Tennessee Senate Bill SB0339

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/28/25

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 13, Chapter 7, Part 4, relative to historic zoning.

Summary

SB0339 amends Tennessee’s historic zoning law by lengthening the term of office for members of historic zoning commissions from five years to six years. The bill keeps the existing staggered-term structure for initial appointments, preserving the requirement that only one or two terms expire each year so the commission remains continuously staffed and partially rotated. The bill also provides a transition rule for current commission members: anyone serving on the effective date of the act will finish the term to which they were already elected or appointed, and those terms will not be extended. After those terms expire, new appointments to fill vacancies will be made for six-year terms. The act takes effect immediately upon becoming law.

Impact

This bill makes a targeted change to Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 13-7-403(a)(1), affecting the governance of historic zoning commissions statewide. It does not alter the commissions’ powers or duties, but it changes the length of service for future members and clarifies how existing terms are handled during the transition. The practical effect is to slightly reduce appointment turnover and extend the time each future member serves on a historic zoning commission.

Sentiment

Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee debate or votes in the provided materials, the measure appears to be a routine administrative update rather than a controversial policy change. The bill’s structure suggests a generally neutral or procedural sentiment, focused on board governance and continuity rather than substantive disagreement. No opposing viewpoints or recorded amendments are provided in the available context.

Contention

No specific contention is documented in the provided transcripts or voting history. The only potentially debatable issue apparent from the bill itself is whether historic zoning commission members should serve five-year terms or the newly proposed six-year terms, which could matter to local governments, appointing authorities, and commission members. However, there is no evidence in the supplied materials of organized opposition, support, or dispute over that change.