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SB0983 • 2026

Utilities, Utility Districts

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 65, Chapter 1 and Title 65, Chapter 5, relative to utilities.

Active

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

Sponsor
Southerland, Marsh
Last action
2025-02-12
Official status
Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Commerce and Labor Committee
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide details on what happens with collected information or the impact on decision-making after the change.

Changes to Utility Reports in Tennessee

This bill removes the requirement for the Tennessee Public Utility Commission to submit an annual report about telecommunications competition to the state legislature.

What This Bill Does

  • Removes a yearly reporting requirement for the Tennessee Public Utility Commission.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The Tennessee Public Utility Commission
  • State legislators who receive reports from the commission

Terms To Know

Telecommunications market
The area where companies provide phone, internet, and other communication services.
Public Utility Commission
A government agency that oversees utilities like electricity, water, and telecommunications to make sure they are fair and safe for everyone.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what happens with the information collected by the commission after this change.
  • It is unclear how removing these reports will affect decision-making in Tennessee's utility sector.

Bill History

  1. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor change.

  2. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Commerce and Labor Committee

  3. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  4. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  5. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  6. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  7. 2025-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Abstract summarizes the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 701
By Burkhart

SENATE BILL 983
By Southerland

SB0983
002097
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 65,
Chapter 1 and Title 65, Chapter 5, relative to
utilities.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 65-5-109, is amended by deleting
subsection (q).
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.