State leaders and advocates joined Governor Bill Lee on June 4 as he signed the Regulatory Freedom Act (HB 1913/SB 2199) into law.

The legislation, a NFIB priority, will require state agencies to obtain feedback from the community they’re seeking to regulate so agencies, lawmakers and impacted businesses understand the true cost of proposed rules and regulations.

NFIB thanks NFIB member Rep. Clark Boyd (Lebanon) and Sen. Adam Lowe (Calhoun) and Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson (Franklin), an NFIB member, for their work on this legislation. Also on hand at the bill signing were Senators Richard Briggs, Todd Gardenhire, Ed Jackson and Mark Pody.

The new law, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2027, also says any proposed agency rule estimated to have a negative fiscal impact exceeding $1 million over five years will have to be voted on by the full General Assembly as a separate bill rather than in the omnibus rules bill. The bill also will require state agencies to report annually the cumulative cost of their new/amended rules and regulations to provide transparency of regulatory costs to our state’s economy.

NFIB worked with several groups to pass HB 1913, including the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation (TFBF), Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Americans for Prosperity, and Beacon Center of Tennessee. Pictured left to right: Shelby Vannoy (TFBF), bill sponsor Sen. Adam Lowe, NFIB State Director Jim Brown and Kevin Hensley (TFBF).