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HB1303 • 2026

Agriculture, Dept. of

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 43, Chapter 1, Part 1; Section 43-10-118; Section 43-11-405; Section 43-8-104; Section 44-10-203; Section 44-11-105; Section 44-6-104; Section 47-26-1010; Section 53-1-204; Section 53-3-105; Section 53-3-106; Section 53-7-216 and Section 53-8-106, relative to authorization to engage in regulated activities.

Agriculture
Active

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

Sponsor
Lamberth, Johnson
Last action
2025-04-28
Official status
Effective date(s) 04/11/2025
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill's full impact on license holders and administrative processes is yet to be determined.

Agriculture Department Licensing Act

This bill changes the expiration date for most agricultural licenses issued by the Tennessee Agriculture Department to June 30 of each year and removes certain requirements.

What This Bill Does

  • Sets a standard expiration date of June 30 for most agricultural licenses, permits, and registrations issued by the department.
  • Removes the requirement that milk samplers carry an identification card while on duty.
  • Eliminates the $25 late fee for failing to renew public weighmaster licenses within 30 days after they expire.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who hold agricultural licenses, permits, or registrations issued by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture.

Terms To Know

licensing cycle
The period during which a license is valid and must be renewed.
public weighmaster
A person authorized to certify the weight of goods for commercial transactions.

Limits and Unknowns

  • Does not apply to forestry licenses, permits, registrations, or certifications.
  • The bill's full impact on license holders and administrative processes is yet to be determined.

Bill History

  1. 2025-04-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 04/11/2025

  2. 2025-04-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 207

  3. 2025-04-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 207

  4. 2025-04-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2025-04-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for his action.

  6. 2025-04-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  7. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  8. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled; ready for sig. of H. Speaker.

  9. 2025-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate, Ayes 30, Nays 0

  10. 2025-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate substituted House Bill for companion Senate Bill.

  11. 2025-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Companion House Bill substituted

  12. 2025-03-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Consent Calendar 2 for 3/31/2025

  13. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee

  14. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Energy, Ag., and Nat. Resources Committee calendar for 3/26/2025

  15. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Energy, Ag., and Nat. Resources Committee to 3/26/2025

  16. 2025-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  17. 2025-03-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Energy, Ag., and Nat. Resources Committee calendar for 3/19/2025

  18. 2025-03-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Received from House, Passed on First Consideration

  19. 2025-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to Sen.

  20. 2025-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 90, Nays 0, PNV 0

  21. 2025-02-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Consent Calendar for 3/3/2025

  22. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 2/27/2025

  23. 2025-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee

  24. 2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee for 2/25/2025

  25. 2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee

  26. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee for 2/19/2025

  27. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee

  28. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee

  29. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Energy, Ag., and Nat. Resources Committee

  30. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  31. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  32. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  33. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  34. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Present law sets the following expiration dates for licenses, permits, and
registrations issued by the department:

(1) Pesticide product registrations expire June 30 following the date of issuance;

(2) Seed seller licenses must be renewed on or before July of each year;

(3) Liming materials distributor licenses expire June
30 of the year following issuance;

(4) Licenses for manufacturers, distributors, and guarantors of commercial feed expire July 1 of the year for which the license is issued;

(5) Livestock dealer licenses expire June 30 of the year following issuance o
r renewal;

(6) Livestock market licenses expire June 30;

(7) Licenses to
manufacture, process, pack, or hold food for introduction into commerce
expire July 1 of each year;

(8) Milk samplers licenses expire July 1 of each succeeding year;

(9) Licen
ses for frozen desert manufacturers, dairy plants, trade plants, receiving plants, and distributors of dairy products or frozen deserts expire July 1 of each year; and

(10) Food establishment licenses expire
June 30 following issuance
.

This bill change
s present law by generally requiring that
a license, permit, or registration issued by the department of agriculture for licensing, permitting, or registration cycles of one year or more expire on June 30 of the licensing, permitting, or registration cycle
for which it was issued.
A
license, permit, registration, or certification issued by the division of forestry
is exempt from the general expiration date requirement
.

This bill deletes the $25.00 late fee for failure to renew a public weighmaster licens
e within 30 days of expiration.

This bill deletes the requirement that milk samplers be issued concurrently with their license a
n identification card stating
their
name and address and bearing the same number as the
ir license, which must
be carried on
the
ir
person at all times while on duty.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
SENATE BILL 1264
By Johnson

HOUSE BILL 1303
By Lamberth

HB1303
000555
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 43,
Chapter 1, Part 1; Section 43-10-118; Section 43-
11-405; Section 43-8-104; Section 44-10-203;
Section 44-11-105; Section 44-6-104; Section 47-
26-1010; Section 53-1-204; Section 53-3-105;
Section 53-3-106; Section 53-7-216 and Section
53-8-106, relative to authorization to engage in
regulated activities.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 43, Chapter 1, Part 1, is amended by
adding the following as a new section:
(a) Subject to subsection (c) and notwithstanding another law to the contrary, a
license, permit, or registration issued by the department of agriculture for licensing,
permitting, or registration cycles of one (1) year or more expires on June 30 of the
licensing, permitting, or registration cycle for which it was issued.
(b) An applicant for renewal of a license, permit, or registration that is subject to
expiration under subsection (a) shall submit the appropriate fees and required
application materials to the department of agriculture on or before July 1 of the year in
which the license, permit, or registration expires.
(c) This section does not apply to any license, permit, registration, or certification
issued by the division of forestry.
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 43-8-104(a), is amended by deleting
the language "and their registration shall expire on June 30, following the date of issuance".
SECTION 3. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 43-10-118, is amended by deleting
the language "on or before July 1 of each calendar year".

- 2 - 000555

SECTION 4. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 43-11-405, is amended by deleting
the section and substituting instead:
A manufacturer who distributes liming materials in this state shall submit annually
an application for a license on forms furnished by the commissioner, accompanied by
payment in the amount set by rule pursuant to § 43-1-703.
SECTION 5. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 44-6-104(b), is amended by deleting
the subsection and substituting instead:
(b) A person who is required to obtain a license shall submit annually an
application for a license on a form provided by or approved by the commissioner,
accompanied by payment in the amount set by rule pursuant to § 43-1-703 for each
facility.
SECTION 6. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 44-10-203, is amended by deleting
the language ", and all annual licenses shall terminate and become void on June 30 in the
calendar year following issuance of the license or renewal".
SECTION 7. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 44-11-105(b), is amended by
deleting the subsection and substituting instead:
(b) Licenses must be renewed annually according to the application procedure
of the original license.
SECTION 8. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 47-26-1010(b), is amended by
deleting the subsection.
SECTION 9. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 53-1-204(a)(2)(C), is amended by
deleting the language "on July 1 of each year" and substituting "annually".
SECTION 10. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 53-3-105, is amended by deleting
the section and substituting instead:

- 3 - 000555

(a) Samplers license and fee. A person receiving or buying milk or cream on the
basis of its chemical or physical constituents shall be, or have in the person's employ, in
or on each milk transport tank truck, a licensed milk sampler or tester. Application to
become a licensed sampler must be made to the commissioner on forms the
commissioner may prescribe. In order to qualify for a license, the applicant shall satisfy
to the commissioner, either by a written examination or otherwise, that the applicant is
honest and competent to do sampling work.
(b) Milk testers license and fee. A person receiving or buying milk or cream on
the basis of its chemical or physical constituents shall be, or have in the person's
employ, a licensed milk tester to make the official analysis, and no other person shall be
allowed to make the tests in any creamery, cheese factory, milk depot, milk plant, ice
cream factory, cream station, milk condensery, or similar plant where milk or cream is
bought or received on a basis of its chemical or physical constituents. Application to
become a licensed milk tester must be made to the commissioner on forms the
commissioner may prescribe. If the applicant is found upon examination to be qualified
and competent, the commissioner shall issue a license to the applicant. Licenses issued
in accordance with this subsection (b) must be posted conspicuously in the tester's place
of business. Licensed testers are also qualified and permitted to act as samplers.
(c) Milk sampler and tester licenses expire annually. Milk sampler and tester
license fees must be set by rule pursuant to § 43-1-703.
SECTION 11. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 53-3-106(b)(1)(D), is amended by
deleting the subsection and substituting instead:
(D) All licenses issued pursuant to subsection (a) expire annually and are not
transferable.

- 4 - 000555

SECTION 12. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 53-8-106(a), is amended by
deleting the language "on or before July 1 of each year" and substituting "annually".
SECTION 13. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 53-8-106(c), is amended by
deleting the language "on June 30 following its issuance" and substituting "annually".
SECTION 14. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.