Tennessee Senate Bill SB7004

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 5/5/26

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 2, Chapter 16 and Chapter 742 of the Public Acts of 2026, relative to congressional districts.

Summary

SB7004 is a narrow technical bill concerning Tennessee’s congressional district law. The bill amends Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 2, Chapter 16, by deleting the second sentence of Section 2-16-102. Based on the caption, it also references Chapter 742 of the Public Acts of 2026, indicating the change is tied to recently enacted congressional district legislation. Because the bill text contains only one substantive amendment, its practical effect appears to be a cleanup or conforming change rather than a broad policy revision. It would alter the statutory language governing congressional districts, but the exact policy consequence depends on the content of the sentence being removed from Section 2-16-102 and how that sentence interacts with the 2026 redistricting act.

Impact

The bill would directly amend Tennessee’s election/redistricting statutes by striking a sentence from the state’s congressional district law. This would affect the legal framework governing congressional district boundaries or administration, and could have downstream effects on election officials, redistricting implementation, and any statutory references tied to Chapter 742 of the Public Acts of 2026. The bill takes effect immediately upon becoming law.

Sentiment

The available committee votes suggest generally favorable sentiment toward the bill. It was recommended for passage in the Senate Judiciary Committee by a 9-2 vote, and then recommended for passage again by the Senate Finance, Ways and Means Committee by the same 9-2 margin. No committee transcript is available, so the record shows support sufficient to advance the bill, but not the specific arguments made in debate.

Contention

The main point of contention appears to be the underlying congressional district change itself, since the bill is a targeted amendment to districting law rather than a broad policy measure. The 9-2 committee votes indicate some opposition, likely from members concerned about the redistricting implications, the removal of statutory language, or the relationship to the 2026 public act. However, without transcripts, the precise objections and the identities of the dissenting members’ concerns cannot be determined from the record provided.