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HB2160 • 2026

County Government

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 5, relative to county legislative bodies.

Budget Elections
Enacted

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

Sponsor
Butler, Yager
Last action
2026-05-04
Official status
Comp. became Pub. Ch. 860
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

County Government

Present law requires a county legislative body to change the boundaries of districts, or redistrict a county entirely, at least every 10 years to apportion the county legislative body so that the members represent substantially equal populations.

What This Bill Does

  • Present law requires a county legislative body to change the boundaries of districts, or redistrict a county entirely, at least every 10 years to apportion the county legislative body so that the members represent substantially equal populations.
  • Furthe r, present law requires districts to be reasonably compact and contiguous, and prohibits districts from overlapping.
  • This bill prohibits a county from having a district that encompasses the entire county after the redistricting following the 2030 federal census.
  • Further, a commissioner is prohibited from being elected to represent an at-large district.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB2160

Plain English: House State & Local Government 1 Amendment No.

  • House State & Local Government 1 Amendment No.
  • 1 to HB2160 Crawford Signature of Sponsor AMEND Senate Bill No.
  • 2276 House Bill No.
  • 2160* HA1033 014887 - 1 - by deleting all language after the enacting clause and substituting: SECTION 1.
Amendment 1-0 to SB2276

Plain English: Senate State and Local Government 1 Amendment No.

  • Senate State and Local Government 1 Amendment No.
  • 1 to SB2276 Briggs Signature of Sponsor AMEND Senate Bill No.
  • 2276 House Bill No.
  • 2160* SA0741 014887 - 1 - by deleting all language after the enacting clause and substituting: SECTION 1.

Bill History

  1. 2026-05-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 860

  2. 2026-05-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 04/27/2026

  3. 2026-05-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 860

  4. 2026-04-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2026-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for action.

  6. 2026-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  7. 2026-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  8. 2026-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled and ready for signatures

  9. 2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. SB subst.

  10. 2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 92, Nays 0, PNV 2

  11. 2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Am. withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - HA1033)

  12. 2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Subst. for comp. HB.

  13. 2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/13/2026

  14. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/9/2026

  15. 2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  16. 2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  17. 2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 31, Nays 0

  18. 2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0741)

  19. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  20. 2026-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/2/2026

  21. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  22. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  23. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  24. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  25. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  26. 2026-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Cities & Counties Subcommittee for 3/18/2026

  27. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/17/2026

  28. 2026-03-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor change.

  29. 2026-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) withdrawn.

  30. 2026-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor change.

  31. 2026-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to General Subcommittee of Senate State and Local Government Committee

  32. 2026-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Taken off notice for cal in s/c Cities & Counties Subcommittee of State & Local Government Committee

  33. 2026-02-17 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  34. 2026-02-17 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  35. 2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Cities & Counties Subcommittee for 2/18/2026

  36. 2026-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  37. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Cities & Counties Subcommittee

  38. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to State & Local Government Committee

  39. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  40. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  41. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  42. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  43. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Present law requires a county legislative body to change the boundaries of districts, or redistrict a county entirely, at least every 10 years to apportion the county legislative body so that the members represent substantially equal populations. Furthe
r, present law requires districts to be reasonably compact and contiguous, and prohibits districts from overlapping.

This bill prohibits a county from having a district that encompasses the entire county after the redistricting following the 2030 federal census. Further, a commissioner is prohibited from being elected to represent an at-large district.

COUNTY CHARTER

Present law authorizes each county in this state to adopt a charter form of government and provides requirements for what must be included in a proposed county charter. A county charter must provide for the size, method of election, qualification for ho
lding office, method of removal, and procedures of the county legislative body with such other provisions with respect to such body as are normally related to the organization, powers, and duties of governing bodies in counties, among other things.

This bill requires a county charter to also provide that a member of the county legislative body is prohibited from representing a district that encompasses the entire county. Further, this bill clarifies that this provision is a remedial measure and re
quires any county having an at-large district on its effective date to amend the county charter to comply with this provision no later than the 2030 federal census.

ON APRIL 2, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 2276, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 rewrites the bill to, instead, prohibit the director of accounts and budgets for Overton County from being terminated or discharged without the approval of the county legislative body. However, this provision only becomes effective upon app
roval by a 2/3 vote of the Overton County legislative body.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 2276
By Yager

HOUSE BILL 2160
By Butler
HB2160
011693
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 5,
relative to county legislative bodies.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 5-1-111(e), is amended by
designating the existing language as subdivision (e)(1) and adding the following as a new
subdivision (e)(2):
(2) After the redistricting following the 2030 federal census, a county shall not
have a district that encompasses the entire county, and a commissioner shall not be
elected for an at-large district.
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 5-1-210(4), is amended by deleting
the subdivision and substituting instead:
(4)
(A) For the size, method of election, qualification for holding office,
method of removal, and procedures of the county legislative body with such other
provisions with respect to such body as are normally related to the organization,
powers, and duties of governing bodies in counties;
(B) Notwithstanding subdivision (4)(A), a member of the county
legislative body shall not represent a district that encompasses the entire county.
This subdivision (4)(B) is remedial in nature, and any county having an at-large
district on the effective date of this act shall amend the charter to comply with this
subdivision (4)(B) no later than the 2030 federal census.
SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.