Tennessee House Bill HB1591

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/13/26
• Refer: 1/21/26
• Refer: 2/2/26
• Engrossed: 2/9/26
• Enrolled: 2/10/26
• Passed: 2/25/26
• Chaptered: 3/16/26

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4, Chapter 26 and Title 4, Chapter 29, relative to the office of business enterprise.

Summary

HB1591 makes a technical change to Tennessee law governing the Office of Business Enterprise. The bill removes the office from one list of state entities in Title 4, Chapter 29 and adds it to another list in the same chapter, while referencing the office as created in Title 4, Chapter 26. In practical terms, the measure appears to update statutory cross-references and the roster of state boards, commissions, and offices subject to those provisions rather than creating a new program or changing the office’s core duties. The bill takes effect immediately upon becoming law, reflecting a standard administrative cleanup or reclassification measure. Because the text is limited to amendments to state code listings, its direct legal impact is narrow and focused on the Office of Business Enterprise’s placement within Tennessee’s statutory framework and any reporting, sunset, or administrative requirements tied to the affected chapter provisions.

Impact

HB1591 amends Tennessee Code Annotated Title 4 by deleting the Office of Business Enterprise from one subsection of § 4-29-247 and adding it to § 4-29-251. The effect is to revise how the office is categorized under state law, likely affecting whether it remains listed among entities subject to certain administrative provisions in Title 4, Chapter 29. The bill does not appear to alter the office’s substantive authority, but it does change the statutory structure governing state offices and agencies.

Sentiment

The available voting history suggests the bill was noncontroversial and broadly supported. It passed the House Government Operations Committee unanimously and later passed on the House floor by consent calendar with 94 yeas and no nays. No committee transcript is available, but the unanimous votes indicate general agreement that the bill was a routine technical or housekeeping measure.

Contention

There is little evidence of substantive contention around HB1591. The bill’s narrow scope and unanimous committee and floor votes suggest no major disagreement over policy. Any discussion likely centered on the administrative placement of the Office of Business Enterprise within the Tennessee Code rather than on the office’s mission, powers, or funding.