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Votes at a glance: key Finance, Ways and Means committee actions on April 8, 2025
Summary
The Senate Finance, Ways and Means Committee moved a large slate of bills to the calendar on April 8, 2025. This roundup lists the bills discussed in committee and the committee’s recorded outcomes or procedural dispositions.
The Senate Finance, Ways and Means Committee handled a broad calendar on April 8, 2025. Below are the committee’s recorded outcomes or procedural dispositions for the principal bills addressed during the hearing.
Votes and committee actions (selected):
- Senate Bill 452 (ABLE program alignment): Recommended for passage to the calendar (committee voice vote recorded; clerk noted ayes). Sponsor said change aligns state law with updated federal ABLE program regulations to preserve federal tax protections.
- Senate Bill 308 (Resort omnibus, technical provisions with stickers and sales limits): Adopted finance amendment and recommended for passage to the calendar per committee record.
- Senate Bill 1414 (340B program — substantive debate and amendment): Recommended for passage to the calendar after adoption of a compromise amendment (tally recorded in transcript: 8 ayes, 3 noes). See separate article for details.
- Senate Bill 172 (Hunger‑free campus grant): Two finance amendments adopted; funding deferred (“moved behind the budget”) for consideration in the budget process (no appropriation enacted by committee).
- Senate Bill 481 (elimination of $350 bond for civil asset forfeiture reclaim): Recommended for passage (the clerk recorded 9 ayes, no nays in committee).
- Senate Bill 728 (UTV/ATV use on roads): Recommended for passage to the calendar (committee recorded vote 10–0); bill allows operation on roads posted at 45 mph or less (subject to conditions and local opt‑out).
- Senate Bill 576 (hospital assessment — TennCare funding): Recommended for passage to the calendar (9 ayes, no nays recorded); continues the annual hospital coverage assessment to support TennCare matching dollars.
- Senate Bill 129 (THDA bond cap increase from $4B to $5B): Recommended for passage to the calendar (committee recorded 8 ayes, 1 no); sponsors said THDA issues bonds without state backing and needs increased capacity to continue mortgage purchasing for affordable housing programs.
- Multiple additional administration or agency bills (TDEC solid‑waste task force, meat inspection alignment, tax administration changes, foster care extension, Tennessee STRONG veteran/Guard tuition assistance and others) were recommended for passage to the calendar with recorded tallies in the committee transcript. Where recorded, roll calls and tallies are noted in the transcript; several measures were passed by unanimous or near‑unanimous margins.
What to watch next: Many bills the committee recommended were moved to the calendar committee for scheduling and floor consideration; several items (notably SB172) will await budget negotiations for funding decisions.
Source: Senate Finance, Ways and Means Committee hearing transcript, April 8, 2025.
