New Tennessee law requires sexual assault and trafficking training for servers

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – Starting in 2025, bartenders and servers in Tennessee will be required to take part in trainings with the goal to make everybody feel safe while out on the town.

“Requirement for these server permits to holders to be trained in understanding the role of alcohol and sexual assault and harassment and recognizing the role of drugs and assault and strategies that can hopefully help prevent patron drugging and establishments,” Russell Thomas, the Executive Director of Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission said.

The trainings will teach servers what signs to look out for, as well as what they need to do whenever they notice something that doesn’t look right.

“To identify people that might be in distress or how to deal with conflict resolution as far as customers being inside your establishment and needing some assistance to feel safe,” Yee-Haw Brewery General Manager Charles Ellis said.

Places such as Yee-Haw Brewery have a safe bar initiative. This means they train their staff to look out for those signs and have measures in place for anybody who feels unsafe at the bar.

“All of our staff has been trained on how to spot somebody in need of assistance,” Ellis said. “If there seems kind of fishy, or if they need some help with some domestic issues, we’re trained to be able to help them out.”

One of the big changes this year will be the length of how long one can hold a serving license. The Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission says instead of every five years, they will need to renew every two years.

“By increasing the frequency of training that would increase the focus on preventing some of these things from occurring,” Thomas said.

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