Tennessee 2025 2025-2026 Regular Session

Tennessee Senate Bill SB1392 Draft / Bill

Filed 02/10/2025

                     
HOUSE BILL 1403 
 By Hicks G 
 
SENATE BILL 1392 
By Watson 
 
 
SB1392 
001588 
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AN ACT to authorize the state of Tennessee, acting by 
resolutions of its funding board, to issue and sell 
its bonds and bond anticipation notes to provide 
for acquisition of equipment and sites, and 
erection, construction, and equipment of sites and 
buildings, expressly including the acquisition of 
existing structures for expansion, improvements, 
betterments, and extraordinary repairs to existing 
structures, for construction of highways, and 
repair, replacement, or rehabilitation of bridges, 
and for grants to any county, metropolitan 
government, incorporated town, city, special 
district of the state, or any governmental agency 
or instrumentality of any of them; to make grants 
to industrial development corporations to provide 
for acquisition of equipment and acquisition, site 
preparation, erection, construction, and 
equipment of sites and buildings; and 
infrastructure improvements and development; 
and to provide for the expenditure of said funds; 
to issue its debt in excess of the authorized 
amount to fund discount and costs of issuance; 
and to provide for the expenditure of said funds.  
This act makes appropriations for an indefinite 
period of time for the purpose of allocating the 
proceeds of the bonds and notes authorized by 
this act. 
 
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE: 
 SECTION 1.  The state of Tennessee, acting by resolutions of its funding board, is 
hereby authorized and empowered to issue and sell direct general obligation interest-bearing 
bonds of the state of Tennessee in amounts not to exceed thirty million dollars ($30,000,000) to 
effectuate the purposes specified in Section 4 of this act.  Further, the funding board is 
authorized to sell bonds in amounts not to exceed two and one-half percent (2.5%) of the 
amounts specified above and authorized in Section 4, for the purpose of funding discount and 
costs of issuance.  Such bonds may be issued and sold in one (1) block or in several 
installments and separately or together with other general obligation bonds of the state of 
Tennessee as the board may determine, after advertisement as provided by law.   
 
 
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 SECTION 2.  The bonds and the interest-bearing coupons attached thereto, if any, shall 
be in such form, mature at such time or times within twenty (20) years from the date of their 
issuance, be executed in such manner, be payable at such place or places both as to principal 
and interest, and be in such denomination and bear such rate of interest, payable in such 
manner, as the funding board shall by resolution direct; provided, however, that the maximum 
rate determined by the funding board in no instance shall exceed the legal rate as provided in 
Section 47-14-103 of Tennessee Code Annotated.  The bonds shall be sold by the funding 
board after advertisement as provided by law, together with the accrued interest thereon, and 
when they have been sold, the proceeds derived from the sale thereof shall be paid to the state 
treasurer to be disbursed by the treasurer and other fiscal officers and agencies of the state as 
provided by the general law and this act.  The bonds and interest payable thereon shall be 
exempt from taxation by the state of Tennessee or by any county, municipality, or taxing district 
of the state except inheritance, transfer, and estate taxes. 
 SECTION 3.  When the bonds are so issued and sold, they shall be direct general 
obligations of the state of Tennessee for the payment of which well and truly to be made 
according to the tenor, effect, and terms thereof the full faith and credit of the state together with 
its taxing power, shall irrevocably be pledged; and the bonds as authorized herein shall be 
issued agreeable to the terms of Title 9, Chapter 9 of Tennessee Code Annotated; and they 
shall be financed, retired, and paid both as to principal and interest as provided in that chapter 
and shall be subject to the terms and conditions therein and herein contained.  When the bonds 
are sold and proceeds paid over to the state treasurer, the funds shall be paid out by the 
treasurer and the proper fiscal officers of the state, as provided by general law, but only on 
order of the proper administrative authorities of the agency or department herein named for the 
benefit of which such bonds have been authorized and only to the extent such bonds have in 
fact been issued for the benefit of such agency or department. 
 SECTION 4.  The proceeds of any and all issues of bonds herein authorized shall be 
allocated to the Tennessee higher education commission to be allocated and expended for the 
purpose of capital outlay and maintenance for institutions of higher education.  In its discretion   
 
 
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the funding board is authorized to issue bonds in amounts not to exceed two and one-half 
percent (2.5%) of the amounts specified above, the proceeds of which are to be allocated to the 
funding board and expended for the purpose of funding discount and the costs of issuance. 
 SECTION 5.  The proper authorities heretofore enumerated and charged with the duty of 
expending the funds shall have authority to proceed with the projects authorized herein and for 
that purpose may hire an architect or architects, advertise for low bids and award contracts to 
low bidders, all within the provisions of the general law, expressly including the provisions of 
Title 4, Chapter 15 of Tennessee Code Annotated, and in agreement with the terms of this act.  
No contract, including a contract for architectural services, involving a project authorized by this 
act which is subject to the approval of the state building commission shall be entered into unless 
and until that contract shall have been approved by the building commission. 
 SECTION 6.  The appropriation made to each agency or department as provided in 
Section 4 may be applied as determined by the funding board to bear its appropriate portion of 
discount and costs of issuance. 
 SECTION 7.  Pending the issuance of the definite bonds authorized by this act, the state 
of Tennessee, acting by resolutions of its funding board, is hereby authorized and empowered 
to issue and sell, either at public or private sale, together with accrued interest thereon, its 
interest-bearing bond anticipation note or notes.  Such note or notes shall be authorized by 
resolution of the funding board, shall bear such date or dates, as such resolution or resolutions 
provide.  The note or notes shall bear interest at such rate or rates, be in such denominations, 
be in such form, be executed in such manner, be payable in such medium of payment, at such 
place or places and mature on such date or dates, subject to such terms and conditions as such 
resolution or resolutions may provide.  In its discretion, the funding board may provide that a 
bond anticipation note or any renewal of such note may mature more than five (5) years from 
the date of issue of the original note; provided, that an amortization schedule of repayment of 
principal is established for the project funded by the note and provisions are made such that any 
note or renewal note or bond refunding such note attributed to the financing of such project shall 
be redeemed or retired either twenty-five (25) years from the date of issue of such original note   
 
 
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or twenty (20) years from the date the project is completed and placed in full service, whichever 
is earlier.  Provisions of general law with respect to authentication, execution, and registration of 
general obligation bonds of the state of Tennessee shall also apply to the notes to the extent 
applicable.  The note or notes and the interest payable thereon shall be exempt from taxation by 
the state of Tennessee or by any county, municipality, or taxing district of the state except 
inheritance, transfer, and estate taxes.  Any resolution or resolutions of the funding board 
authorizing the issuance of such bond anticipation note or notes shall provide that the same are 
issued in anticipation of the bonds authorized hereunder and shall further provide that the full 
faith and credit of the state of Tennessee are pledged to the payment thereof. 
 SECTION 8.  No bonds shall be issued under the authority of this act until such time as 
the general assembly has appropriated sufficient funds to pay the first year's obligation of 
principal and interest on the amount of bonds to be issued and the state funding board has 
determined that such funds are available. 
 SECTION 9.  Notwithstanding any other provision of this act to the contrary, the bonds 
and bond anticipation notes authorized by this act may be designated "college savings bonds" 
and be issued pursuant to the provisions of the Baccalaureate Education Savings for 
Tennessee Act, Chapter 190 of the Public Acts of 1989. 
 SECTION 10.  If any provision of this act or the application thereof to any person or 
circumstance is held invalid, such invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications of the 
act which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to that end the 
provisions of this act are declared to be severable. 
 SECTION 11.  No expenditure of public funds pursuant to this act shall be made in 
violation of the provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as codified in 42 United 
States Code 2000d. 
SECTION 12.  This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.