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The Tennessee Conservative [By Adelia Kirchner] –
The House Cities and Counties Subcommittee will be considering two key pieces of legislation on Wednesday, Mar. 19th, 2025.
Resolution to Ban Statewide Property Tax in Tennessee.
House Joint Resolution 2 (HJR0002), sponsored by Rep. Tandy Darby (R- Greenfield-District 76), lays the groundwork for a constitutional amendment that would essentially prohibit Tennessee’s General Assembly “from levying, authorizing, or otherwise permitting a state tax on property.”
Sen. Ferrell Haile (R-Gallatin-District 18) is carrying the Senate version of this resolution, Senate Joint Resolution 1 (SJR0001).
The state of Tennessee has not enforced a statewide property tax since 1949, instead relying on sales tax for its primary income.
Currently, the Tennessee Constitution allows for the legislature to reinstate that statewide property tax with just one piece of legislation.
Proposed amendments to the Tennessee Constitution must
In 2024, both chambers of the state legislature passed a joint resolution on the subject by a simple majority vote.
If HJR0002 passes in both chambers of the legislature by a two-thirds majority vote this year, the constitutional amendment will be placed on the ballots of Tennessee voters during the next gubernatorial election.
Bill to Permit Local Governments to Regulate Sober Living Homes.
House Bill 783 (HB0783), sponsored by Rep. Greg Martin (R-Hamilton County-District 26), “authorizes local governments to regulate sober living homes for recovery from alcohol, drug, and substance abuse to the extent such regulation complies with the Fair Housing Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act.”
This legislation specifies that local governments would have the authority to prescribe a distance requirement for how far away a sober living home must be from primary schools, preschools, and daycares.
These local governments could adopt ordinances requiring a sober living home to be located at least 1,000 feet away from these facilities and the children who attend them.
Local governments would also be authorized to regulate the location and operation of sober living homes and to require that prospective residents receive a referral from the court system or a licensed professional in order to be placed in a sober living home.
In a recent interview with The Tennessee Conservative, Rep. Martin shared the story of how this legislation came to him and described some of the issues HB0783 seeks to prevent.
Rep. Martin explained that a concerned mother out of Hixson, Tennessee, had contacted him after her children witnessed a shooting on their way to school at Hixson Elementary.
“As she got to looking and investigating, she found that this was a sober living home and she called my office and asked me what could be done about it,” said Rep. Martin.
The mother had gone to the Chattanooga City Hall to see what could be done on a local level and was told there was nothing they could do.
“They weren’t wrong,” said Rep. Martin. “That’s why we presented this bill. […] Children don’t need see adults shooting each other, seven o’clock in the morning, that are living in houses where people don’t have any supervision that are in recovery homes. There needs to be some type of guardrails and there’s none.”
Rep. Martin explained to The Tennessee Conservative that any ordinance or resolution that a local governing body makes under this legislation still has to comply with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.
“You have to be really careful with the federal government’s Americans with Disabilities Act,” said. Rep. Martin. “You cannot discriminate against those that have a disability and even though it may be alcohol or drugs or something like that, that’s considered to be a disability.”
Both of these bills are scheduled for consideration during a 3PM (CST) meeting of the House Cities and Counties Subcommittee on Wednesday, Mar. 19th, 2025.
Contact information for members of this subcommittee can be found below.
Rep.jerome.moon@capitol.tn.gov, rep.ed.butler@capitol.tn.gov, rep.john.crawford@capitol.tn.gov, rep.vincent.dixie@capitol.tn.gov, rep.mary.littleton@capitol.tn.gov, rep.bo.mitchell@capitol.tn.gov, rep.dave.wright@capitol.tn.gov
About the Author: Adelia Kirchner is a Tennessee resident and reporter for the Tennessee Conservative. Currently the host of Subtle Rampage Podcast, she has also worked for the South Dakota State Legislature and interned for Senator Bill Hagerty’s Office in Nashville, Tennessee. Adelia is The Tennessee Conservative’s on-site reporter for the Tennessee General Assembly. You can reach Adelia at adelia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
One Response
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