Gov. Phil Bredesen’s administration presented the state Legislature with a proposed $27.5 billion state budget Tuesday, focusing heavily on education and pushing the first tax increase of his governorship. The proposed budget for the next fiscal year is an approximately $1 billion increase in spending compared to this fiscal year’s $26.5 billion budget. The budget, as presented, includes tripling the cigarette tax from 20 cents to 60 cents to raise about $220 million, 90 percent of which is being used for K-12 and higher education funding.
1. Of the roughly $200 million raised through the cigarette tax hike, about $120 million would go toward funding K-12 students from lower-income families and $27 million to school districts with a high amount of growth. About $48 million of the cigarette tax revenue would be used to keep tuition increases at state colleges and universities to about 5-6 percent.
The filing deadline for the legislative session ended at close of business yesterday with over 2,500 bills filed in each respective chamber. Committee calendars are still very sparse in the House, but the Senate Committees are beginning to fill up. The Legislature finishes its 7th week of business this week.
Please call if you have questions.
Tennessee Legislation Service (c) 2007 M. Lee Smith Publishers
Friday, February 23, 2007 |
ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES |
SB 0634*
HB 1750
(Full Text) |
Allows sale of alcohol on Sundays that are certain holidays. Allows retailers to sell alcoholic beverages on Sundays between the hours of noon and eleven p.m. and on Labor Day, the Fourth of July, and New Year's Day. (S: Flinn; H: Jones U.)
Senate Status: Introduced 2/8/2007
House Status: House companion bill introduced. (H: U. Jones) |
SB 0680*
HB 0787
(Full Text) |
Cannot sell beer or alcohol near drug treatment facility. Authorizes counties and cities to adopt ordinance or resolution that prohibits sale of beer and alcoholic beverages within 2,000 feet of a drug or alcohol treatment facility. (S: Bunch; H: Campfield)
Senate Status: Introduced 2/8/2007
House Status: Referred to House State & Local Government. |
SB 0795*
HB 1324
(Full Text) |
ID tags on beer kegs. Requires retailers to place identification tag on kegs containing beer that identifies the seller. Requires purchaser to pay a minimum deposit of $75 and to sign a registration form. Directs department of revenue to prescribe and supply forms for keg identification so that buyers and sellers can be held accountable for unlawful purchases. Violation is a Class C misdemeanor. (S: Burchett; H: Briley)
Senate Status: Introduced 2/8/2007
House Status: Introduced 2/12/2007 |
SB 1221*
HB 1194
(Full Text) |
Special occasion license for certain events. Allows charitable, nonprofit, or political organization to obtain special occasion license for event in political subdivision that has approved sale of alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises. Clarifies current law that specifies approval only of the sale of alcoholic beverages at retail on the premises. (S: Cooper J.; H: Harmon)
Senate Status: Referred to Senate State & Local Government.
House Status: Referred to House State & Local Government. |
SB 1223*
HB 1529
(Full Text) |
Special occasion license for charitable organization. Permits alcoholic beverage commission to issue a special occasion license to certain 501(c)(3) organizations for selling wine in closed containers for consumption on or off premises. Allows any resident of Tennessee to donate wine to such organizations. (S: Cooper J.; H: Odom)
Senate Status: Referred to Senate State & Local Government.
House Status: Introduced 2/15/2007 |
SB 1224*
HB 1755
(Full Text) |
Retail license holder may offer free samples of wine. Permits entities holding a retail license or a winery license to provide free samples of wine to consumers on the premises under certain circumstances. Subjects those who violate specified requirements while providing samples to suspension of license or a fine of up to $3,000. (S: Cooper J.; H: Jones U.)
House Co-Sponsor: Tindell
Senate Status: Referred to Senate State & Local Government.
House Status: Introduced 2/15/2007 |
SB 1807*
HB 2120
(Full Text) |
Any wine made from 50% TN fruit - unlimited sale. Allows any winery selling wine made from 50% of any Tennessee fruit to sell it on premises without restriction on number of gallons sold where grapes were previously the only fruit under this provision. (S: Ketron; H: Litz)
Senate Status: Introduced 2/8/2007
House Status: Introduced 2/15/2007 |
SB 1821*
HB 1658
(Full Text) |
Registration period for beer manufacturers, distributors. Increases time period from 20 to 25 days for manufacturer or distributor of beer to register at the office of the commissioner of revenue. (S: Bunch; H: Mumpower)
Senate Status: Introduced 2/8/2007
House Status: Introduced 2/15/2007 |
SB 1879
HB 1119
(Full Text) |
Beer distributors' registration. Increases time period during which beer distributors must register with commissioner of revenue from 20 to 25 days. (S: Jackson; H: Buck)
Senate Status: Introduced 2/8/2007
House Status: Caption bill held on House clerk's desk. |
SB 1977*
HB 1850
(Full Text) |
Wine direct shipper license. Creates wine direct shipper license to be issued through the alcoholic beverage commission that would allow an in-state or out-of-state entity to ship wine directly to consumers age 21 years or older in this state for personal use. (S: Stanley; H: Todd)
Senate Status: Referred to Senate State & Local Government.
House Status: Introduced 2/15/2007 |
SB 2072
HB 1899*
(Full Text) |
Sales of wine by certain retail food stores. Prescribes the creation of an additional class of licenses allowing the sale of wine at retail food stores. (S: Flinn; H: Marrero)
Senate Status: Introduced 2/21/2007
House Status: Introduced 2/15/2007 |
SB 2289
HB 1825*
(Full Text) |
Wholesaler's license expansion. Allows wholesaler's licenses to be granted in any municipality that has approved the sale of alcoholic beverages rather than only those with a minimum population of 100,000. (S: Burchett; H: Lundberg)
Senate Status: Introduced 2/22/2007
House Status: Introduced 2/15/2007 |
COMMERCIAL LAW |
SB 0850*
HB 1019
(Full Text) |
Processing fees charged for use of debit or credit card. Prohibits card issuer from charging a processing fee to retail merchants for the use of credit or debit cards that is more than seventy-five hundredths of one percent (0.75%) per transaction for all processing fees involving the use of a credit or debit card. (S: Kilby; H: Ferguson)
Senate Status: Referred to Senate Commerce, Labor & Agriculture.
House Status: Referred to House Commerce. |
TAXES BUSINESS |
SB 1394*
HB 1193
(Full Text) |
Increases tax on cigarettes and wine. Increases tax on spirits from $4.40 per gallon to $4.50 per gallon. Also increases tax on wine from $1.21 per gallon to $1.31 per gallon. Increases tax on cigarettes from 10 mills per cigarette to 1.5 cents per cigarette. (S: Crutchfield; H: Harmon)
Senate Status: Introduced 2/8/2007
House Status: Referred to House Finance, Ways & Means. |
TAXES SALES |
SB 1802*
HB 1296
(Full Text) |
Exemptions for certain licensed wholesalers and retailers. Exempts certain sales of tangible personal property and services made by licensed wholesalers and retailers from a central warehouse or distribution point other than its principal place of business from sales and use tax. (S: Ketron; H: Sargent)
Senate Status: Introduced 2/8/2007
House Status: Introduced 2/14/2007 |
SB 1974*
HB 2158
(Full Text) |
Alcoholic beverages sold for consumption on premises. Specifies that the burden of proving that a taxpayer's records are inaccurate for the purpose of projecting taxpayer sales from the taxpayer's wholesale purchases shall be on the department of revenue, (S: Haynes; H: Briley)
Senate Status: Referred to Senate State & Local Government.
House Status: Introduced 2/15/2007 |
