Tennessee House Bill HB2561

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/3/26

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4, Chapter 29, Part 2; Title 4, Chapter 3 and Title 68, Chapter 204, Part 1, relative to state energy councils.

Summary

HB2561 is a narrow administrative bill concerning Tennessee’s state energy councils. It amends Tennessee Code Annotated Section 68-204-108 to allow the annual comprehensive reports required of the councils to be submitted electronically rather than only in paper form. The bill does not change the substantive duties of the councils, their membership, or their policy authority; it simply modernizes the reporting process. The measure is framed as a housekeeping update to the state’s energy-council reporting requirements. By expressly permitting electronic submission, it aligns the statute with current document-handling practices and may reduce administrative burden, printing costs, and filing delays for the affected councils and state agencies that receive the reports.

Impact

The bill makes a limited change to Tennessee law by amending Title 68, Chapter 204, Part 1 to authorize electronic filing of annual comprehensive reports from the state energy councils. It does not alter the structure of the councils or any energy policy mandates, but it does affect the reporting obligations of the councils and the administrative procedures of the state offices that oversee them. The act takes effect immediately upon becoming law.

Sentiment

The available record shows no recorded committee debate, votes, or opposition, suggesting the bill was likely noncontroversial and procedural in nature. The wording of the bill indicates a practical, technical adjustment rather than a policy dispute, and there is no evidence in the provided materials of divided sentiment among lawmakers or stakeholders.

Contention

No specific points of contention are reflected in the provided transcripts or voting history, because none are available. If any concern existed, it would most likely have centered on administrative implementation details such as whether electronic submission is sufficient for recordkeeping or whether agencies needed to maintain paper copies, but the bill text itself suggests a straightforward modernization with little apparent controversy.