Tennessee Senate Bill SB0180

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/15/25
• Engrossed: 3/17/25
• Enrolled: 4/17/25
• Passed: 5/2/25
• Chaptered: 5/13/25

Caption

AN ACT relative to agency rules scheduled to expire pursuant to the provisions of the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act, compiled in Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4, Chapter 5.

Summary

SB0180 is a technical administrative bill that extends the life of certain Tennessee agency rules that would otherwise expire on June 30, 2025 under the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act. Specifically, it applies to permanent rules filed with the secretary of state on or after January 1, 2024 and in effect when the act becomes law, preventing those rules from automatically expiring on the scheduled date. Instead, those rules remain in effect until the responsible agency repeals or amends them, or until they are superseded by later legislation. The bill also clarifies that this extension does not preserve any rule that conflicts with another legislative enactment outside the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act. It includes a severability clause and takes effect immediately upon becoming law, citing the public welfare. In practical terms, the bill affects state agencies, regulated parties, and anyone subject to recently adopted administrative rules by maintaining regulatory continuity and avoiding a mass expiration of rules in 2025.

Impact

SB0180 changes the operation of Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 4-5-226, by carving out an exception for certain permanent agency rules filed after January 1, 2024 and in effect on the act’s effective date. Those rules will not expire on June 30, 2025 as otherwise scheduled, and will continue in force until affirmatively changed by the issuing agency or overridden by later legislation. The bill therefore preserves the legal effect of a defined set of administrative regulations and reduces the risk of regulatory gaps for agencies, businesses, and individuals governed by those rules.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have been received positively and without significant opposition. It advanced unanimously through the Senate Government Operations Committee and passed a floor motion 32-0 before receiving final passage by a wide margin of 88-3. The vote pattern suggests broad bipartisan support for maintaining continuity in agency rulemaking and avoiding unintended expiration of recently adopted rules.

Contention

There is little evidence of substantive controversy in the available record, but the main policy issue is the balance between regulatory continuity and automatic sunset provisions for agency rules. Supporters likely favored preventing disruption to state administration and regulated entities, while any dissent may have reflected concern about extending rules without the usual expiration mechanism or about reducing legislative leverage over agency regulations. The bill’s savings clause limiting conflicts with other statutes also indicates an effort to address concerns that the extension could override enacted law.