Tennessee House Bill HB1160

Tennessee 2023-2024 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/31/23
• Refer: 2/2/23

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 12, Chapter 3, relative to public purchases.

Impact

The bill proposes to adjust the existing legal definitions to specify that 'goods' encompass all personal property, including supplies, equipment, materials, and printing. However, it explicitly excludes real property and insurance from this definition. This distinction is significant as it aims to streamline the purchasing process for public entities, which can lead to increased efficiency and potential cost savings in public spending. By refining the definitions, the bill could help avoid ambiguities that may have led to legal disputes in procurement practices.

Summary

House Bill 1160 aims to amend certain provisions of the Tennessee Code Annotated, specifically Title 12, Chapter 3, which relates to public purchases. The primary focus of the bill is to redefine the scope of what constitutes 'goods' in public procurement terms. This redefinition is meant to provide clarity around the items that fall under this category, ensuring compliance and uniformity in the purchasing process within state entities.

Contention

While there might not be widespread resistance reported directly in the excerpts, any changes to procurement laws can often lead to debates about how they might affect local businesses and the structure of existing contracts. Stakeholders may have differing opinions on what items should be included or excluded from the new definition of goods, particularly concerning how public agencies facilitate contracts with local vendors versus larger companies that may not be regionally focused. Thus, discussions on this bill might center around the balance between efficiency in public spending and supporting small, local businesses.