Tennessee Senate Bill SB2528

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/2/26
• Engrossed: 3/9/26
• Enrolled: 4/30/26
• Passed: 5/19/26
• Chaptered: 5/27/26

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4, Chapter 3, Part 10 and Title 11, Chapter 8, relative to the Ocoee River.

Summary

SB2528 revises Tennessee law governing the Ocoee River management zone and the Hiwassee/Ocoee Scenic River State Park board. The bill expands the uses of the Ocoee River development fund to include infrastructure upgrades, tourism promotion, economic development activities, event coordination, contributions to river-related events benefiting nonprofit organizations, and other reasonable expenses needed to carry out the chapter’s intent. It also requires certain board expenditures to be approved by a simple majority vote. The bill changes board membership by providing that, effective July 1, 2026, the director of the department’s division of state parks will complete the remaining term of the current park manager and then continue serving on the board. It also updates permit rules for the Ocoee River: permits held as of June 30, 2024 may be transferred with prior written approval to immediate family members, through a purchase and sale agreement, or as allowed by department rule. Beginning July 1, 2026, the department may issue no more than 24 permits, and that cap must be reduced to 12 as permits are revoked or not renewed after that date.

Impact

The act amends Tennessee Code Annotated Title 11, Chapter 8, affecting the statutory framework for managing the Ocoee River and the associated development fund, board governance, and permit system. It broadens authorized spending categories, formalizes approval requirements for some expenditures, adjusts board composition, and imposes a phased reduction in the maximum number of permits the department may issue. The changes primarily affect the department, the board, permit holders, river-related businesses and event operators, and organizations that benefit from tourism and recreation on the Ocoee River.

Sentiment

The available voting history suggests strong bipartisan support and little opposition. The bill advanced unanimously in committee and on subsequent floor votes, including adoption, third consideration passage, and concurrence with a House amendment. No committee transcript or recorded debate is provided, so the overall sentiment appears broadly favorable and noncontroversial.

Contention

No specific points of contention are documented in the provided materials. Potentially sensitive issues inherent in the bill include the reduction and eventual tightening of permit availability, the transferability of permits, and the use of development funds for tourism promotion and event-related expenditures. However, the unanimous votes indicate that any concerns about commercialization, permit limits, or fund usage were not enough to generate recorded opposition.