Newspapers and Publications - As enacted, requires the Tennessee advisory commission on intergovernmental relations (TACIR) to conduct a study to determine if newspapers of general circulation remain the most efficient a, the official text

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                            PUBLIC CHAPTER NO. 1137

                                                   SENATE BILL NO. 2450

                                                             By Powers

                                           Substituted for: House Bill No. 2114

                                                     By Crawford, Cepicky

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 1, Chapter 3 and Title 8, Chapter 44, relative to
          public notices.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:

          SECTION 1. The Tennessee advisory commission on intergovernmental relations (TACIR)
shall conduct a study to determine if newspapers of general circulation remain the most efficient and
effective manner for governments to provide the public with transparent and accessible information.
TACIR shall also examine how the efficiency of public notice methods has changed historically as
part of the study.

          SECTION 2. TACI R shall further study how the public has historically obtained its news and
information compared to today. This comparison must include how the number of newspapers has
changed in Tennessee, how their publication frequency has changed, and whether the number of
subscribers as a percentage of the population has changed historically.

          SECTION 3. TACIR shall examine the ability of governmental entities to create public notice
systems, including their ability to maintain permanent public archives, protect against data
corruption, and ensure independent verification of publication. This examination must also include
the review of the costs associated with governmental entities maintaining online public notice
platforms.

          SECTION 4. TACIR shall review all governmental and public entities to determine the
amount of taxpayer money used to meet newspaper publication requirements in this state. The
study shall also examine whether citizens should be required to pay a subscription fee to access
information that is intended to provide notice and transparency of governmental actions.

          SECTION 5. TACI R shall study how the availability of broadband access in states, especially
in rural communities, affects the publication of online public notices.

          SECTION 6. TACIR shall review public notice practices in other states and any available
trends or advances in technology. The review must include whether any new practices have affected
transparency, government accountability, the impact on rural communities, or civic participation in
those states.

          SECTION 7. TACIR shall consult with interested parties regarding all issues cited in this
study. The interested parties include, but are not limited to, local governments, newspaper
publishers, the Tennessee Press Association, representatives from rural communities, governmental
entities in other states that use online public notice, and open government advocates.

          SECTION 8. TACIR may request information and input from state and local governmental
entities, as necessary, and such entities must comply with TACIR's request. The study must be
conducted from TACIR's existing resources.

          SECTION 9. Upon completion of the study, TACIR shall report its findings and
recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the chair of the state and local government
committee of the senate and the chair of the committee of the house of representatives having
SB 2450
jurisdiction over subject matters pertaining to state and local government, and provide a copy of the
report to the legislative librarian. The report may be delivered electronically.

          SECTION 10. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.

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         SENATE BILL NO. 2450

PASSED:  April 22, 2026

                                             RANDY McllALLY
                                SPEAKER OF THE StNATE

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                          CAMERONSEXTON,SPEAKER
                         HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

APPROVED this ;;J;lve) day of r::Yk,u fl  2026

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                      BILL LEE, GOVERNOR