Senate Bill 2162, also known as House Bill 2616, amends Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 8-44-102, to establish guidelines for executive sessions held by governing bodies when interviewing applicants for director-level staff positions. The new subsection (e) allows governing bodies to conduct these sessions without public notice, prohibits decision-making during the session, and mandates that all deliberations and votes occur in an open, publicly noticed meeting. The minutes of the executive session must record all attendees, excluding the job applicants, and attendance is restricted to governing body members, relevant staff, and the applicants themselves.

Additionally, the bill stipulates that applicants may request confidentiality for their application materials, which will not be publicly accessible unless the applicant is selected for employment. In such cases, the selected applicant's interview and application may be subject to public records requests. However, the applications and interviews of applicants who are not selected will remain confidential upon request. The bill defines "director-level" positions as those filled by the mayor or governing body vote, excluding the chief of police, and positions that have authority over departmental operations. The act will take effect upon becoming law.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 8-44-102
Amended with HA1101 -- 04/14/2026: 8-44-102