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SB1276 • 2026

Parks, Natural Areas Preservation

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 67-4-409, relative to the local parks land acquisition fund.

Enacted

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

Sponsor
Johnson, Lamberth
Last action
2025-05-08
Official status
Comp. became Pub. Ch. 336
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide information on what happens if a county's designation changes after the grant application but before project completion, or how this change will affect funding levels or project outcomes in distressed or at-risk Appalachian counties.

Local Parks Land Acquisition Fund Changes

This law changes the matching requirement for grant recipients in distressed or at-risk Appalachian counties to 25% of the project cost instead of an equal amount when applying for grants from the local parks land acquisition fund.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes the matching requirement for grant recipients in distressed or at-risk Appalachian counties to 25% of the project cost instead of an equal amount when applying for grants from the local parks land acquisition fund.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Counties and cities that receive grants from the local parks land acquisition fund.
  • Projects located in counties designated as distressed or at-risk by the Appalachian Regional Commission.

Terms To Know

Appalachian Regional Commission
A federal-state partnership that works to improve economic and social conditions in Appalachia, including designating certain areas as distressed or at-risk.
Local Parks Land Acquisition Fund
A fund used by Tennessee counties and cities for acquiring land for parks and natural areas.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law does not specify what happens if a county's designation changes after the grant application but before project completion.
  • It is unclear how this change will affect funding levels or project outcomes in distressed or at-risk Appalachian counties.

Bill History

  1. 2025-05-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 336

  2. 2025-05-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 10/01/2025

  3. 2025-05-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 336

  4. 2025-05-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for his action.

  6. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  7. 2025-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  8. 2025-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled; ready for sig. of H. Speaker.

  9. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Companion House Bill substituted

  10. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate, Ayes 32, Nays 0

  11. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate substituted House Bill for companion Senate Bill.

  12. 2025-04-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Consent Calendar 2 for 4/14/2025

  13. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  14. 2025-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  15. 2025-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee

  16. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 4/8/2025

  17. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

  18. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Received from House, Passed on First Consideration

  19. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to Sen.

  20. 2025-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  21. 2025-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  22. 2025-03-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Consent Calendar for 3/24/2025

  23. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Energy, Ag., and Nat. Resources Committee calendar for 3/26/2025

  24. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Energy, Ag., and Nat. Resources Committee to 3/26/2025

  25. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 3/20/2025

  26. 2025-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee

  27. 2025-03-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Energy, Ag., and Nat. Resources Committee calendar for 3/19/2025

  28. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Finance, Ways, and Means Committee for 3/18/2025

  29. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

  30. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 3/12/2025

  31. 2025-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee

  32. 2025-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

  33. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee for 3/4/2025

  34. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee

  35. 2025-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  36. 2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee for 2/26/2025

  37. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Energy, Ag., and Nat. Resources Committee

  38. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee to 2/26/2025

  39. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  40. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  41. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee for 2/12/2025

  42. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  43. 2025-01-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee

  44. 2025-01-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Ref. to Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee

  45. 2025-01-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C held on desk, pending appointment of Standing Committees

  46. 2025-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  47. 2025-01-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Abstract summarizes the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 125
By Lamberth

SENATE BILL 1276
By Johnson

SB1276
000178
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Section
67-4-409, relative to the local parks land
acquisition fund.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 67-4-409(i)(4)(A), is amended by
deleting the first sentence and substituting:
Except as otherwise provided in this subdivision (i)(4)(A), a county or municipal
government that receives a grant under this section must match the grant with an equal
amount of money for each project. For a project located within a county designated as
distressed or at-risk by the Appalachian Regional Commission at the time of the grant
application, a county or municipal government that receives a grant under this section
must match the grant with an amount of money equal to twenty-five percent (25%) of the
project.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect October 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.