House Bill 321 aims to modernize the acceptance of electronic communications within various departments and agencies of the Tennessee executive branch. The bill mandates that all executive entities must accept electronic transmissions of documents that could previously be submitted via fax. It introduces a definition for "electronic transmission," which encompasses various forms of digital communication but explicitly excludes fax and facsimile methods. Additionally, the bill encourages courts to develop procedures for the electronic filing of documents, thereby promoting efficiency and reducing costs associated with traditional communication methods.

The bill also includes numerous amendments across various sections of the Tennessee Code Annotated, replacing references to "fax," "facsimile," and "email" with "electronic transmission." This change reflects a shift towards a more unified and modern approach to document submission and communication in government processes. The act is set to take effect on January 1, 2026, ensuring that all relevant parties have adequate time to adapt to the new requirements.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 1-3-105(a), 1-3-105, 2-5-204(b)(2)(B), 2-5-204, 10-7-503(a)(7)(A)(i), 10-7-503, 16-1-113, 16-3-408, 47-18-2404(b), 47-18-2404, 56-5-123(a), 56-5-123, 63-1-160(e), 63-1-160, 67-5-1412(b)(2), 67-5-1412, 71-5-2404(c)(1)(B), 71-5-2404, 2-2-113(b), 2-2-113, 2-2-129(a)(1)(A), 2-2-129, 2-6-202(a)(3), 2-6-202, 2-6-202(b), 2-6-206(1), 2-6-206, 2-6-206(3), 2-10-105(h)(1), 2-10-105, 3-1-114, 4-3-1405(j)(1), 4-3-1405, 9-4-408(h), 9-4-408, 22-2-315(a)(2), 22-2-315, 22-2-317(a), 22-2-317, 24-7-116(f), 24-7-116, 24-7-121(a)(1)(B), 24-7-121, 24-7-121(b)(1), 31-4-106(g)(2), 31-4-106, 33-6-624(f)(4), 33-6-624, 36-3-609(b)(1), 36-3-609, 36-5-115(c)(1)(A), 36-5-115, 36-5-115(c)(1)(B), 36-5-501(m), 36-5-501, 36-5-807(b), 36-5-807, 36-5-907, 36-5-1002(c)(3), 36-5-1002, 38-1-402(b), 38-1-402, 40-6-109(e)(2)(C), 40-6-109, 40-27-110(c)(2), 40-27-110, 40-28-102(5), 40-28-102, 43-38-103(25), 43-38-103, 43-38-108(b), 43-38-108, 45-1-129, 47-18-2108(e), 47-18-2108, 48-11-308, 49-7-2105(a)(1)(C), 49-7-2105, 50-6-204(d)(4), 50-6-204, 54-1-505(b), 54-1-505, 62-76-104(b)(2), 62-76-104, 63-1-130(b)(2), 63-1-130, 67-3-704(c), 67-3-704, 67-3-801(d), 67-3-801, 67-3-808(b), 67-3-808, 67-5-1513(c), 67-5-1513, 67-5-1805(c)(4)(B)(i), 67-5-1805, 71-5-117(f), 71-5-117