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HB2538 • 2026

Regional Authorities and Special Districts

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 64, Chapter 9, relative to the Megasite Authority of West Tennessee.

Active

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

Sponsor
Lamberth, Johnson
Last action
2026-03-26
Official status
Sponsor(s) Added.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official summary and digest do not provide specific details about penalties or other actions that were removed from the candidate explanation.

Megasite Authority of West Tennessee Bond Issuance

This bill allows the Megasite Authority of West Tennessee to issue bonds for water and wastewater system projects.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows the Megasite Authority of West Tennessee to issue bonds to pay for water and wastewater systems.
  • Gives the board of directors more power to decide costs related to bond issuance, including expenses and interest.
  • States that the state is not responsible if these bonds fail or are in debt.
  • Requires the authority to get approval from the state funding board before issuing bonds.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The Megasite Authority of West Tennessee
  • People who live near water and wastewater systems funded by this bill

Terms To Know

Bonds
A type of loan where the authority promises to pay back money with interest.
State Funding Board
An agency that decides if it's okay for the Megasite Authority to issue bonds.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how much money can be borrowed.
  • It is unclear what happens if the authority cannot pay back the bonds.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB2538

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

  • House State & Local Government 1 Amendment No.
  • 1 to HB2538 Crawford Signature of Sponsor AMEND Senate Bill No.
  • 2226* House Bill No.
  • 2538 HA0735 014138 - 1 - by deleting all language after the enacting clause and substituting: SECTION 1.
Amendment 1-0 to SB2226

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

  • Senate State and Local Government 1 Amendment No.
  • 1 to SB2226 Briggs Signature of Sponsor AMEND Senate Bill No.
  • 2226* House Bill No.
  • 2538 SA0627 014138 - 1 - by deleting all language after the enacting clause and substituting: SECTION 1.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  2. 2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for action.

  3. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  4. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  5. 2026-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  6. 2026-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. SB subst.

  7. 2026-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled and ready for signatures

  8. 2026-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 84, Nays 2, PNV 2

  9. 2026-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Am. withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - HA0735)

  10. 2026-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Subst. for comp. HB.

  11. 2026-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  12. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  13. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  14. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 29, Nays 0

  15. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0627)

  16. 2026-03-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/23/2026

  17. 2026-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 3/26/2026

  18. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 3/19/2026

  19. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  20. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  21. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  22. 2026-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  23. 2026-03-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  24. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Cities & Counties Subcommittee for 3/11/2026

  25. 2026-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Cities & Counties Subcommittee

  26. 2026-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Ref. to State & Local Government Committee

  27. 2026-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/10/2026

  28. 2026-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  29. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  30. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  31. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  32. 2026-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  33. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  34. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

ON MARCH 23, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 2226, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 rewrites the bill to, instead, authorize the Megasite Authority of West Tennessee ("authority") to issue bonds for the sole purpose of financing, in whole or in part, the cost of acquisition, purchase, construction, reconstruction, improveme
nt, betterment, or extension of the water system or wastewater system operated by the authority. Further, the board of directors of the authority, in determining the cost, may include all costs and estimated costs of the issuance of the bonds, all engine
er
ing inspection, fiscal and legal expenses, if related to the issuance of bonds, and interest that is estimated to accrue during the construction period and six months thereafter on money borrowed or that is estimated to be borrowed. However, the state is
not liable on bonds of the authority, the bonds are not a debt of this state, and the bonds must contain on the face of the bonds a statement to that effect. The issuance of bonds by the authority is subject to the approval of the state funding board.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 2226
By Johnson

HOUSE BILL 2538
By Lamberth
HB2538
012527
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 64,
Chapter 9, relative to the Megasite Authority of
West Tennessee.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 64-9-109(f)(1), is amended by
deleting the last sentence of the subdivision and substituting:
The authority shall provide each adverse party not less than fourteen (14) days'
written notice prior to assessing a penalty under this subdivision (f)(1).
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.