House committee advances resolution ratifying 911 fee increase after debate over reserves and provider charges

Chairlady Carriger told the House Finance, Ways and Means Committee on April 7 that SJR 48 would ratify the Tennessee Emergency Communications Board's 2024 action to increase the uniform 911 usage charge from $1.50 to $1.86 and asked the committee to move the resolution forward.

Members voiced a range of concerns during extended debate. Deputy Speaker Zachary asked whether carriers such as AT&T and Comcast that briefly charged the higher fee had returned the money or placed it in escrow. Carriger said the committee had not received information showing credits on bills and asked providers to clarify how funds they collected are being handled.

Several members questioned the need for the increase given statewide reserve balances. "The 350 million in reserves, that's statewide," Carriger said, adding that those reserves are held by individual county 911 boards and cannot be moved between counties. Other members noted equipment and operational costs: "Radios used to cost us $1,000 each. Now, they're $10,000 each," one lawmaker said, arguing that rising replacement costs and storm damage can quickly deplete local reserves.

Some members urged waiting for additional study or consolidation before raising the fee. A member who sits on TASER characterized a TASER review as a potential independent path to examine fee structure and consolidation opportunities; sponsors said TASER reviews have informed past 911 governance work but may not answer every operational question.

On the recorded vote, the committee approved SJR 48 to move to Calendar and Rules: 20 ayes, 6 no, 3 present not voting. Committee members who opposed or registered present cited concerns about existing reserves, the narrow board vote that originally approved the increase, and the absence of clarity about funds already collected by carriers.

The committee did not take additional formal action to require carriers to refund or escrow previously collected funds; Carriger said she would seek information from providers on how those monies were handled.