Tennessee legislation · 114th General Assembly
Tennessee HB2534: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 60; Title 68 and Title 69, relative to contested cases.
Status: Chaptered, May 5, 2026
Fiscal Summary NOT SIGNIFICANT Bill Summary Present law authorizes the Tennessee board of water quality, oil and gas to assess monetary penalties for violations of law and rules, regulations, or orders adopted by the Tennessee board of water quality, oil and gas. Any citation or notice issued to an operator may be appealed, and such appeal must be conducted as a contested case and heard before an administrative judge. Present law requires the board of water quality, oil and gas to establish and administer a permit program to enable the department of environment and conservation to be designated by the United States environmental protection agency as authorized to issue permits under the national pollutant discharge elimination system established by federal law. A permit applicant or aggrieved person may request a hearing before the board of water quality, oil, and gas, and such hearing must be conducted as a contested case and heard before an administrative judge. Present law authorizes the commissioner of environment and conservation ("commissioner") to issue a complaint or order for corrective action for violations of the Water Quality Control Act. Any person against whom such an order is issued may ask for a hearing before the board of water quality, oil and gas, and such hearing must be conducted as a contested case and heard before an administrative judge. Present law authorizes the commissioner to assess penalties for violations of the Water Quality Control Act. Any person against whom an assessment has been issued may request a hearing before the board of water quality, oil and gas, and such hearing must be conducted as a contested case and heard before an administrative judge. In the scenarios described above, this bill requires an initial order to be administered by the administrative judge within 90 da
What the bill says
An act to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 60; Title 68 and Title 69, relative to contested cases.
From the introduced text:
AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 60; Title 68 and Title 69, relative to contested cases. SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 60-1-401(h), is amended by deleting the subsection and substituting: (h) If the operator files an appeal of the citation or assessment of a penalty as provided under subsection (g), then the proceedings on appeal must be conducted as a contested case and must be heard before an administrative judge sitting alone pursuant to § 4-5-301(a)(2), unless settled by the parties. The administrative judge to whom the case is assigned shall convene the parties for a scheduling conference within thirty (30) days of the date on which the appeal was filed. The scheduling order issued by the administrative judge must establish a schedule that results in a hearing being completed within one hundred eighty (180) days of the scheduling conference unless the parties agree to a longer time or the administrative judge allows otherwise for good cause shown. An initial order must be issued by the administrative judge within ninety (90) days of completion of the record of the hearing. The administrative judge's initial order, together with any earlier orders issued by the administrative judge, is final unless a party files a petition for appeal pursuant to § 4-5-315 within fifteen (15) days after entry of the …
Sponsors
- Lamberth, William (R, 44) · primary sponsor
- Cochran, Mark (R, 23)
- Darby, Tandy (R, 76)
- Reedy, Jay D. (R, 74)
Latest actions
- : Comp. became Pub. Ch. 838
- : Sponsor(s) Added.
- : Comp. SB subst.
- : H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/7/2026
- : Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/2/2026
- : Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee
- : Placed on cal. Government Operations Committee for 3/30/2026
- : Rec. for pass; ref to Government Operations Committee
- : Placed on cal. Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee for 3/24/2026
- : Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee
Votes
- FLOOR VOTE: REGULAR CALENDAR PASSAGE ON THIRD CONSIDERATION (April 7, 2026): 75 yea, 20 nay, passed
- HOUSE GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS COMMITTEE: Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee (March 30, 2026): 9 yea, 1 nay, passed
- HOUSE AGRICULTURE & NATURAL RESOURCES COMMITTEE: Rec. for pass; ref to Government Operations Committee (March 24, 2026): 15 yea, 0 nay, passed
- FLOOR VOTE: Third Consideration (March 19, 2026): 27 yea, 6 nay, passed
- HOUSE AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES SUBCOMMITTEE: Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee (March 18, 2026): 7 yea, 0 nay, passed
- SENATE ENERGY, AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMITTEE: Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee (March 11, 2026): 7 yea, 2 nay, passed
Subjects: Archives, Publications, My Bills
Common questions
- What is HB2534?
- HB2534 is a bill in the Tennessee Legislature (114th General Assembly): AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 60; Title 68 and Title 69, relative to contested cases.
- What does HB2534 do?
- In its own words: An act to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 60; Title 68 and Title 69, relative to contested cases.
- What is the status of HB2534?
- Chaptered as of May 5, 2026. Latest action: Comp. became Pub. Ch. 838 (May 5, 2026).
- Who sponsored HB2534?
- Lamberth, William (R, 44), with 3 co-sponsors.
- Where is the official record for HB2534?
- On the Tennessee Legislature website: https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/Default?BillNumber=HB2534&GA=114
Source: official Tennessee record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.