The General Assembly is making a slow go of it as committees continue to have very few bills heard. This is the 9th week of session and only a handful of bills have been heard or discussed. The calendars for next week should pick up, as leaders of both Houses urge members to get the ball rolling on their legislative initiatives.
One of the most talked about issues this week dealt with Medical Malpractice claims in Tennessee. The ongoing battle that has pitted attorneys, hospitals, insurance companies and doctors against each other in varying versions of tort-reform legislation for many years may be headed for a cease-fire — if not a full peace treaty. An agreement has been reached in principle by leaders of the state's legal and medical communities that proponents believe would lower the number of medical malpractice lawsuits filed in Tennessee and still protect the interests and rights of all parties. The areas where parties seem to be in agreement are: Require lawyers to obtain a "certificate of good faith", Protect or “exonerate” physicians, Investigative interviews, a modification of the locality rule, and an extension of the reporting statute. Much must happen before this becomes law, but for the first time in over five-year, an agreement seems promising.
The Governor is still pushing his budget proposal and the additional tax revenue of 40 cents on cigarettes. The Republican Senate has not taken kindly to the Budget, so talks and information gathering are still taking place for them. Budget hearings are taking place in both chambers and the House is not meeting on Wednesday afternoons to save some of their legislative days.
Please call if you have questions.
Tennessee Legislation Service (c) 2007 M. Lee Smith Publishers
Friday, March 9, 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: Set for Senate State & Local Government 03/13/2007.
House Status: Referred to House Local Government Subcommittee. |
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 Local Government Subcommittee. |
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: Referred to Senate State & Local Government.
House Status: Referred to House Local Government Subcommittee. |
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: Set for House Local Government Subcommittee 03/14/2007. |
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: Referred to House Local Government Subcommittee. |
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: Referred to House Local Government Subcommittee. |
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: Referred to Senate State & Local Government.
House Status: Referred to House Local Government Subcommittee. |
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. Broadly captioned. (S: Bunch; H: Mumpower)
Senate Status: Referred to Senate State & Local Government.
House Status: Caption bill held on House clerk's desk. |
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: Referred to Senate State & Local Government.
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: Referred to House Government Operations. |
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: Set for Senate State & Local Government 03/13/2007.
House Status: Referred to House Local Government Subcommittee. |
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: Referred to Senate State & Local Government.
House Status: Referred to House Local Government Subcommittee. |
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 Utilities & Banking Subcommittee. |
TAXES BUSINESS |
SB 1394*
HB 1193
(Full Text) |
Increased 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: Referred to Senate Finance, Ways & Means.
House Status: Referred to House Finance Budget Subcommittee. |
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: Referred to Senate Finance, Ways & Means.
House Status: Referred to House Finance, Ways & Means. |
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 of alcoholic beverages for on-premises consumption 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: Referred to House State & Local Government. |