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House concurs in procurement amendment requiring vendor affidavit on foreign‑adversary ownership; lawmakers raise verification concerns
Summary
On a message calendar concurrence, the House agreed to a procurement amendment that requires vendors to certify they are not foreign‑adversary‑owned; members questioned how local governments would verify such claims and who would bear liability.
The House concurred in a senate amendment to House Bill 548 on purchasing and procurement that adds vendor certification language aimed at keeping procurement away from companies owned by foreign adversaries.
Representative Cochran, explaining the change, said participants in procurement would sign a guarantee that they are not owned by a foreign adversary—"basically, a guarantee saying that you are not a foreign adversary company, which would mean that you are not a company that's owned by the Chinese government, for instance." He added that the signing party would be subject to penalties for false statements.
Several members raised practical concerns about verification and local government burden. Chairman Clemons asked "who's supposed to verify this stuff?" and whether local jurisdictions would bear liability when relying on a vendor's affidavit; Representative Cochran said the onus is on the company signing under penalty of law and that the state would have jurisdiction over companies doing business in Tennessee.
The House recorded concurrence in the senate amendment; the transcript includes extended member questions about enforcement and accountability but does not show specific administrative verification procedures.
