Tennessee legislation · 114th General Assembly
Tennessee HB2616: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 8, relative to executive sessions for consideration of employment by a governing body.
Status: Chaptered, May 27, 2026
Fiscal Summary NOT SIGNIFICANT Bill Summary This bill authorizes an executive session to be conducted by a governing body to interview applicants for employment as director-level staff of the body, and public notice of such an executive session is not required. The minutes of such sessions must disclose all of the people who were in attendance, except for job applicants who attend for the purpose of being interviewed by said body. Attendance to the session is limited to members of the governing body, relevant staff invited by the body, and job applicants. Further, in order to review and consider the contents of an application for employment or appointment by the governing body, a job applicant may request that the applicant's application remain confidential. This bill prohibits decisions pertaining to the consideration of employment from being made in the executive session. Instead, such decisions must be deliberated and voted on in an open, publicly noticed meeting. Upon being selected for employment or appointment, the selected applicant's interview, if recorded, and application may be subject to a public records request. The application and interview of applicants not selected must remain confidential upon request. ON APRIL 14, 2026, THE HOUSE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED HOUSE BILL 2616, AS AMENDED. AMENDMENT #1 rewrites the bill to, instead, authorize a governing body to conduct an executive session for the purpose of interviewing applicants for employment as director-level staff of the body without providing public notice of such session. However, the governing body is prohibited from making hiring decisions or deliberating in such session. All deliberation and voting must be done in an open, publicly notice meeting. Attendance at any executive session for the purpose of interviewing applicants must be limit
What the bill says
From the amended text:
House State & Local Government 1 Amendment No. 1 to HB2616 Crawford Signature of Sponsor AMEND S e n ate Bill No. 2162* House Bill No. 2616 by deleting all language after the enacting clause and substituting: SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 8-44-102, is amended by adding the following as a new subsection: (e) (1) A governing body may conduct an executive session for the purpose of interviewing applicants for employment as director-level staff of the body. A governing body conducting an executive session pursuant to this subsection (e): (A) Is not required to provide public notice of such executive session; (B) Shall not make hiring decisions or deliberate in the executive session. All deliberation and voting must be done in an open, publicly noticed meeting; (C) Shall cause the minutes of such session to disclose all persons who were in attendance, except the applicants who attend for the purpose of being interviewed by the governing body; (D) Shall limit attendance to members of the governing body, relevant staff invited by the body, and the applicants; (E) Shall treat an applicant's application materials as confidential, and such materials are not open to public inspection, upon request by the applicant; and (F) Shall treat the selected applicant's interview, if recorded, and application materials as public records, subject to a public …