113th General Assembly Adjourns
April 25, 2024, marked the end of the 113th General Assembly for Tennessee lawmakers. By now, they’ve headed back to their districts and started their work on re-election efforts and setting their legislative agenda for the coming 114th General Assembly.
Farm Bureau Priority Issue Final Update
This session, three of the four Farm Bureau priority issues have passed the General Assembly, two of which have been signed by Governor Lee.
Constitutional Amendment – HJR81
Continued from the 2023 legislation session, HJR81’s companion passed the Senate in 2024 with well over the required simple majority vote. As proposed, this constitutional amendment would prohibit the state of Tennessee from ever collecting a statewide property tax. This tax, which has not been collected since the 1940s, is separate from local government property taxes. 2024 completes the first of three hurdles, and it will be brought back for consideration in the 114th General Assembly, where it must pass each chamber again but this time with a 2/3 vote. From there, it will head to the 2026 Gubernatorial ballot where half of those voting for Governor must support the amendment for it to be codified in the state’s Constitution.
Senate Status: Passed
House Status: Passed
Signed by Senate and House Speaker. More to come in 2025.
Greenbelt Acreage Increase – SB1659/HB2054
Increases the maximum land eligible for Greenbelt by individual property owners to 3,000 acres. Currently, the acreage ceiling sits at 1,500 acres. This legislation takes effect on January 1, 2025.
Senate Status: Passed
House Status: Passed
Became Public Chapter 978
Solar TACIR Study Implementation – SB2486/HB2496
As suggested in the completed September 2023 TACIR study, the final legislation equips and directs the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s Office of Energy Programs (TDEC OEP) to maintain resources for landowners, local governments and solar development companies. Language also includes solar development in the new brownfield development law, requires grid disconnection when the project reaches its end of life, lowers the megawatt threshold for a required decommissioning plan and requires the decommissioning plan be submitted to TDEC’s OEP with notification sent to relative local governments about the filing of the plan.
Senate Status: Passed
House Status: Passed
Became Public Chapter 705
Farmland Conservation – SB2099/HB1890
Tennessee continues to lose crucial farmland to growth and sprawl. Tennessee Farm Bureau has worked with both the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture and the Tennessee Department of Agriculture to find potential solutions to slow the loss of farmland, as well as provide resources for smart growth and expansion. One potential solution to this growing issue is the creation of a voluntary program which would allow landowners to enroll their property for a short period of time to ease the pressure of development in their area. As introduced, this bill would have allowed the Tennessee Department of Agriculture to promulgate rules to develop a farmland preservation fund as well as subsequent programming. This legislation was a part of Governor Lee’s administrative package and would have included a $25 million investment.
This legislation passed through five committees in the House and was ready for consideration on the House Floor. However, in the Senate Energy, Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, due to a lack of committed support from the members of the committee, the legislation was not debated and was sent to the General Subcommittee, a holding pool for bills which will no longer be considered. Although no vote was taken and testimony was not heard, Leader Johnson gave a passionate presentation regarding the issue before taking the procedural step to take the bill off notice for the year.
Senate Status: Taken Off Notice in Energy, Agriculture, and Natural Resources
House Status: Referred to Calendar and Rules
No final action was taken on this legislation, but TFBF plans to pursue again next session.
2024-2025 Budget Overview
Although tensions may have been high on social issues, the General Assembly did accomplish the one constitutional requirement they had during the legislative session – pass a balanced budget. Here are some highlights of the $52.8 billion dollar budget:
Agriculture Highlights:
- $206,400 recurring increase for state agriculture lab operations
- $375,000 non-recurring in grants for Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act
- $1.1 million non-recurring for Dyer County Bunge Road infrastructure project
- $13 million non-recurring for Ag Enterprise Fund
- $26.5 million maintained for Ag Enhancement Fund
Other Highlights:
- $144 million recurring for Education Freedom Scholarships*
- $261 million recurring increase for TISA (education funding to local education agencies)
- $297 million for rural and mental health initiatives – spent over five years
- $1.9 billion for Tennessee Franchise Tax fix and refunds
* Governor Lee’s Education Freedom Scholarships continue to be funded in this year’s budget, although the corresponding legislation was not passed. This money will “hold over” until the next budget year. *
This year’s budget is notably smaller than the previous budgets – down almost $10 billion from the FY2023-2024 budget. The tighter, more conservative budget takes into account revenue shortfalls and less federal funding from last year.
Policy Development Process Set to Begin
The end of session marks the official beginning of the policy development process for Tennessee Farm Bureau members. This summer agriculture leaders from across the state will gather in regional meetings to discuss pertinent issues in rural Tennessee and for the agriculture industry. These regional meetings are critical to the success of the policy development process on the state and national level. For more information on the upcoming meetings in your area, contact your county Farm Bureau.
iFarm iVote Reminder: August 1st Primary Approaching
Set a reminder – early voting for the August 1st state and federal primary election begins Friday, July 12 and ends Saturday, July 27. On the ballot this August you’ll find U.S. Senate, Congress, State Senate (even numbered districts) and State House races.
Utilize iFarm iVote as a resource to stay up to date on all things election including upcoming dates and deadlines. Visit ifarmivote.com to learn more.
