Tennessee House Bill HB0950

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/4/25
• Refer: 2/10/25

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4, Chapter 3, Part 5; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 11; Title 43, Chapter 24 and Title 68, Chapter 201, relative to environmental protection.

Summary

HB0950 creates a new Urban Green Space Development Fund within the state treasury and directs the Department of Environment and Conservation to use the fund to award grants to local governments and private nonprofit organizations. The grants would be limited to the fee simple purchase of, or purchase of protective interests in, green space located in urban areas. The bill defines green space broadly to include land with natural, historic, scenic, scientific, social, or recreational value, and expressly includes community gardens. The bill sets out eligibility and administration rules for grant funding. Private nonprofits would have to provide nonstate matching funds, which may include cash or certain noncash contributions such as bargain sales or donated land. Eligible costs include land acquisition, improvements, conservation easements, appraisals, environmental reports, surveys, title work, insurance, and other closing costs. For closed acquisitions, applicants would have to show the purchase occurred within the prior 12 months and that there was an identifiable threat to the resource at the time of purchase. Nonprofit grantees would also have to grant the local government a perpetual easement restricting future use or development of the property for purposes other than green space. The bill also authorizes the department to accept gifts and grants for the fund, allows investment of fund balances, and provides that interest and unspent balances remain in the fund rather than reverting to the general fund. Grant recipients would be subject to audit by the comptroller of the treasury. In addition, the bill amends the air-quality statute to require the department to establish a program that incentivizes community-led projects that improve air quality. The bill’s impact on state law is to add a new environmental grant program and a related air-quality initiative, while also creating new administrative duties for the Department of Environment and Conservation. It would not itself appropriate money; funding could only be spent if specifically appropriated in the general appropriations act. The effective date is delayed until January 1, 2026 for most purposes, with rulemaking authority effective upon enactment. There is no recorded committee transcript or vote history provided, so there is no documented legislative debate or formal sentiment in the available materials. Based on the bill text alone, the measure appears generally pro-conservation and pro-community investment, with the main policy emphasis on urban land preservation, public access, and local environmental improvement.

Impact

The bill would add a new state grant program for urban green space acquisition and conservation, administered by the Department of Environment and Conservation, and would require the department to create a community-led air-quality incentive program. It would affect state treasury fund management, grant administration, nonprofit matching requirements, local government easements, and audit oversight, while leaving implementation contingent on future appropriations.

Sentiment

No committee discussion or vote data is available, so the record does not show measured support or opposition. The bill’s text suggests a generally favorable policy posture toward environmental protection, urban land conservation, community gardens, and air-quality improvements.

Contention

No specific points of contention are documented in the provided materials. Potential areas that could draw scrutiny, based on the text, include the lack of an automatic appropriation, the requirement that nonprofits provide matching funds, the perpetual easement requirement on acquired property, and the department’s discretion in setting grant priorities and rules.