Tennessee House Bill HB1605

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/13/26
• Refer: 1/21/26
• Refer: 2/2/26
• Chaptered: 3/16/26
• Passed: 3/16/26

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4, Chapter 29 and Title 64, Chapter 1, Part 7, relative to the Tellico Reservoir development agency.

Summary

HB1605 makes a narrow technical change to Tennessee law governing the Tellico Reservoir Development Agency. The bill removes the agency from one section of the Tennessee Code that lists entities subject to a particular statutory provision and adds it to another section that lists entities recognized under the state’s public corporation and authority framework. In practical terms, the measure updates the agency’s placement in the code without changing its core mission or creating a new program. The bill is tied to Title 64, Chapter 1, Part 7, which concerns the Tellico Reservoir Development Agency, and to Title 4, Chapter 29, which governs state boards, commissions, and authorities. Its effect is to conform the agency’s statutory treatment so that it is properly included in the relevant list of state-created entities. The act takes effect immediately upon becoming law.

Impact

HB1605 amends Tennessee Code Annotated to delete the Tellico Reservoir Development Agency from one statutory listing and add it to another, thereby updating how the agency is categorized under state law. The bill affects the agency’s legal status within the state’s framework for boards and authorities, but it does not appear to alter the agency’s powers, duties, funding, or operations beyond this codification change.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have been noncontroversial and received strong support. It passed the House Government Operations Committee 10-0 and later passed the House on the consent calendar by a vote of 93-0, indicating broad agreement that the measure was a routine technical correction rather than a substantive policy change.

Contention

There is little evidence of contention around HB1605. No committee transcript discussion is provided, and the unanimous committee and floor votes suggest that legislators viewed the bill as a housekeeping measure to align the code with the Tellico Reservoir Development Agency’s proper statutory placement. Any potential concern would likely have been limited to the administrative classification of the agency rather than to policy disagreements.