SENATE BILL 751 By Yager HOUSE BILL 35 By Hicks G HB0035 000219 - 1 - AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 13, Chapter 14, Part 1, relative to development districts. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE: SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 13-14-111, is amended by deleting subsections (a) and (b). SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 13-14-111, is amended by deleting subsection (c) and substituting instead: (c) (1) It is the intent of this state to assist financially with the development of regional plans for economic development and other regional plans, activities, and programs authorized by this chapter and other statutes and for coordination of activities thereunder. The regional plans, activities, and programs are for the benefit of the local governments of this state and, as appropriate, the state government and the citizens of Tennessee. The boards of the nine (9) development districts established as the First Tennessee development district, the East Tennessee development district, the Southeast Tennessee development district, the Upper Cumberland development district, the South Central Tennessee development district, the Southwest Tennessee development district, the Greater Nashville regional council, the Northwest Tennessee development district, and the MidSouth development district have been created as provided in this chapter and title 64, chapter 7. - 2 - 000219 (2) This state shall include in its budget under the department of economic and community development, or its state functional equivalent, a separate line item for the funding of the activities of the development districts in an amount equal to fifty cents ($0.50) per capita based on the state's latest yearly population estimate or decennial census figure, whichever is more recent, as reported by the United States department of commerce, bureau of the census or its federal functional equivalent. Appropriations of state funds made to the development districts by the general assembly must not be reduced, except in conjunction with an across-the-board percentage reduction applicable to multiple state government departments and agencies. (3) The amount of state funding to each development district must be based upon the per capita assessment established by the individual development district boards with any remaining funds distributed based on a formula determined by the department of economic and community development in coordination with the development districts to include considerations for each district's size in terms of population and the number of counties served and for regional variations in cost of living. The per capita assessment and corresponding state funding levels for the nine (9) development districts are as follows: Per Capita Assessment Annual State Appropriation 1-20 cents $295,000 21-30 cents $340,000 31- to an amount over 31 cents as may be approved by the individual development district board $370,000 SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.