Controversial Tennessee Campaign Finance Bill May Be Dead For This Year

Image: House Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee Chair Ryan Williams (R-Cookeville-District 42) places HB0653 behind the budget due to Fiscal Note tied to bill. Image Credit: TN General Assembly

The Tennessee Conservative [By Olivia Lupia] –

A bill which seeks to make subtle yet numerous changes to already complex state campaign finance law could be essentially dead for this year as the House Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee placed the legislation behind the budget on Wednesday, April 9, a death knell for many bills. 

Critics of HB0653 have said the bill could be detrimental to underfunded conservative candidates, especially given the Tennessee Registry of Election Finance’s (TREF) history of targeting conservative individuals and organizations.

Sponsored by Rep. Tim Hicks (R-Gray-District 6) and Sen. Richard Briggs (R-Knoxville-District 7) as SB0229, the six-page bill was originally brought by the Bureau of Ethics and Campaign Finance and funnels more money toward the Bureau while also implementing other provisions like: 

– Requiring certain executive branch officials to receive ethics training from the bureau.

– Allowing the Registry of Election Finance to skip audits or investigations of complaints against financial reports and instead go straight to show cause hearings.

– Requiring a local candidate whose jurisdiction covers more than one country to register a political treasurer in each county the election occurs.

– Deleting an entire section of existing law and replacing it with exemptions for campaign contribution limits for certain political campaign committees, such as those controlled by a political party.

A bill is placed behind the budget if it has a fiscal note attached, meaning it could require spending or affect state revenue, so Finance Committees in both houses must consider it only after the state budget is passed.

This process theoretically ensures any potential new spending or revenue changes proposed in legislation are considered within the framework of the overall state budget.

While not impossible for legislation to be pulled from behind the budget or considered after the budget has passed, many bills placed behind the budget are not reconsidered for the remainder of the session, effectively killing them. 

Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.