More than 20 new laws take effect in the new year. From creating new sales tax exemptions for farmers to giving relatives of foster children extra money to assist in caregiving, here are a few highlights.
Last session the General Assembly approved legislation that exempts farmers from sales tax on items and services used for agriculture, including building materials, repair services, and labor, among other expenses. Estimates show the tax break will total $2.8 million and will mirror reductions that other manufacturers in Tennessee currently get.
Another new law will reimburse eligible relatives of foster youth to support the cost of raising the child. It also expands eligibility to allow 18 to 21 years olds transitioning from state custody to adulthood to continue accessing foster services.
Senate Republicans released a summary of some of the new laws in a press release, touting the bills they helped sponsor.
Among them was a new law to address human trafficking from Sen. Becky Massey, R-Knoxville. It requires the Department of Correction, Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, and the Department of Human Services to work with a nonprofits to provide mandatory training to the appropriate personnel on the identification, intervention, prevention and treatment of human trafficking victims.
The training must be selected by the Human Trafficking Advisory Council and administered annually starting in 2023.
Other measures include a consumer protection law to make canceling online subscription services easier — mandating that businesses provide a clear way to discontinue a subscription. And another adds a layer of privacy for Tennesseans who don’t want their name to appear in the home ownership field of online databases. A person can no request to have their name removed and last name appear as “unlisted.”
The Tennessee General Assembly will reconvene for its 113th session on Jan. 10, 2023.
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