AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 67-4-409, relative to the local parks land acquisition fund.
Summary
SB1276 amends Tennessee’s local parks land acquisition fund law to change how counties and municipalities must match state grants for eligible park land acquisition projects. Under current law, grant recipients generally must provide a dollar-for-dollar match. The bill keeps that requirement as the default rule, but creates a reduced match for projects located in counties designated by the Appalachian Regional Commission as distressed or at-risk at the time of application.
For those projects in distressed or at-risk counties, the required local match is lowered to 25% of the project cost rather than 100%. The change is intended to make it easier for financially challenged communities to access state park acquisition funding and pursue land conservation or park expansion projects. The act takes effect October 1, 2025.
Impact
The bill amends Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 67-4-409, which governs the local parks land acquisition fund. It changes the grant-matching formula for counties and municipal governments receiving awards under that program, creating a special reduced-match category for projects in Appalachian Regional Commission distressed or at-risk counties. This affects local governments seeking park land acquisition grants and may increase participation from economically disadvantaged areas by lowering the local funding burden.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been received positively and without controversy in committee. It passed the Senate Energy, Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee 9-0 and the Senate Finance, Ways and Means Committee 10-0, indicating unanimous support in both committees. The lack of recorded opposition or transcript debate suggests broad agreement with the policy goal of helping distressed communities access park funding.
Contention
No notable contention is reflected in the available record. The only policy distinction in the bill is between the standard equal-match requirement and the reduced 25% match for projects in ARC-designated distressed or at-risk counties. Any potential concern would likely center on whether the reduced match creates unequal treatment among counties or affects the amount of local commitment required, but no such objections appear in the committee votes or provided materials.