Tennessee House Bill HB0895

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/4/25
• Refer: 2/6/25

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 11, Chapter 13 and Title 68, relative to scenic rivers.

Summary

HB0895 makes targeted changes to Tennessee’s scenic rivers laws. It adds language to the state’s scenic rivers chapter stating that the chapter is not intended to be used to circumvent laws, zoning ordinances, or binding legal precedent involving property rights, boundary expansion, or land acquisitions. The bill also deletes several existing statutory provisions in Title 11 and Title 68 that relate to scenic rivers and related environmental or land-use restrictions. In practical terms, the bill narrows or clarifies how scenic river protections may be applied, especially where those protections could affect private property, local zoning, annexation or boundary changes, and land acquisition decisions. By repealing specific sections of the code, it removes certain statutory requirements or restrictions tied to scenic rivers, though the bill text does not include a detailed explanation of the repealed provisions' exact operational effects.

Impact

The bill amends Tennessee Code Annotated Title 11, Chapter 13 and Title 68 by inserting a limiting statement into the scenic rivers chapter and repealing three sections of law: T.C.A. §§ 11-13-111(b), 68-211-118, 68-212-120, and 68-212-223. These changes would reduce or eliminate some existing statutory constraints associated with scenic rivers and related land-use or environmental regulation, while expressly preserving the operation of other laws, zoning ordinances, and legal precedent concerning property rights and boundary or land-acquisition matters.

Sentiment

No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, so there is no direct evidence of debate or formal support/opposition in the supplied materials. Based on the bill text alone, the measure appears to reflect a policy preference for limiting scenic-river protections where they may conflict with property rights and local land-use authority. The overall tone of the legislation is corrective or clarifying rather than expansive.

Contention

The likely point of contention is the balance between scenic river conservation and private property or local government authority. Supporters would likely view the bill as preventing scenic-river rules from being used to override zoning, boundary changes, or land acquisitions, while opponents could argue that repealing sections of law weakens environmental protections or undermines existing scenic-river safeguards. Because no discussion transcript is available, the specific positions of legislators, agencies, landowners, or conservation interests are not documented in the provided record.