Here are 10 Tennessee laws taking effect in 2024 that you may have missed

As always Jan. 1, new laws took effect, at the start of the new year.

One of the biggest changes you may notice will be in convenience stores. Those Delta-8 gummies many people enjoy will now be required to have labels on their packaging, and the people who manufacture and distribute them will also be required to get a license to do so. 

And for those still texting while driving, a new law aims to break the habit. Moving forward, anyone 18 or older will receive four points on their driving record for their first and second violation, and five points for strike No. 3 and any that follow. Those points impact how much you pay for your insurance, and they take two years to fall off. 

Here’s a list of more laws that just took effect:

SENATE BILL 856  The new law puts in place a grant program that goes toward easing the cost to employers that provide workers’ compensation for firefighters with PTSD.

SENATE BILL 722  Enacts the “Keeping Children Safe from Family Violence Act.” The act ensures that judges involved in child custody proceedings to complete training on domestic violence and child abuse. The goal is to make sure children are placed in a safe home, when there has been a presence of domestic violence.

SENATE BILL 125  Corrects a boundary dispute between Shelby County and Fayette County.

HOUSE BILL 1031  Creates the Inmate Disciplinary Oversight Board for the purpose of granting or denying sentence credits for good institutional behavior. Gives the board the ability to determine whether sentence credits previously awarded should be removed for commission of certain disciplinary offenses.

HOUSE BILL 1120  Requires the Department of Children’s Services to make chaplain services available on a regular basis to juveniles who are housed in a youth development center.

SENATE BILL 814 Requires the Department of Correction to provide an inmate who is discharged from imprisonment for a felony offense documentation to assist them in obtaining post-release employment.

SENATE BILL 589  Establishes how many points will be charged to a person’s driving record when in violation of driving while using a wireless device.

SENATE BILL 378  Establishes regulations on hemp-derived cannabinoid products. Also establishes licensing for businesses that manufacture and sell these products.

SENATE BILL 360  Authorizes the Department of Safety to create a voucher program for the purpose of offsetting the cost to people taking a handgun safety course for the first time.

SENATE BILL 258  Restricts usage of geotagging a breathalyzer to when initial startup test, a random retest, or a skipped test occurs, or when circumvention of the device is detected.