Votes at a glance: Subcommittee advances a package of business and utilities bills to full Commerce

At a February 2025 Business & Utilities Subcommittee meeting, lawmakers advanced several bills to the full Commerce Committee. Committee members recorded votes on multiple bills; summaries and final tallies are below.

House Bill 683 (Leader Lambert) — Enhanced armed-guard licensing The subcommittee approved HB 683, which would create an upper-tier armed guard license intended for more sensitive sites such as schools and churches. Leader Lambert said the measure establishes an “enhanced armed guard” level to give customers clearer differentiation when hiring private security. The committee vote was 10-1 in favor; the bill was referred to full Commerce.

House Bill 459 (Representative Martin) — Secretary of State authority on foreign-adversary-controlled entities HB 459 would give the Tennessee Secretary of State limited administrative authority to dissolve business entities that are owned or controlled by a foreign adversary as defined by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce. Representative Martin said the measure mirrors actions some other states have taken after federal law-enforcement referrals. Michael Harmon, general counsel for the Secretary of State’s office, told the committee the provision is intended as “a shield, not a sword” — a limited tool to act when credible evidence of misuse of the filing system is presented by federal authorities or other reliable sources. Harmon said administrative dissolution is possible, an internal appeal to the office is available, and the attorney general’s office would handle any subsequent civil or criminal enforcement. The subcommittee voted 10-0 to send HB 459 to full Commerce.

House Bill 862 (Representative Parkinson) — TASER/TASSR study of cosmetology and barbering industry Representative Parkinson said HB 862 directs the Tennessee Center for Appropriate Studies (TASSA/TasSar as cited in committee) to study the economic impact of the cosmetology and barbering industry within existing funds. The sponsor said the industry is “a billion-dollar-plus” sector and the study would quantify state economic activity and inform potential incentives or promotion. The committee approved the bill; vote 8-0 with one present but not voting.

House Bill 499 (Representative Jones) — Registered-agent resignation notice (technical cleanup) HB 499 is a technical cleanup from the Secretary of State’s office clarifying the format and timing of the written notice a registered agent must provide a business before resigning. Representative Jones said the change simplifies statutory language and does not alter the fact businesses receive two notices. The committee approved the bill 10-0 and referred it to full Commerce.

House Bill 1138 (Chairman Boyd) — Pre-blast survey access at no cost HB 1138, introduced by Chairman Boyd, would require access to a pre-blast survey at no cost to homeowners near blasting operations. Boyd said the change responds to a constituent who had been charged for a pre-blast survey and that the bill would make the survey available without fee. The committee approved the bill 10-0 and sent it to full Commerce.

House Bill 1136 (Chairman Boyd) — State telecommunication regulation and broadband Chairman Boyd’s HB 1136 clarifies state jurisdiction after a federal reclassification of broadband services. The bill would state that certain Internet services are regulated by the Federal Communications Commission rather than the Tennessee Public Utility Commission (TPUC), to avoid creating state-level regulatory overlap. The subcommittee voted 10-0 to advance the bill to full Commerce.

All bills above were recorded as passed by the subcommittee and were referred to the full Commerce Committee for further consideration.