Tennessee Senate Bill SB0067

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/9/25
• Engrossed: 2/20/25
• Enrolled: 2/20/25
• Passed: 3/10/25
• Chaptered: 3/21/25

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4, Chapter 29 and Title 7, Chapter 86, relative to the emergency communications board.

Summary

SB0067 makes a narrow, technical change to Tennessee law governing the state’s emergency communications board. The bill removes the board from the list of entities that are subject to the general state board termination/review provisions in Title 4, Chapter 29, and then adds the emergency communications board to the list of boards that are expressly continued in existence. In practical terms, the measure confirms that the emergency communications board remains an active state board rather than being subject to automatic sunset or periodic termination under the general statute. The bill does not create a new program or expand the board’s substantive powers; instead, it updates the statutory framework so the board created under Title 7, Chapter 86 is preserved in law. It takes effect immediately upon becoming law, reflecting the legislature’s view that the change is needed without delay for public welfare reasons.

Impact

SB0067 amends Tennessee Code Annotated sections 4-29-246 and 4-29-252 to remove the emergency communications board from the list of boards subject to termination and to add it to the list of boards continued by statute. This affects the board’s legal status under Tennessee’s administrative review/sunset structure and ensures the emergency communications board remains authorized to operate under § 7-86-302. The bill primarily impacts state administrative law and the governance of emergency communications oversight, with no direct change to local governments or private parties beyond the board’s continued existence.

Sentiment

The available legislative history suggests the bill was noncontroversial and received favorable treatment. It passed the Senate Government Operations Committee unanimously, 9-0, and there is no recorded committee transcript indicating opposition or extended debate. The bill’s straightforward, technical nature and immediate-effective-date language are consistent with broad support for maintaining the emergency communications board’s continuity.

Contention

There is little evidence of substantive contention in the available record. The only likely point of interest is the administrative policy choice to exempt the emergency communications board from the general termination/review framework and affirmatively continue it in statute. Any concern would likely center on whether the board should remain subject to the same sunset process as other state boards, but no opposition or debate is reflected in the provided materials.