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HB0065 • 2026

Municipal Government

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 6, relative to powers of a city incorporated under a general law city manager-commission charter.

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Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Bulso, Hensley
Last action
2025-04-28
Official status
Effective date(s) 04/24/2025
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The exact financial impact on cities is uncertain due to numerous unknown variables.

Sports Facilities Contracting Act

This bill allows cities with a specific type of charter to contract with private companies for sports facilities if certain conditions are met.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows cities under a city manager-commission charter to make contracts with private companies for building and running indoor or outdoor sports facilities.
  • Requires the city to have a bond rating of AAA from a recognized credit rating agency on the effective date of this law.
  • Gives cities flexibility in setting terms of these contracts, including how costs and profits are shared between the city and the company.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Cities with a city manager-commission charter
  • Private companies interested in developing sports facilities

Terms To Know

Bond rating
A grade given by credit rating agencies to show how likely it is that a borrower will repay their debts.
City manager-commission charter
A type of city government structure where the city has both an elected commission and a hired city manager who runs day-to-day operations.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The exact financial impact on cities is hard to predict because it depends on many factors.
  • This bill only applies to specific types of cities in Tennessee.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

Amendment 1-0 to HB0065

Plain English: The amendment allows cities with a specific bond rating to contract with private entities for sports facilities under certain conditions.

  • Cities with an AAA bond rating can now enter into contracts with private companies for developing or managing indoor and outdoor sports facilities.
  • These contracts must include terms agreed upon by the city, such as revenue sharing, lease agreements, management fees, and other details that benefit the city's residents.
  • The amendment only applies to cities with a specific bond rating of AAA from a recognized national organization.
  • It is unclear what happens if a city does not have this bond rating or loses it after entering into such a contract.
Amendment 1-0 to SB0495

Plain English: The amendment allows cities with a specific bond rating to contract with private entities for sports facilities under certain conditions.

  • Cities with an AAA bond rating can now enter into contracts with private companies for developing or managing indoor and outdoor sports facilities.
  • These contracts must include terms agreed upon by the city, such as revenue sharing, lease agreements, management fees, and other details that benefit the city's residents.
  • The amendment only applies to cities with a specific bond rating of AAA from a recognized national organization.
  • It is unclear what happens if a city does not have this bond rating or loses it after entering into such a contract.

Bill History

  1. 2025-04-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 04/24/2025

  2. 2025-04-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 279

  3. 2025-04-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 279

  4. 2025-04-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for his action.

  6. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  7. 2025-04-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  8. 2025-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled; ready for sig. of H. Speaker.

  9. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate, Ayes 31, Nays 0

  10. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Amendment withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - SA0343)

  11. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate substituted House Bill for companion Senate Bill.

  12. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  13. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Companion House Bill substituted

  14. 2025-04-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/7/2025

  15. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 9, Nays 0 PNV 0

  16. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 4/2/2025

  17. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate State and Local Government Committee to 4/2/2025

  18. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 4/1/2025

  19. 2025-03-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Received from House, Passed on First Consideration

  20. 2025-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to Sen.

  21. 2025-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., as am., Ayes 79, Nays 11, PNV 1

  22. 2025-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  23. 2025-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. adopted am. (Amendment 1 - HA0008)

  24. 2025-03-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 3/17/2025

  25. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 3/13/2025

  26. 2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee

  27. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Finance, Ways, and Means Committee for 3/11/2025

  28. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

  29. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 3/5/2025

  30. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee to 3/5/2025

  31. 2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 2/26/2025

  32. 2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee

  33. 2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

  34. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 2/19/2025

  35. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec for pass if am by s/c ref. to State & Local Government Committee

  36. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate State and Local Government Committee

  37. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  38. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Cities & Counties Subcommittee for 2/12/2025

  39. 2025-01-29 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  40. 2025-01-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Cities & Counties Subcommittee

  41. 2025-01-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Ref. to State & Local Government Committee

  42. 2025-01-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C held on desk, pending appointment of Standing Committees

  43. 2025-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  44. 2025-01-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

ON MARCH 17, 2025, THE HOUSE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED HOUSE BILL 65, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 requires a
city contracting pursuant to th
e

bill to
have, on the effective date of th
e bill
, a bon
d rating of AAA issued by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization as identified by the United States securities and exchange commission
.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 495
By Hensley

HOUSE BILL 65
By Bulso

HB0065
001130
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 6,
relative to powers of a city incorporated under a
general law city manager-commission charter.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 6-19-101(a), is amended by
redesignating subdivision (33) as new subdivision (34) and by adding the following as new
subdivision (33):
(33) Contract with a private entity for the development, construction,
management, or operation of an indoor or outdoor sports facility under terms acceptable
to the city, including, but not limited to, terms for the division between the city and a
private entity of operating revenues or losses, for the lease or sale of all or part of the
facility, for the payment of management fees, or for such other terms the city determines
to be in the best interests of the city and its residents; and
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.