Tennessee House Bill HB1405

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/10/25
• Refer: 2/13/25
• Refer: 2/24/25
• Refer: 3/12/25
• Refer: 3/26/25
• Engrossed: 4/1/25
• Enrolled: 4/9/25
• Passed: 4/24/25
• Chaptered: 4/28/25

Caption

AN ACT to repeal Chapter 30 of the Private Acts of 1975 and Chapter 39 of the Private Acts of 1989, relative to the Bedford County road board.

Summary

HB1405 is a local/private act for Bedford County that repeals two earlier private acts from 1975 and 1989 governing the Bedford County road board. In their place, the bill creates the office of County Road Superintendent as the chief administrative officer of the county highway department, with responsibility for roads, highways, and bridges under the Tennessee County Uniform Highway Law. The bill sets out how the office will be filled and who may serve. The incumbent road superintendent remains in office until the end of the current term, and beginning with the August 2028 election, the superintendent will be elected by Bedford County voters every four years. The position is to be paid under general law, and candidates must meet general-law qualifications, including at least five years of full-time experience in highway or bridge construction work and good moral character. The act also provides that the existing road board continues only until current members’ terms expire, after which the board is abolished.

Impact

The bill changes Bedford County’s local road governance structure by eliminating the road board system established under prior private acts and shifting authority to an elected County Road Superintendent. It affects local administration of road, highway, bridge construction, maintenance, and repair, while tying the office to state general law and the Tennessee County Uniform Highway Law. The act is contingent on approval by a two-thirds vote of the Bedford County legislative body, and it preserves current officeholders until their terms end.

Sentiment

The available voting history shows strong and unanimous support throughout the legislative process, with committee votes of 10-0 and 23-0, a 94-0 floor passage on third consideration, and a 30-0 motion to adopt. There is no committee transcript indicating opposition or debate, and the bill appears to have moved as a routine local government reorganization measure. The lack of recorded dissent suggests broad agreement on the change in Bedford County’s road administration.

Contention

No notable contention is reflected in the available materials. The main structural change is the replacement of an appointed or board-based road governance model with an elected superintendent, but the bill includes transition language protecting incumbents and allowing the current road board to continue until terms expire. Any potential local concern would likely center on the shift in authority and the requirement of county legislative approval, but no opposition is shown in the recorded votes.