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HB1493 • 2026

Historical Sites and Preservation

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 11; Title 12; Title 29 and Title 43, relative to local historical boards.

Agriculture
Active

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

Sponsor
Slater, Haile
Last action
2026-04-08
Official status
Placed on cal. Finance, Ways, and Means Committee for 4/14/2026
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on how proceeds from contracts are used according to state guidelines and standards issued by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior.

Historical Sites and Preservation Act

This bill allows local historical boards to contract with farmers for agricultural use of land within historical sites and requires them to submit annual reports on how proceeds from these contracts are used.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows local historical boards to make agreements with farmers to farm crops or harvest hay on historical site lands, depending on the size of the land.
  • Requires all money earned by local historical boards through farming activities to be spent on preserving historic sites and structures managed by the boards.
  • Directs the Tennessee Historical Commission to create standard contracts for these agreements between local historical boards and farmers.
  • Necessitates that local historical boards send an annual report detailing their farming contract activities and how they used any money earned from them.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Local historical boards in Tennessee
  • Farmers who want to grow crops or harvest hay on land within historical sites

Terms To Know

Crops
Plants grown from the soil for commercial or other purposes.
Farmer
A person who grows crops or harvests naturally grown products of the soil to be sold or consumed.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how much extra money local governments will earn from leasing land for farming.
  • It is unclear exactly which state guidelines and standards issued by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior must be followed when using proceeds from contracts.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB1493

Plain English: The amendment changes how local historical boards are defined and funded, and it outlines new contract requirements for these boards.

  • Local historical boards must now be established by state or local law to oversee historic preservation with support from the Tennessee Historical Commission.
  • Proceeds received by local historical boards must only be used for preserving historical sites managed by them, following federal guidelines.
  • The amendment removes and replaces an existing subsection (d) in Section 1, requiring the Tennessee Historical Commission to develop contracts for use by these boards.
  • Some parts of the original bill text are removed or replaced without full context provided, making it hard to understand all implications.
Amendment 1-0 to SB1490

Plain English: The amendment changes how local historical boards are defined and funded, and it outlines new contract requirements for these boards.

  • Local historical boards must now be established by state or local law to oversee historic preservation with support from the Tennessee Historical Commission.
  • Proceeds received by local historical boards must only be used for preserving historical sites managed by them, following federal guidelines.
  • The amendment removes and replaces an existing subsection (d) in Section 1, requiring the Tennessee Historical Commission to develop contracts for use by local historical boards.
  • Some parts of the original bill text are removed or replaced without full context provided, making it hard to understand all implications.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Finance, Ways, and Means Committee for 4/14/2026

  2. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  3. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/8/2026

  4. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  5. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  6. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 4/8/2026

  7. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 4/8/2026

  8. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/31/2026

  9. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 3/31/2026

  10. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/24/2026

  11. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 3/24/2026

  12. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/18/2026

  13. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 3/18/2026

  14. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/11/2026

  15. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  16. 2026-03-02 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  17. 2026-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  18. 2026-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 29, Nays 0

  19. 2026-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0514)

  20. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Public Service Subcommittee for 3/4/2026

  21. 2026-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 2/26/2026

  22. 2026-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 8, Nays 0 PNV 0

  23. 2026-02-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 2/24/2026

  24. 2026-02-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate State and Local Government Committee to 2/24/2026

  25. 2026-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 2/17/2026

  26. 2026-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Public Service Subcommittee

  27. 2026-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to State & Local Government Committee

  28. 2026-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  29. 2026-01-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  30. 2026-01-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  31. 2026-01-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  32. 2025-12-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

This bill authorizes local historical boards to contract with farmers to (i) farm crops on land that is part of a historical site if such land is comprised of five or more contiguous acres and (ii) harvest hay and other such naturally grown products of t
he soil on land that is part of a historical site if the land is comprised of fewer than five contiguous acres. All proceeds received by the boards must be used for the preservation of historic sites and structures managed by the boards. The Tennessee hi
st
orical commission, with the assistance of the department of agriculture, must develop contracts for use by the boards when entering into such agreements.

ANNUAL REPORT

This bill requires the boards to submit an annual report no later than December 31 of each year to the Tennessee historical commission that includes detailed information about all contracts entered into under this bill for the calendar year and how the p
roceeds from the contracts were used.

ON FEBRUARY 26, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 1490, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 makes the following changes:



Clarifies that a "local historical board" includes a non-profit entity that is established to oversee and promote the preservation of historic sites and structures within its jurisdiction, that receives assistance from the Tennessee historical commission to establish their own programs, and that operates under ordinances that provide an additional layer of protection and design review for designated historical properties or districts.



Provides that proceeds received by local historical board must be used in accordance with state guidelines and standards issued by the United States secretary of the interior.



Eliminates the requirement that contracts for use by local historical boards be developed in consultation with the department of agriculture.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 1490
By Haile

HOUSE BILL 1493
By Slater
HB1493
010395
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4;
Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 11; Title 12; Title 29
and Title 43, relative to local historical boards.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4, Chapter 11, Part 1, is amended by
adding the following as a new section:
(a) As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires:
(1) "Crops" mean any plants, or parts of plants, grown from the soil
through cultivation for commercial or other purposes, to be offered for sale or
used for consumption;
(2) "Farmer" means a person engaged in the practice of growing crops or
harvesting naturally grown products of the soil to be sold or consumed; and
(3) "Local historical board":
(A) Means a governmental entity established by state and local
law authorized to oversee and promote the preservation of historic sites
and structures within its jurisdiction, that receive assistance from the
Tennessee historical commission to establish their own programs, and
that operate under ordinances that provide an additional layer of
protection and design review for designated historic properties or districts;
and
(B) Includes a local historic preservation commission.
(b) Notwithstanding this part to the contrary, local historical boards are
authorized to contract with farmers to:

- 2 - 010395

(1) Farm crops on land that is part of a historical site if such land is
comprised of five (5) or more contiguous acres; and
(2) Harvest hay and other such naturally grown products of the soil on
land that is part of a historical site if the land is comprised of fewer than five (5)
contiguous acres.
(c)
(1) All proceeds received by local historical boards under subsection (b)
must be used for the preservation of historic sites and structures managed by
such boards.
(2) Local historical boards shall submit an annual report no later than
December 31 of each year to the Tennessee historical commission that includes
detailed information about all contracts entered into under this section for the
calendar year and how the proceeds from the contracts were used.
(d) The Tennessee historical commission, with the assistance of the department
of agriculture, shall develop contracts for use by local historical boards when entering
into agreements under this section, pursuant to the authority granted the commission in
§ 4-11-103.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.