Agriculture

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Tennessee Agriculture Recovery and Investment in Family Farm (TARIFF) Relief Act

This bill creates a fund within the state treasury to provide grants of up to $10,000 for Tennessee family farmers who have faced high input costs due to tariffs since April 1, 2025.

What This Bill Does

• Creates the TARIFF relief fund within the state treasury to help struggling farmers.
• Requires the Department of Agriculture to provide grants up to $10,000 to eligible family farmers who have faced high input costs due to tariffs since April 1, 2025.
• Specifies that the fund includes $130 million from the revenue fluctuation reserve in fiscal year 2026-2027.
• Requires the Department of Agriculture to develop an application form and eligibility requirements for grant funds.

Who It Names or Affects

• Tennessee family farmers who own or lease land used as a farm and have faced high input costs due to tariffs since April 1, 2025.

Terms To Know

Family farmer

A natural person who is a resident of Tennessee and owns or leases land in the state that is principally used as a farm.

Farm

A tract of land of at least 15 acres engaged in growing crops, plants, animals, or nursery products with an average gross agricultural income of $1,500 per year over the last three years.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify how long the fund will be available.
• It is unclear if there are limits on how many grants can be given out from the fund.

Official Summary Text

This bill creates
a fund within the state treasury to be known as the Tennessee agriculture recovery and investment in family farm (TARIFF) relief fund
("fund")
. The fund consists of grants, appropriations by the general assembly, and any other moneys made available to the department of agriculture
("department")
from any other source. It is the legislative intent that the fund also consists of
$130
million to be transferred from the balance of the revenue fluctuation reserve in fiscal year 2026-2027.

Subject to appropriations and the availability of funds,
this bill requires
the department
to
use the fund to provide grants in the amount of up to $10,000 to
residents of this state who own or lease

land in this state that is principally used as a farm
("
family farme
r")
who, on or after April 1, 2025, have been struggling with high input costs and market losses as a result of tariffs on agricultural products, equipment, and machinery, including retaliatory and reciprocal tariffs, whether imposed by the fe
deral government or foreign countries. The department
must
develop and publish an application form for family farmers to apply for grant funds
, which
must require a demonstration of need. The department
must also
establish grant eligibility requirements and award procedures.

"FARM" DEFINED

As used in this bill, a "farm" means
a tract of land of at least 15 acres constituting a farm unit engaged in the production of growing crops, plants, animals, or nursery or floral products that produced gross agricultural income averaging at least $1,500

per year over the three-year period immediately preceding the date of a grant application under this
bill
.

AUDIT

This bill provides that the fund
is subject to examination and audit by the comptroller of the treasury.

FALSE CLAIMS VIOLATIONS

If
a person filing a claim or invoice for a grant or grant funds knowingly makes a false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or representation, or knowingly submits false, fictitious, or fraudulent documentation or information to the department, then
this bill provides that
such person is liable under the False Claims Act
.

RULEMAKING

This bill authorizes rules to be
promulgated in order to ensure the funds are received and expended for the purposes consistent with this
bill.

Current Bill Text

SENATE BILL 2687
By Kyle

HOUSE BILL 2191
By Jones J
HB2191
012359
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 9 and
Title 43, relative to assistance for farmers.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 9, Chapter 4, Part 2, is amended by
adding the following as a new section:
9-4-217.
(a) This section is known and may be cited as the Tennessee Agriculture
Recovery and Investment in Family Farm (TARIFF) Relief Act.
(b) As used in this section:
(1) "Family farmer" means a natural person who is a resident of this state
and who owns or leases land in this state that is principally used as a farm; and
(2) "Farm" means a tract of land of at least fifteen (15) acres constituting
a farm unit engaged in the production of growing crops, plants, animals, or
nursery or floral products that produced gross agricultural income averaging at
least one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500) per year over the three-year
period immediately preceding the date of a grant application under this section.
(c) There is created a fund within the state treasury to be known as the
Tennessee agriculture recovery and investment in family farm (TARIFF) relief fund. The
fund consists of grants, appropriations by the general assembly, and any other moneys
made available to the department of agriculture for the purposes of such fund from any
other source or sources. It is the legislative intent that the fund also consists of one
hundred thirty million dollars ($130,000,000) to be transferred from the balance of the
revenue fluctuation reserve in fiscal year 2026-2027.

- 2 - 012359

(d) Moneys deposited in the TARIFF relief fund must be invested for the benefit
of the fund pursuant to § 9-4-603.
(e) Any unexpended and unobligated moneys in the TARIFF relief fund at June
30, 2027, must be returned to the revenue fluctuation reserve.
(f) Subject to appropriations and the availability of funds, the department shall
use the TARIFF relief fund to provide grants in the amount of up to ten thousand dollars
($10,000) to family farmers who, on or after April 1, 2025, have been struggling with high
input costs and market losses as a result of tariffs on agricultural products, equipment,
and machinery, including retaliatory and reciprocal tariffs, whether imposed by the
federal government or foreign countries.
(g) The department shall develop and publish an application form for family
farmers to apply for grant funds. The application must require a demonstration of need.
The department shall establish grant eligibility requirements and award procedures.
(h) The TARIFF relief fund is subject to examination and audit by the comptroller
of the treasury.
(i) If a person filing a claim or invoice for a grant or grant funds knowingly makes
a false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or representation, or knowingly submits false,
fictitious, or fraudulent documentation or information to the department, then such
person is liable under the False Claims Act, compiled in title 4, chapter 18.
(j) Rules may be promulgated in accordance with the Uniform Administrative
Procedures Act, compiled in title 4, chapter 5, in order to ensure the funds are received
and expended for the purposes consistent with this section.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.