Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Committee advances series of honorary designations, awareness days and local namings
Loading...
Summary
The committee moved multiple ceremonial and awareness measures forward unanimously or with positive recommendations, including recognizing April as Native Plant Month, designating an APDS awareness day, naming Gatlinburg gateway to the Smokies, naming a wastewater facility and advancing a bog turtle awareness measure.
On Feb. 9 the House Naming and Designating Committee advanced a package of honorary and awareness items, most with unanimous support.
Key actions included:
- HB 1738 (Native Plant Month): Representative Bridal asked the committee to recognize April as Native Plant Month, citing Tennessee’s roughly 2,400 native plant species, 1,380 licensed nurserymen and about $285 million in nursery/greenhouse cash receipts; the committee voted 10–0 to send the measure to Agriculture.
- HB 1492 (APDS awareness day): Representative Slater described Activated PI3K‑delta Syndrome (APDS), a rare primary immunodeficiency, and asked the committee to designate October 1 as APDS Awareness Day to raise awareness for Tennesseans with the condition; the measure moved to Health with a 10–0 vote.
- HJR 751 (Gatlinburg gateway to the Smokies): Representative Ashley presented a resolution designating Gatlinburg as the official gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains to underscore tourism and local jobs; Representative Jones encouraged outreach to the Eastern Band of Cherokee and the resolution passed 10–0 to State and Local Government.
- HB 1535 (name wastewater facility after Michael Banks): Representative Shaw presented a naming resolution to honor Michael Banks for coordinating easements and community support for a wastewater line; the committee voted 10–0 to move the bill to Agriculture.
- HB 1851 (bog turtle awareness/conservation): Representative Jones sought to raise awareness for the bog turtle, providing conservation facts that the state population is estimated at about 150, citing threats from habitat loss and noting ongoing conservation efforts led by programs such as the Knoxville Zoo; the measure moved out with a positive recommendation to State and Local Government.
Other calendar business: HB 1526 was rolled earlier in the docket and later reclaimed and advanced to State and Local Government (naming a Blount County National Guard armory for William O. Gregory). HB 1529 (Law Day) was presented and included a public witness; it moved to Judiciary.
What’s next: Most bills will proceed to subject-matter committees (Agriculture, Health, State and Local Government, Judiciary) for further consideration.
