A piece of legislation circulating through Nashville is expected to have a bit of a climb in the coming weeks.
Tennessee State Rep. Timothy Hill (R – 3rd District) recently introduced House Bill 1101, also sponsored by State Sen. Jon Lundberg as SB0415, on behalf of the County Commission of Johnson County, that would affect local option sales and use tax.
The house bill is an act to amend portions of Tennessee Code Annotated (TCA) Title 67, Part 7, relative to local option sales and use tax.
Section one would delete the wording “After initial adoption of the tax by a county or city therein, the tax rate may be increased by a city, town or county under the same procedure” and be submitted with the new sentence “after initial adoption of the tax by a county or a city town therein, the tax rate may be increased by a city, town, or county under the same procedure except that approval of the voters as provided in 67-6-706 is not required, and the resolution or ordinance increasing the tax rate shall be adopted by a two-thirds vote of the legislative body of the city, town, or county, as applicable.”
The bill would also amend portions of TCA 67-6-702 by changing wording that states “nothing in this part requires an increase in the privilege tax rates authorized in this part to be subject to the ratification of the voters in the manner provided in 67-6-706, except that the resolution or ordinance increasing the tax rate shall be adopted by two-thirds vote of the legislative body of the city, town or county” and “any amendment to any existing tax rate and any change in the limitation on the amount of the tax made shall not be subject to approval of the voters of the city or county. Any resolution or ordinance amending the existing tax rate shall be subject to adoption by a two-third vote of the legislative body of the city, town or county, as applicable.”
The bill currently in place is expected to expire July 2017.
Currently assigned to the state local government subcommittee, Hill added he’s expecting the legislation to face an uphill climb in Nashville.
“I think it has a tremendous uphill climb, similar legislation has been brought up like this before,” Hill told the Elizabethton Star. “I was asked to carry this legislation by the Johnson County Commission. The idea would be a way to having funding available in the current economic climate.”
While the bill may have problems, other bills by Lundberg (SB0020) and Hill (HB0028) have picked up traction, including one that would affect Tri-Cities Airport in Blountville.
“It would assist with growth at the airport, and that’s something we’re excited about,” Hill said adding there are other bills circulating that have generated some excitement.
The Representative also added it was good being back in the state after attending the recent Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in Washington, D.C., over the weekend.
“It was a privilege to speak at the event,” Hill said, adding that Tennessee was recognized as the most conservative state in the nation.
Hill was recently in Hampton for a town hall meeting and encourage constituents that have questions or comments about the happenings in Nashville to contact him. The Nashville number for Hill is (615) 741-2050.