State lobbyist briefs commissioners on 2025 session, flags $100M+ transfer-tax stake for Shelby County

Theo Morrison of Morrison Capital Strategies briefed the Shelby County commissioners on outcomes from the 2025 state legislative session and what to expect in 2026. He told the commission the General Assembly delivered a balanced fiscal year 2026 budget but left many bills in play for next year, and he singled out public-safety measures that passed and projects that did not receive capital funding this year.

Morrison noted two public-safety bills that the county tracked were enacted and described them as measures to make certain firearm "switch" devices illegal and to authorize penalties for shooting from or into vehicles; he said one provision would require defendants convicted under the statute to serve 100% of their sentences. He also reported that a local effort to secure capital funding for Regional 1 Health — a trauma center partnership with UT Health Science Center — failed to receive new state dollars in 2025, though he said planning and advocacy are ongoing.

Morrison told the commission a proposed real-estate-transfer-tax bill remains viable for 2026 and, if enacted in the form local advocates are discussing, "Shelby County would actually stand to receive over $100,000,000 under the proposed legislation." He recommended commissioners stay engaged with the county's delegation and flagged July 7 as an appropriations subcommittee date of interest for transportation and HUD funding. Commissioners asked Morrison to follow up by email on specific line items and to share any opportunities to participate in upcoming state studies.