AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4, relative to state symbols.
Summary
SB1216 amends Tennessee’s state-symbols law to designate three official state foods: hot slaw, Memphis barbecue, and Nashville hot chicken. The bill replaces the existing statutory section on official state foods with a new list that adds these three items as recognized symbols of Tennessee cuisine.
The measure also deletes another section of Title 4 in its entirety, though the bill text provided does not specify the subject of that section. Aside from these symbolic changes, the bill does not create new regulatory programs, funding obligations, or enforcement mechanisms; it is primarily a ceremonial and cultural recognition bill that updates the Tennessee Code to reflect foods associated with the state’s identity.
Impact
The bill amends Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4, by revising the state’s official foods and removing one existing statutory section. Its practical legal effect is limited to the state-symbols chapter, but it formally embeds hot slaw, Memphis barbecue, and Nashville hot chicken into state law as official symbols, which may be used in tourism, education, and promotional contexts. No direct changes to private rights, taxes, licensing, or agency authority are apparent from the text.
Sentiment
The available voting history indicates strong bipartisan support and little controversy. The Senate State & Local Government Committee recommended passage unanimously, and the floor motion to adopt also passed 30-0. With no committee transcript debate provided, the overall sentiment appears favorable and celebratory, consistent with a symbolic bill recognizing well-known Tennessee foods.
Contention
No significant opposition is reflected in the available materials. The only potentially notable point is the deletion of another statutory section in Title 4, but because the bill text provided does not identify the removed section’s subject, there is no evidence in the record here of dispute over that change. Otherwise, the bill appears to have been treated as a low-conflict state-symbols measure with broad agreement.
AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 1; Title 4; Title 7; Title 45 and Title 49, relative to legal status to be present in the United States.
AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 1; Title 4; Title 7; Title 45 and Title 49, relative to legal status to be present in the United States.