Tennessee House Bill HB2642

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 amend Chapter 677 of the Private Acts of 1949; as amended by Chapter 434 of the Private Acts of 1968; and any other acts amendatory thereto, relative to the office of county attorney for Hamblen County.

Summary

HB2642 is a local private act for Hamblen County that revises the county’s law governing the office of county attorney. It amends prior private acts from 1949 and 1968 to reaffirm that the county attorney is a formally created office and to specify that the Hamblen County Commission elects the county attorney annually at its September meeting. The bill also updates compensation and expense provisions for the county attorney. It sets an annual retainer of $1,200, payable in monthly installments from county general funds, and allows additional reasonable compensation for legal services performed on behalf of the county, along with reimbursement for actual expenses. Those payments are subject to review by the county legislative body through the consent calendar, and expense claims must be itemized and certified under county financial policies. The act is contingent on approval by a two-thirds vote of the Hamblen County legislative body, meaning it does not take effect locally unless the county adopts it.

Impact

The bill amends only Hamblen County’s private local law, not the general laws of Tennessee. It changes the structure, selection process, and compensation framework for the county attorney office, while preserving county control over approval and payment oversight. Its practical effect is to update the county’s governing authority for legal services and clarify how the county attorney is selected and paid.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have been received very favorably, with unanimous or near-unanimous support at every recorded stage. It passed the House Private Acts Committee, the House State & Local Government Committee, and the House floor without any recorded opposition, including passage on the consent calendar. The voting history suggests the measure was viewed as routine and noncontroversial.

Contention

There is little evidence of substantive contention in the available record. The only potentially sensitive issue is the compensation structure for the county attorney, including the annual retainer and additional reasonable fees, but the bill addresses that by requiring review by the county legislative body and by tying reimbursement to county financial policies. Another point of local control is the two-thirds approval requirement by the Hamblen County legislative body, which means the county itself must agree before the act takes effect locally.