Planning, Public - As introduced, specifies that the presiding officer of the local government planning advisory committee must promptly notify, or cause to be notified, the appointing authority of a member who fails to attend three consecutive committee meetings. - Amends TCA Title 4.

114th Regular Session (2025-2026) Introduced by Bo Watson

Requires the Local Government Planning Advisory Committee presiding officer to promptly notify the appointing authority when a member misses three consecutive meetings.

Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate State and Local Government Committee

#planning #public

Bill overview

Official title/subject: An act to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4, relating to planning. Specifically, it addresses attendance requirements for the Local Government Planning Advisory Committee and notification procedures when a member misses meetings.

Introduced by: Senator Watson (Co-sponsor: Rep. Vital)

Status & timeline:

Introduced and passed first consideration on February 2, 2026
Passed second consideration and refer to Senate State and Local Government Committee on February 5, 2026

Effective date: Upon becoming law (immediate effect once enacted)

Purpose and intent

The bill clarifies and strengthens the process for handling attendance failures by members of the Local Government Planning Advisory Committee.

It requires the presiding officer of the committee to promptly notify, or ensure notification to, the appointing authority when a member fails to meet the attendance standard.

Key provisions

Attendance standard (unchanged baseline): A member who fails to attend three consecutive meetings of the Local Government Planning Advisory Committee triggers the attendance rule in Tennessee Code Ann. § 4-3-727(b)(2).

Notification requirement (new/clarified): The presiding officer must promptly notify, or cause to be notified, the appointing authority of the member who fails to satisfy the attendance requirement. This ensures timely awareness and potential action regarding a member’s continued service.

Section amended: Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4, Section 4-3-727(b)(2)—the amendment replaces the prior text with the explicit notification duty.

Who is affected

Local Government Planning Advisory Committee members: Their attendance accountability remains the same (three consecutive absences triggers action), but the process now explicitly requires prompt notification of the appointing authority when a member misses three consecutive meetings.

Appointing authorities: Entities or individuals responsible for appointing committee members will receive timely notification about a member’s termination due to attendance, enabling potentially quicker replacement or review.

Procedural and timeline considerations

Trigger for action: Three consecutive missed meetings by a committee member.

Notification timeline: The presiding officer must promptly notify or ensure notification to the appointing authority after a member fails to meet attendance requirements.

Effect on membership: Based on existing law, repeated or three consecutive absences effectively terminate membership, with this bill facilitating the communication of that outcome to the appointing authority.

Fiscal impact: Officials anticipate a “not significant” fiscal impact, primarily due to administrative notification duties rather than substantive program changes.

Fiscal notes

The fiscal analysis indicates no significant cost to state or local government, given that the change is procedural and administrative (notification) rather than creating new programs or major requirements.

If you’d like, I can add a plain-language comparison of current law vs. the bill’s changes, or provide a brief potential impact assessment for local governments.

Bill