Image Credit: State Representative Michele Reneau / Facebook & Antony-22 / CC
The Tennessee Conservative [By Olivia Lupia] –
Representative Michele Reneau (R-Signal Mountain-District 27) has introduced several pieces of legislation for the 2026 session seeking to cut red tape, support law enforcement, protect food freedoms, as she builds upon her “Constitutional Liberty” agenda.
In an effort to ease some bureaucratic burdens on families seeking to adopt, Reneau has introduced HB1692 which would allow a court to waive the home study required for adoption if the child has already resided in the prospective adoptive parent’s home for six months.
Current law permits the court to waive the home study requirement if the child is being adopted by “related persons”, but Reneau’s bill will expand these provisions, allowing the court to extend the waiver if “the child has already resided in the home of the petitioners for six (6) months” and it is in the best interest of the child.
“Tennessee should make adoption easier, cheaper, and less cumbersome for qualified families—while always keeping the best interest of the child front and center. HB1692 removes unnecessary, duplicative hurdles when a child has already been living safely and stably in a prospective adoptive home. It preserves judicial oversight and safeguards but shortens the path to permanency so children aren’t left in legal limbo longer than necessary,” Reneau told The Tennessee Conservative.
Senator Ferrell Haile has filed the corresponding Senate bill, SB1751, which is awaiting a committee assignment.
Another bill from Reneau would allow specially trained emergency medical personnel to provide emergency care to injured canine first responders and transport them to veterinary facilities.
Dubbed the “Tennessee K-9 Emergency Medical Care and Transport Act”, HB1694, will establish requirements for a licensed veterinarian to serve as an emergency veterinary medicine service director and approve a program to train emergency medical services (EMS) personnel to transport and provide emergency care to a K9 first responder injured in the line of duty.
After completing the proper training, EMS personnel may transport a canine first responder injured in the line of duty to a veterinary clinic, veterinary hospital, or other similar facility so long as there is not a person who requires medical attention or transport at that time. They will also be allowed to administer emergency care to the injured canine while at the scene of the injury or while in transport.
Additionally, the EMS personnel who act in good faith to provide the emergency K9 care would be immune from criminal or civil liability for any injury or harm caused to the injured canine first responder or in the case that they refuse to provide care to or transport the injured canine.
Reneau is also proposing an amendment to the Tennessee Constitution which would reiterate the right of citizens to source their food how they see fit.
HJR0780 states that “All individuals have a natural, inherent, and unalienable right to save and exchange seeds; and to acquire and consume the food of their own choosing, as long as an individual does not commit trespassing, theft, poaching, or other abuses of private property rights, public lands, or natural resources in the acquisition of seeds or food.”
It would also safeguard individuals’ rights to grow, raise, harvest, and produce the food of their own choosing on land that is not zoned for a particular use, that is zoned for agricultural or residential use, or a mixture of the two so long as the person does not commit a crime, like trespassing, theft, poaching, or abuse of private property rights, in doing so.
The proposal would ensure that the state is not limited in regulating or prohibiting the possession of seeds and growth, raising, and harvesting of plants which produce illegal substances.
Before a proposed amendment can appear on the ballot before voters, it must pass through the General Assembly with a simple majority the first year it is introduced and then passed through again the following year with a 2/3 majority. It can then be referred to the public ballot, but only in a year with a governor’s election.
All three of Rep. Reneau’s bills are currently awaiting committee assignments for consideration.
About the Author: Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
One Response
All sound good.