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SB0835 • 2026

Alcoholic Beverage Commission

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4, Chapter 5; Title 27, Chapter 1 and Title 57, Chapter 1, relative to recovery of costs.

Active

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

Sponsor
Gardenhire, Gant
Last action
2025-04-29
Official status
Effective date(s) 04/21/2025
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary text indicates that the bill applies to administrative actions, but the digest text clarifies this further to include both administrative and civil actions. The final version includes both types of actions.

Alcoholic Beverage Commission Fee Recovery Act

This bill allows judges to award attorneys' fees and costs to people or entities that win against the Alcoholic Beverage Commission in certain administrative or civil actions.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows a judge, hearing officer, or administrative judge to give money for lawyers' fees and court costs to someone who wins a case against the Alcoholic Beverage Commission.
  • Limits this rule only to cases where the commission is involved as either the plaintiff or defendant in an administrative or civil action.
  • Requires that any awarded attorneys' fees must be reasonable and actual.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People or entities involved in legal actions with the Alcoholic Beverage Commission.
  • Judges, hearing officers, and administrative judges who handle cases involving the commission.

Terms To Know

Prevails
Wins a case or lawsuit
Attorneys' fees
Money paid to lawyers for their services in legal matters

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill only applies to cases where the Alcoholic Beverage Commission is involved as either the plaintiff or defendant.
  • It does not specify how much money can be awarded for attorneys' fees and costs.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB0904

Plain English: The amendment allows judges to award people or businesses that win against the Alcoholic Beverage Commission in court cases with the actual and reasonable legal fees they spent.

  • Adds new subsection (d) to Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 57-1-213, which permits a judge to give winning parties their actual and reasonable attorney's fees when they prevail against the Alcoholic Beverage Commission in administrative actions.
  • The amendment text does not specify any limits or exceptions for this new rule.
Amendment 1-0 to SB0835

Plain English: The amendment allows judges to award people or entities that win against the Alcoholic Beverage Commission in court cases with the actual and reasonable legal fees they spent.

  • Adds new subsection (d) to Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 57-1-213, which permits judges to grant winning parties their incurred attorney's fees and costs when challenging actions by the Alcoholic Beverage Commission.
  • The amendment text does not specify limits or exceptions for when these legal fee awards can be made, leaving some details unclear.

Bill History

  1. 2025-04-29 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 04/21/2025

  2. 2025-04-29 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 227

  3. 2025-04-29 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 227

  4. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2025-04-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for action.

  6. 2025-04-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  7. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  8. 2025-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled and ready for signatures

  9. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 96, Nays 0, PNV 0

  10. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Am. withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - HA0276)

  11. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Subst. for comp. HB.

  12. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. SB subst.

  13. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  14. 2025-04-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/7/2025

  15. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/3/2025

  16. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  17. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 4/2/2025

  18. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Judiciary Committee to 4/02/2025

  19. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 3/26/2025

  20. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec for pass if am by s/c ref. to Judiciary Committee

  21. 2025-03-13 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  22. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Civil Justice Subcommittee for 3/19/2025

  23. 2025-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  24. 2025-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  25. 2025-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 29, Nays 0

  26. 2025-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0048)

  27. 2025-03-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/10/2025

  28. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  29. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/4/2025

  30. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  31. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  32. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Civil Justice Subcommittee

  33. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Judiciary Committee

  34. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  35. 2025-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  36. 2025-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

ON MARCH 10, 2025, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 835, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 limits the application of the bill to administrative actions
brought ag
ainst the person or entity by the commission, or challenging the actions of the commission
, and clarifies that the attorney's fees awarded must be actual and reasonable.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 904
By Gant

SENATE BILL 835
By Gardenhire

SB0835
002788
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4,
Chapter 5; Title 27, Chapter 1 and Title 57,
Chapter 1, relative to recovery of costs.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 57-1-213, is amended by adding the
following as a new subsection:
(d) Notwithstanding this section or another law to the contrary, a judge, hearing
officer, or administrative judge may award a person or entity that prevails in an
administrative or civil action brought against the person or entity by the commission, or
challenging the actions of the commission, attorneys' fees and costs incurred as a result
of the administrative or civil action.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.