Tennessee Senate Bill SB2196

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/2/26

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4; Title 9 and Title 12, relative to procurement of tires.

Summary

SB2196 would require tire manufacturers and suppliers seeking to do business with the State of Tennessee to disclose whether tires were produced using 100% French process zinc oxide. The bill defines key terms such as “solicitation,” “price list or buying guide,” and “tire manufacturer or supplier,” and requires that any response to a state procurement solicitation clearly identify tires made with that specific zinc oxide process. It also requires price lists and buying guides submitted for procurement purposes to conspicuously indicate whether each tire meets that standard. For existing state tire contracts, suppliers would have 120 days after the act’s effective date to update price lists or buying guides to comply. If a supplier changes its manufacturing process during the contract term in a way that affects the zinc oxide designation, it must update the relevant materials within 90 days and notify the chief procurement officer, affected state agencies, and any intermediary entities involved in the procurement. The chief procurement officer is authorized to adopt rules to implement and enforce the disclosure requirements.

Impact

The bill amends Tennessee procurement law in Title 12 and indirectly affects state contracting practices under Title 4 by imposing new disclosure obligations on tire vendors doing business with the state. It does not ban any tire products or change substantive product standards, but it requires procurement documentation to identify whether tires are manufactured with 100% French process zinc oxide and allows contract suspension or termination for noncompliance. The chief procurement officer would gain rulemaking and enforcement authority, and state agencies, procurement officials, and tire suppliers would need to adjust solicitation responses, price lists, and contract administration procedures.

Sentiment

Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee discussion or votes in the provided materials, the bill appears to be a technical procurement and disclosure measure rather than a highly contentious policy proposal. Its focus on transparency in state tire purchasing suggests a practical administrative purpose, and there is no evidence in the provided record of organized opposition or debate. The overall sentiment cannot be measured from votes or transcripts here, but the measure reads as a compliance-oriented procurement bill.

Contention

The main potential point of contention is the specificity of the disclosure requirement: tire suppliers must track and report whether products use 100% French process zinc oxide, which may impose administrative burdens and require changes to procurement documentation. Suppliers with existing contracts could face compliance costs and the risk of suspension or termination if they fail to update materials on time. Another possible issue is the need for suppliers to monitor manufacturing-process changes and notify multiple state entities, which could be viewed as burdensome by vendors but useful by procurement officials seeking transparency.