Tennessee House Bill HB2640

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/23/26
• Refer: 3/2/26
• Refer: 3/23/26
• Refer: 3/31/26
• Engrossed: 4/13/26
• Enrolled: 4/20/26
• Passed: 5/21/26
• Chaptered: 5/27/26

Caption

AN ACT to repeal Chapter 313 of the Private Acts of 1949; as amended by Chapter 679 of the Private Acts of 1949; Chapter 398 of the Private Acts of 1951; Chapter 219 of the Private Acts of 1953; Chapter 170 of the Private Acts of 1953; Chapter 111 of the Private Acts of 1963; Chapter 19 of the Private Acts of 1963; Chapter 366 of the Private Acts of 1968; Chapter 74 of the Private Acts of 1969; Chapter 274 of the Private Acts of 1974; Chapter 138 of the Private Acts of 1975; Chapter 306 of the Private Acts of 1982; Chapter 143 of the Private Acts of 1988; Chapter 1 of the Private Acts of 1991; Chapter 161 of the Private Acts of 1996; Chapter 29 of the Private Acts of 2003; Chapter 72 of the Private Acts of 2004 and Chapter 1 of the Private Acts of 2023, and any other acts amendatory thereto, relative to the Hamblen County Highway Department.

Summary

HB2640 is a local private act affecting the Hamblen County Highway Department. It repeals a long chain of prior private acts governing the county’s road system, with the repeal taking effect on August 31, 2028. The bill abolishes the existing Hamblen County Road Commission on that date and provides that any vacancies occurring before then will not be filled, while preserving the terms of current members until their terms expire. The bill replaces the commission-based structure with an elected Road Superintendent. Beginning with the regular August election in 2028 and every four years thereafter, Hamblen County voters will elect a Road Superintendent who will serve a four-year term and assume office on September 1. The superintendent will have the powers and duties provided under Tennessee’s County Uniform Highway Law, and may also, at the superintendent’s discretion, oversee the county sanitation department if the county legislative body approves any supplemental salary for that added responsibility. Purchasing for the highway department will also be governed by the County Uniform Highway Law and other applicable county purchasing laws.

Impact

The bill substantially restructures Hamblen County’s local highway governance by repealing multiple private acts dating from 1949 through 2023 and shifting authority from a road commission to a single elected road superintendent. It aligns the county highway department more closely with the County Uniform Highway Law in Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 54, Chapter 7, and leaves compensation, supplemental duties, and related approvals to the Hamblen County legislative body where specified. Because it is a private act, it has no effect unless approved by a two-thirds vote of the Hamblen County legislative body.

Sentiment

The available voting history shows strong, unanimous support at every stage, with committee recommendations for passage and floor votes passing without opposition. The bill moved through the House Private Acts Committee, House State & Local Government Committee, and the floor on consent calendar, indicating broad agreement and little visible controversy in the legislative process. No committee transcript is available, but the recorded votes suggest the measure was viewed favorably as a local government reorganization.

Contention

There is little evidence of substantive contention in the legislative record provided, as all recorded votes were unanimous and no committee discussion is included. The main policy choice embedded in the bill is the replacement of a road commission with a single elected superintendent, which could raise questions about local control, administrative efficiency, and the future role of the sanitation department. Any potential concern would likely center on the transition away from the existing commission structure and the added discretion to oversee sanitation, but no opposition is reflected in the available materials.