Tennessee Senate Bill SB2004

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/22/26

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 58, Chapter 2 and Title 58, Chapter 8, relative to emergency response.

Summary

SB2004 amends Tennessee’s emergency response reimbursement rules by changing the deadline for a responding party to send an itemized invoice for reimbursable costs to the requesting party. Under current law, the invoice must be forwarded as soon as possible; this bill adds a firm outer deadline of no later than 60 days after the assistance ends. The bill also allows the responding party to ask the requesting party for additional time if extenuating circumstances prevent timely submission. The measure is narrow and procedural, focused on the administrative process for billing and reimbursement after emergency assistance is provided. It does not change who is eligible for reimbursement or the types of costs covered, but it does clarify timing expectations and creates a limited exception for unusual delays.

Impact

The bill would amend Tennessee Code Annotated § 58-8-111(g), affecting the reimbursement process for emergency response assistance between responding and requesting parties, which may include local governments and other public entities involved in mutual aid or emergency support. By imposing a 60-day invoicing deadline, the bill creates a clearer statutory timeline for claims and may reduce disputes over late billing, while the extenuating-circumstances provision preserves some flexibility for delayed submissions.

Sentiment

The available voting history suggests the bill was received positively, with the Senate State & Local Government Committee recommending passage by a unanimous 9-0 vote. No committee transcript is available, but the lack of recorded opposition and the amendment recommendation indicate general support for the bill’s administrative clarification.

Contention

There is little evidence of substantive controversy in the available record. The only potentially contentious issue is the balance between enforcing a clear 60-day deadline and allowing extra time for extenuating circumstances, which could affect how strictly reimbursement claims are processed. Any concern would likely come from responding parties seeking flexibility or requesting parties seeking certainty and prompt invoicing, rather than from disagreement over the underlying reimbursement framework.