HB 441 - SB 479
FISCAL NOTE
Fiscal Review Committee
Tennessee General Assembly
February 27, 2025
Fiscal Analyst: Laura Moore | Email: laura.moore@capitol.tn.gov | Phone: 615-741-2564
HB 441 - SB 479
SUMMARY OF BILL: Enacts the Restoring State Sovereignty Through Nullification
Act. Creates rules, actions and guidelines for the state to declare and nullify a federal action as
void and unenforceable under the authority of the Constitution of Tennessee.
Authorizes the Governor, any member of the General Assembly, any court operating under the
Constitution of Tennessee, any combination of 10 counties and municipalities governing bodies,
or a signed petition of registered voters to bring forth the proposal of a bill of nullification
against a federal action.
Requires any voter signed petitions for a bill of nullification to have a minimum of 2,000
registered voter signatures, be compiled in batches coordinated by the county of voter
registration of not less than 25 voters per county, and be submitted to the Speaker of the House
of Representatives (Speaker). Requires, upon satisfactory proof that said signatures are valid, the
Speaker to proceed to introduce the bill in accordance with procedures established in the legislation.
Declares the General Assembly as the sole authority to prescribe the crimes, penalties, fines, or
other consequences of the violation of a bill of nullification and that such consequences must be
specified in the bill before such a bill can be voted on for passage.
FISCAL IMPACT:
NOT SIGNIFICANT
Assumptions:
• Establishing guidelines for how the state can properly declare a state action of nullification
of a federal action will not have a significant fiscal impact.
• The General Assembly, the Governor, courts, voters, and local governing bodies will be
able to comply with the requirements of this legislation within existing resources; any
impact to state government is not significant.
• The legislation does not provide specific criteria for what may constitute satisfactory proof
that any signatures attached to a petition for nullification are valid. The authority to make a
determination of validity is assumed to be vested in the Speaker.
• It is unknown what the Speaker may or may not require to make such a determination.
• To the extent the Speaker requires the Secretary of State, Attorney General, or other state
entity to verify such signatures, it is assumed that those state entities will perform any
prescribed duties within existing state resources.
HB 441 - SB 479 2
• If the Speaker were to require a county or local election authority to verify such signatures,
it is assumed that those local authorities would also preform their prescribed duties within
existing resources, as it is also assumed that the signatures comprising the petition will
originate from several counties, with no particular county or local authority having
responsibility to verify a large number of signatures.
• Any future proposed legislation for nullification could have significant impacts on state and
local revenue and expenditures as well as federal funding received by state and local
governments. However, any such impact is directly attributable to future legislation
deeming a federal action unconstitutional, and is not considered to be a direct result of this
legislation.
CERTIFICATION:
The information contained herein is true and correct to the best of my knowledge.
Bojan Savic, Executive Director