House advances wide floor calendar: grocery‑tax clarification, deed protections, health oversight and more

The Tennessee House advanced a substantial floor calendar on April 6, moving dozens of bills through third‑reading consideration. Lawmakers discussed and voted on measures affecting local taxation, property transfers, health oversight and consumer protections.

Grocery tax and local caps: House Bill 2186 clarifies that metropolitan governments may reduce their grocery tax and removes obsolete transition language tied to an earlier code change. Sponsors said the bill simply makes explicit that metros may act like cities; members asked whether the change affects pending litigation about council caps. The House passed HB 2186 on a recorded voice vote and the Clerk declared it passed by constitutional majority.

Property deed protections: Representative Gant led debate on HB 1762, a bill aimed at preventing deed fraud by narrowing who may prepare deeds to licensed attorneys, licensed title insurance agents/companies or the property owner or legally authorized agents, and by requiring a sworn declaration or notarized affidavit that identifies the preparer and their authority. Members asked whether the bill covers electronic filings; the sponsor said the measure does not change the electronic filing process but tightens verification and creates a tool for county registers to screen filings. The House passed the bill as amended.

Building inspections: HB 1760 (as amended) requires that if an applicant chooses a third‑party inspector for a locally required building inspection, that third party continue with subsequent inspections for the same project unless local law provides a remedy; the bill was described as a transparency and predictability measure and it passed the House.

Health and program oversight: The House approved Senate Bill 1654 to subject non‑governmental 340B entities receiving state grant funds to recognized fiscal and programmatic oversight and to codify the comptroller’s audit authority for such entities. Sponsors said the change strengthens accountability for organizations that participate in the federal 340B drug pricing program and receive state grant funds.

Robocalls and consumer protections: Representative Bomb sponsored HB 2408, which seeks to limit robocalls to Tennessee residential households by capping the number of messages sent by a company (the sponsor said enforcement would be through the Tennessee Attorney General under existing consumer protection law). Members signaled interest in returning for a future bill to address unwanted texts.

COPA and hospitals: Representatives debated an amendment to Senate Bill 2414 to phase out a northeastern Tennessee certificate of public advantage (COPA) and transition oversight to the Attorney General and Department of Health while allowing competition to enter the market. Sponsors said the change is intended to introduce competition in a market that had previously been stabilized by COPA oversight; other members cited Federal Trade Commission guidance urging continued scrutiny to avoid monopoly harms.

Other measures: The calendar contained many additional bills that passed without extended floor debate, by the Clerk’s account receiving constitutional majorities. The House concluded substantive floor business by transmitting several messages to the Senate and scheduling committee meetings for the following day.

What to watch next: Sponsors flagged follow‑up items — court challenges tied to local government caps, implementation and enforcement questions for deed and 340B oversight bills, and potential Attorney General involvement if COPA oversight is removed. Several members asked for future bills to address text message enforcement and further tighten deed‑fraud protections after seeing increases in fraudulent filings in some counties.

The House recessed after completing its regular calendar and set committee schedules for the following session day.