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HB1361 • 2026

Alcoholic Beverages

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 57, relative to alcoholic beverages.

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Alexander, Crowe
Last action
2025-04-30
Official status
Comp. became Pub. Ch. 181
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide details on changes related to the duration of special alcohol sale times or how the bill affects areas outside the designated downtown district.

Alcoholic Beverage Hours in Johnson City

This bill allows Johnson City to set specific hours for selling or giving away alcoholic drinks within certain areas of its downtown.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes the law to let Johnson City decide when alcohol can be sold or given away in a part of its downtown area.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who sell or give away alcoholic drinks in Johnson City's downtown district.

Terms To Know

licensees
Businesses that have permission to sell alcohol.
downtown district
A specific part of a city's downtown area where special rules apply.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify which businesses or areas exactly will be affected.
  • It is unclear how other cities in Tennessee might use this as an example for their own alcohol sale hours.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB1361

Plain English: The amendment adds definitions and allows certain municipalities with specific population ranges to set their own hours for selling alcohol in designated downtown areas.

  • Defines 'downtown district' as the central business area of a home rule municipality in counties with populations between 133,000 and 133,100 based on federal census data.
  • Allows municipalities with a defined downtown district to set their own hours for selling or giving away alcoholic beverages within that district.
  • The amendment text does not specify the exact population range of counties in which this applies beyond the stated numbers, leaving some uncertainty about its applicability.
  • It is unclear how many municipalities will qualify under these specific population criteria and whether they will choose to designate a downtown district.
Amendment 1-0 to SB1155

Plain English: This amendment allows certain Tennessee cities with specific population ranges to designate a central business area as a 'downtown district' and set their own hours for selling alcohol in that area.

  • Defines what a 'downtown district' is within home rule municipalities of counties with populations between 133,000 and 133,100 based on the latest federal census.
  • Permits these designated downtown districts to set their own hours for selling alcohol, overriding other laws.
  • The amendment text does not specify which exact cities are eligible or how they will designate a 'downtown district'.

Bill History

  1. 2025-04-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 181

  2. 2025-04-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 04/11/2025

  3. 2025-04-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 181

  4. 2025-04-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2025-04-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for action.

  6. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  7. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  8. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled and ready for signatures

  9. 2025-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. SB subst.

  10. 2025-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 83, Nays 6, PNV 6

  11. 2025-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Am. withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - HA0203)

  12. 2025-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Subst. for comp. HB.

  13. 2025-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rcvd. from S., held on H. desk.

  14. 2025-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 3/31/2025

  15. 2025-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  16. 2025-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  17. 2025-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 31, Nays 1

  18. 2025-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0196)

  19. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 3/27/2025

  20. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Calendar & Rules Committee

  21. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/27/2025

  22. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/26/2025

  23. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 3/26/2025

  24. 2025-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  25. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/19/2025

  26. 2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  27. 2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/18/2025

  28. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Departments & Agencies Subcommittee for 3/11/2025

  29. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Departments & Agencies Subcommittee

  30. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Ref. to State & Local Government Committee

  31. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, caption bill, held on desk - pending amdt.

  32. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  33. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  34. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor change.

  35. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) withdrawn.

  36. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  37. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  38. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

ON MARCH 27, 2025, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1
AND PASSED SENATE BILL 1155, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 rewrites the bill to, instead, authorize Johnson City

to
set the hours that licensees within
a
downtown district
designated by the municipality
are authorized to sell or give away alcoholic beverages.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 1155
By Crowe

HOUSE BILL 1361
By Alexander

HB1361
003278
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 57,
relative to alcoholic beverages.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 57-4-304(a), is amended by deleting
the language "may extend for not to exceed thirty (30) days" and substituting instead "may
extend for not to exceed forty-five (45) days".
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.