Tennessee House Bill HB2653

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 3/3/26
• Refer: 3/9/26
• Refer: 3/16/26
• Refer: 3/24/26
• Engrossed: 3/31/26
• Enrolled: 4/2/26
• Passed: 4/16/26
• Chaptered: 5/1/26

Caption

AN ACT to repeal Chapter 55 of the Private Acts of 1951; as amended by Chapter 68 of the Private Acts of 1957; Chapter 84 of the Private Acts of 1961; Chapter 115 of the Private Acts of 1963; Chapter 191 of the Private Acts of 1967; Chapter 143 of the Private Acts of 1969; Chapter 263 of the Private Acts of 1972; Chapter 391 of the Private Acts of 1972; Chapter 73 of the Private Acts of 1975; Chapter 53 of the Private Acts of 1977; Chapter 149 of the Private Acts of 1981; Chapter 4 of the Private Acts of 1985; Chapter 155 of the Private Acts of 1998; Chapter 160 of the Private Acts of 2002; Chapter 59 of the Private Acts of 2012; Chapter 47 of the Private Acts of 2012 and Chapter 47 of the Private Acts of 2014; and any other acts amendatory thereto, relative to the Rutherford County Highway Commission.

Summary

HB2653 is a Rutherford County private act that repeals a long series of prior private acts governing the Rutherford County Highway Commission and replaces them with a new framework. The bill re-creates the County Highway Commission as a seven-zone body tied to county commission districts, sets staggered four-year election cycles for commissioners, and requires the commission to meet monthly, elect officers, and act by a four-member concurrence. It also creates the office of County Highway Superintendent, to be elected countywide beginning in August 2024 and every four years thereafter, and gives that office the powers and duties associated with the County Uniform Highway Law. The bill gives the superintendent broad operational authority over county roads, construction, maintenance, personnel, purchasing, and certain public drainage easements. It establishes bidding and quotation thresholds for highway department purchases, allows emergency purchasing with reporting requirements, and authorizes expenditures from the highway fund and warrants drawn on the road fund. The act also addresses compensation for the superintendent and commissioners, bonding/insurance requirements, and nepotism-style restrictions on hiring and supervision involving relatives of highway officials. The bill’s legal effect is to modernize and consolidate Rutherford County’s local highway governance structure by superseding earlier private acts and aligning the county highway system more closely with the County Uniform Highway Law. It also preserves existing officeholders until their terms expire and includes severability and legal-defense provisions. Importantly, the act does not take effect unless approved by a two-thirds vote of the Rutherford County legislative body, making local ratification a condition precedent to implementation. The overall sentiment reflected in the voting history is strongly favorable and noncontroversial. The bill advanced unanimously or nearly unanimously through committee, passed the House on consent calendar with overwhelming support, and was adopted without opposition in the final recorded vote. No committee transcripts are available, but the vote pattern suggests broad agreement on the need to update Rutherford County’s highway governance and administrative structure. There is little visible contention in the available record. The only potentially sensitive issues are the shift in authority to an elected county highway superintendent, the reorganization of road board zones, and the purchasing and personnel powers granted to that office, but the recorded votes show no meaningful opposition. The local-approval requirement may reflect an effort to ensure county buy-in and reduce controversy over the restructuring.

Impact

HB2653 repeals Rutherford County’s prior private acts governing the Highway Commission and replaces them with a new local law establishing a seven-zone County Highway Commission and an elected County Highway Superintendent. It affects Rutherford County’s internal governance of roads, drainage easements, highway-fund spending, procurement procedures, and personnel administration, while incorporating the County Uniform Highway Law and related state purchasing and ethics rules. The act also requires approval by the Rutherford County legislative body before taking effect for most purposes.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have enjoyed broad bipartisan support and little to no opposition in the legislative process. It received unanimous or near-unanimous committee recommendations, passed the House overwhelmingly on consent calendar, and was adopted without dissent in the final recorded vote. The available record suggests the measure was viewed as a routine local-government restructuring rather than a controversial policy change.

Contention

No substantive contention is evident in the available materials, and there are no committee transcripts showing debate. The main issues implicit in the bill are the reallocation of authority between the Highway Commission and the elected Highway Superintendent, the redrawing of road board zones tied to county commission districts, and the superintendent’s purchasing and personnel powers. Any concern would likely come from local stakeholders affected by the governance change, but the recorded votes show no organized legislative resistance.