Tennessee House Bill HB0098

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/13/25
• Refer: 1/16/25
• Refer: 2/26/25
• Refer: 3/5/25

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 13, Chapter 26, relative to human resource agencies.

Summary

HB0098 amends Tennessee law governing human resource agencies by revising the state matching formula for local government contributions. Under current law, once a local board is created and local governments agree to fund it through a per-capita assessment, the state may provide matching funds. This bill updates the statutory schedule so that the state contribution is tied to the level of local assessment, with set annual state amounts for three assessment ranges: 1–20 cents per capita, 21–30 cents per capita, and 31 cents or more per capita. In practical terms, the bill is a funding and administration measure for human resource agencies created under Title 13, Chapter 26. It does not create a new program or change eligibility rules for services; instead, it adjusts how much state money may be provided to support these local agencies when participating local governments commit funding. The act takes effect immediately upon becoming law because of the stated public welfare need.

Impact

The bill amends Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 13-26-107(c), changing the state’s statutory matching contribution amounts for local human resource agencies. It affects the fiscal relationship between the state and local governments that establish and fund these agencies, and it may increase or standardize state appropriations tied to local per-capita assessments. The measure primarily impacts local boards, county and municipal governments participating in human resource agency funding, and the state agencies responsible for administering the matching payments.

Sentiment

The available voting history shows strong support and no recorded opposition in committee, with unanimous or near-unanimous favorable recommendations in both the House Cities & Counties Subcommittee and the House State & Local Government Committee. There is no committee transcript indicating controversy, and the bill appears to have been treated as a routine funding adjustment for an existing local service structure. Overall sentiment in the available record is positive and noncontroversial.

Contention

No substantive points of contention are reflected in the available materials. The bill moved forward unanimously in committee, suggesting agreement on the need to update the state match for human resource agencies. Any potential concerns would likely relate to the fiscal impact on the state budget or the fairness of the new contribution tiers, but no member objections or competing viewpoints are documented in the provided record.