House Bill 1913, known as the "Regulatory Freedom Act of 2026," amends various provisions of the Tennessee Code Annotated related to administrative rules. Key changes include the requirement for agencies to prominently publish new or amended rules on their homepage and to notify relevant trade associations at least 45 days prior to public hearings. The bill introduces a definition for "fiscal impact statement," which estimates the actual cost of compliance for new or amended rules, and mandates that agencies generate these statements for rules anticipated to have a negative fiscal effect. Additionally, agencies must compile annual reports on the fiscal impacts of rules and submit them to various legislative leaders.

The bill also establishes new procedures for rules with significant fiscal impacts, including independent reviews by the fiscal review committee for rules with negative impacts exceeding $750,000. If a rule's fiscal impact exceeds $1 million, it requires approval from both houses of the legislature to take effect. Furthermore, the bill allows agencies to repeal rules before their expiration, provided they notify the secretary of state and legislative leaders, although this does not apply to rules expected to result in significant revenue loss. Lastly, it sets forth specific requirements for fiscal impact statements related to emergency rules, including deadlines for submission and conditions under which such rules may expire.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 4-5-203(a)(2), 4-5-203, 4-5-226, 4-5-208