a handgun carry permit. A small win for the 2nd Amendment!  

House Bill 318 – Tennessee Sovereignty Protection (Co-Sponsor)

This bill affirms that the World Health Organization, United Nations, and World Economic Forum have no jurisdiction in Tennessee, and the state cannot be compelled to enforce their mandates. This protects Tennessee's right to self-govern and ensures that decisions affecting our citizens are made by elected leaders—not global organizations.

Strengthening Public Safety

House Bill 1314 – Threats of Mass Violence

Creates a new criminal offense for threatening mass violence that a reasonable person would conclude to be declaring intent and for posting someone's personal address or contact info online with the intent to cause harm. This helps prevent violence by addressing online threats and doxxing before harm occurs.

House Bill 571 – Women's Safety and Protection Act (Co-Sponsor)

Ensures women and girls are protected from sexual assault, harassment, and violence in places where they have historically been guaranteed safety—such as prisons, shelters, and schools. I was honored to welcome Riley Gaines to the Capitol where she was recognized for her advocacy in this area with a House Resolution. This legislation reinforces common-sense safeguards for vulnerable women and girls in sensitive environments.

House Bill 833 – Illegal Alien Criminal Activity Report (Co-Sponsor)

Requires the Department of Safety's immigration enforcement division to report on criminal activity involving illegal aliens in Tennessee, promoting transparency and informed policy decisions related to public safety.

House Bill 811 – Accountability for Long-Term Housing of Illegal Immigrants

This bill holds non-governmental organizations accountable if they knowingly provide long-term housing to undocumented individuals who then harm Tennessee citizens, while exempting temporary shelter stays. This strengthens public safety by ensuring accountability for those enabling harmful activity through negligence.

Supporting Education and Families

House Bill 85 – Recess for Elementary Students

Seeks to improve academic outcomes and student wellbeing by increasing physical activity with 60 minutes of daily recess for elementary school children.

House Bill 1377 – Parental Transparency in Reading Levels

Mandates that a student's report card includes a statement of their current reading grade level. This keeps parents informed and empowered to support their child's literacy progress.

House Bill 411 – TennCare Coverage for PANDAS/PANS

Ensures children diagnosed with PANDAS or PANS receive treatment coverage under TennCare, supporting early intervention and care for children with rare but serious neurological conditions.

House Bill 1356 – Supporting Kinship Placements

This bill allows the Department of Children's Services to access closed adoption records solely to identify biological siblings for possible placement when a child enters foster care. This helps keep siblings together during difficult times and strengthens family connections for children in foster care.

Promoting Core Values and Responsible Governance

House Bill 327 – Celebrating Core American Values (Co-Sponsor)

This bill designates June, July, and August in Tennessee as months to honor life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness—June for the Celebration of Life, July for Liberty, and August for the Pursuit of Happiness. This affirms the foundational values that unite us as Americans and Tennesseans.

House Bill 622 – Merit-Based Hiring in Government and Higher Education (Co-Sponsor)

Prohibits hiring decisions in state government and public higher education based on diversity, equity, or inclusion (DEI) quotas, reinforcing merit-based hiring and equal opportunity, free from discriminatory practices.

House Bills 1407-1409 – Tennessee's Balanced Budget (FY 2025–26)

The General Assembly passed a $59.8 billion balanced budget focused on infrastructure, public safety, education, rural health care, and disaster relief. It includes strategic adjustments to manage long-term obligations while meeting the needs of Tennesseans.

House Bill 445 – Restoration of Citizenship Rights

This bill streamlines the process for individuals with felony convictions to restore certain rights—like voting and jury service—in a hope of reducing recidivism while maintaining necessary conditions and oversight. This balances justice with redemption, offering a path back to civic participation for those who have paid their debt to society.  Some felon are not eligible for this process such as those convicted of first degree murder or aggravated rape.

Bills Where I Voted Present Not Voting

House Bill 87 – Learning Pod Protection Act

This bill prohibits state and local governments from regulating learning pods—voluntary groups where parents join together to support their children's education. While I support educational freedom and homeschool, I voted Present Not Voting on this bill due to concerns raised by some homeschool families about overreach. Proponents of the bill said that it ensures that groups of homeschoolers who gather in each others' homes or a local church, for example, would not be considered daycares.  However, children in a variety of schooling models go over to each other's homes.  This bill codifies the state, local governments, and LEAs have the right to create a law, rule, policy, guideline, or standard over learning pods, including those concerning health and safety.  Part of a less government approach not opening the door to more rules and policies.  As this bill did pass, I will continue to watch for increased regulation that might occur and to see that homeschool families are not burdened.

House Bill 1293 – Repeal of Records Request Restrictions

This bill repeals an end date that allowed a judge to restrict abusive public records requests under the Freedom of Information Act—but potentially allowed officials to silence citizens under the guise of disruption. I voted Present not Voting because I recognize there can be bad actors; however, repealing this law as it stood risks suppressing legitimate government oversight. Repealing this law could violate citizens’ right to transparency to ensure public records remain accessible for accountability.

Bills I Opposed

House Bill 1306 – Housing Development on Brownfields

This bill allows for affordable housing to be built on former industrial or contaminated sites known as brownfields. While I agree these lands should be cleaned up and repurposed, I opposed this bill out of concern for the potential long-term health risks to vulnerable populations like the elderly, disabled, and lower to moderate income this bill targeted. We must prioritize health and safety when deciding where to build homes—especially for our most vulnerable citizens. Brownfields often take decades or longer for contaminates to be remediated to the point that buildings can safely be placed on them without funneling the substance into the structure, much like radon does. 

House Bill 855 – Elimination of Party Caucuses

This bill prohibits political parties from holding caucuses to nominate candidates. While I personally do not prefer caucuses, I opposed this bill because it represents an alarming intrusion by the government into how private political organizations operate. The state should not dictate the internal processes of political parties—it's a dangerous precedent for freedom of association.

House Bill 1325 – The Farmland Preservation Act

This bill establishes a state-funded program to buy perpetual conservation easements on private farmland through nonprofits. While I support responsible conservation of Tennessee's farmland and natural resources, I opposed this bill because it creates perpetual (forever) easements without clear rules, criteria for selection, or safeguards for landowners.

Some states with similar programs are now walking them back after seeing unintended consequences—like inflexibility, loss of agricultural productivity, and permanent restrictions that can hurt the very land they were meant to protect. Once a perpetual easement is placed—especially when tied to a tax break—it cannot be undone, even if circumstances change. I believe in conservation, but I also believe in getting it right, which is why I voted NO on HB1325.

Looking Ahead

Next week will be the final week of this legislative session. We anticipate more long days as we work to complete the people's business before adjourning. I remain committed to carefully reviewing each piece of legislation and voting in alignment with our district's values.

Let's Stay Connected

Your feedback shapes my work at the Capitol! I welcome your thoughts on these or any other legislative matters affecting our district. Please don't hesitate to reach out to my office by phone at (615) 741-2746 or by email at Rep.Michele.Reneau@capitol.tn.gov.

It's an honor representing you in Nashville. Together, we can ensure our community's values are reflected in state policy.