Tennessee House Bill HB2515

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/3/26

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 11; Title 64; Title 67 and Title 68, relative to solid waste management.

Summary

HB2515 makes a narrow change to Tennessee’s solid waste management reporting requirements. The bill amends Tennessee Code Annotated § 68-211-107(c) to allow the Department of Environment and Conservation to authorize facilities to submit certain required reports in electronic format, rather than only in paper or another non-electronic form. The measure does not change the underlying reporting obligation; it only gives the department discretion to permit electronic filing. The bill applies to facilities subject to the solid waste reporting requirements in Title 68 and would take effect July 1, 2026. By modernizing the reporting process, it is intended to reduce administrative burden and improve efficiency for both regulated facilities and the department. Because the bill is limited to a reporting-format change, it does not appear to alter substantive solid waste standards, permitting rules, or enforcement authority.

Impact

The bill amends Tennessee Code Annotated § 68-211-107(c) within the state’s solid waste management laws to expressly permit the Department of Environment and Conservation to authorize electronic submission of required reports. This gives the department flexibility to implement e-reporting for covered facilities, potentially affecting waste management operators, regulated facilities, and agency administrative procedures, but it does not create new reporting duties or penalties.

Sentiment

No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, and the bill text itself is highly technical and limited in scope. Based on the language, the measure appears to be a routine administrative modernization bill with little evident controversy. The likely sentiment is neutral to favorable, especially among those who support streamlined government reporting and reduced paperwork.

Contention

No specific points of contention are documented in the provided materials. If any concerns were raised, they would most likely relate to implementation details such as whether electronic reporting is optional or mandatory once authorized, data security, access for smaller facilities, or the department’s discretion in approving electronic formats. However, the available record does not show any identified opposition or debate on those issues.