Committee votes: quick roundup of bills advanced or acted on by the Senate Energy, Agricultural and Natural Resources Committee

The committee handled a broad set of administration and member bills. Below are the items the committee voted on during the session, a brief description and the committee outcome as recorded on the transcript.

Votes at a glance

- Consent calendar (three resolutions): All adopted on voice vote; clerk recorded 8 ayes (consent calendar approved).

- Senate Bill 12‑76 (Leader Johnson): Reduce local parks and recreation fund match from 50% to 25% for counties designated "at risk" or "economically distressed" by the Appalachian Regional Commission. Committee vote: 9 ayes; bill goes to finance.

- Senate Bill 13‑06 (Leader Johnson): Codify Tourism Department structure (marketing and welcome centers divisions) and authorize division heads; committee vote: 9 ayes; bill to calendar.

- Senate Bill 12‑75 (Chairman Yeager): Abandoned mines program changes to maintain federal SMCRA funding, require landowner notice and limit liens in certain cases; committee vote: 9 ayes; bill to calendar.

- Senate Bill 9‑70 (Senator Sutherland): Clarifies authority of certain municipal utility authorities (Irwin Utilities Authority example) following asset transfers; amendment adopted; committee vote: 9 ayes; bill to calendar.

- Senate Bill 13‑52 (Senator Akbari): Require TDEC to create an online informational tool showing facilities reporting Toxic Release Inventory data and allow proximity searches and notices; committee vote: 9 ayes; bill to finance.

- Senate Bill 12‑76 and SB 13‑06 (already above): listed to reflect separate calendar placements (finance vs. calendar).

- Senate Bill 6‑64 (Senator Taylor): Streamline credit for stream alterations where general permit credit should apply; amendment adopted; committee vote recorded with some no votes; bill advanced (committee recorded mixed votes; item moved per transcript).

- Senate Bill 7‑20 (Senator Hatcher): Reconstitute Groundwater Management Board membership and terms; amendment adopted; committee vote: 9 ayes; bill to calendar.

- Senate Bill 1‑28 (Chairman Bailey): Add statutory certification pathway for chiropractic physicians and veterinarians performing animal chiropractic (amendment adopted after public comment and opposition from TVMA); committee recorded 6 ayes, 2 passes, 1 no and placed the bill on the calendar.

- Senate Bill 5‑19 (Senator Roberts): Require certain foreign purchasers who file under the federal Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act to file with Tennessee; amendment adopted making civil penalty collection permissive; committee vote: 7 ayes, 2 no; bill to calendar.

- Senate Bill 5‑20 (Senator Roberts): Expand West Tennessee River Basin Authority service area to include Perry, Stewart, Houston and Humphreys counties; committee vote: 9 ayes; bill to finance.

- Senate Bill 12‑64 (Senator Harshbarger): Standardize expiration dates for Department of Agriculture permits to June 30 and other license clarifications; committee vote: unanimous recorded as ayes; bill to calendar.

- Senate Bill 12‑65 (Vice Chair Lowe): State takeover of meat inspection program and alignment with federal rules; amendment adopted; committee vote: 9 ayes; bill to finance.

- Senate Bill 8‑43 (Senator Wally): Allow Wetlands Acquisition Fund to be used for TWRA law‑enforcement positions in addition to land purchase/maintenance (as amended); committee vote: 7 ayes, 2 no; bill to finance.

- Senate Bill 12‑74 (Senator Wally): TDEC administrative package (air fee modernization, coal combustion residuals permitting, mineral and geologic resources payment streamlining); committee recorded 8 ayes and 1 pass; bill to finance.

- Senate Bill 12‑63 (Senator Bolling): Grundy County biosolids local authority request — committee placed bill on calendar after debate (7 ayes, 1 pass, 1 no); TDEC raised legal concerns.

- Senate Bill 10‑33 (Senator Bolling): Investigative and penalty provisions related to geoengineering and intentional atmospheric injections; committee vote: 4 ayes, 5 nos (recorded 4‑5), bill remains in committee.

- Senate Bill 10‑38 (Senator Bolling): Add a $3 licensing agent fee for clerks and retail agents to cover the cost of issuing hunting and fishing licenses; committee vote: 8 ayes, 1 no; bill to finance.

- Senate Bill 10‑58 (Senator Pote): Changes to state animal disease/emergency authority to require gubernatorial sign‑off for certain emergency orders and guaranteed compensation when funds are available; committee recorded mixed votes and bill remained in committee per transcript vote.

- Senate Bill 9‑18 (Senator Campbell): Require proof of financial responsibility (insurance) for personal watercraft (PWC) owners/operators; committee amendment adopted; committee voted to send to finance (8 ayes, 1 pass).

- Several additional bills from committee chairs were moved and passed with little debate (examples: SB 5‑58, SB 8‑84, SB 8‑85, SB 4‑38, SB 8‑74, SB 8‑83, SB 8‑80 and SB 12‑77). These mostly were housekeeping, definitions, advisory task force creation, or minor program additions; recorded roll‑call results appear in the transcript and several were placed on the calendar or moved to finance as indicated.

How to read these outcomes

- "Calendar" indicates the committee placed the bill on the larger Senate calendar for future floor consideration. - "Finance" indicates the committee routed the bill to the Finance Committee (or similar) for fiscal review.

If you need the verbatim roll‑call list or the exact recorded votes for a specific bill, the committee transcript provides line‑by‑line roll call entries for each vote.