# Tennessee HB 1500: AN ACT to create the Humphreys County Water Authority.

Tennessee HB 1500, AN ACT to create the Humphreys County Water Authority., is a 114th General Assembly (2025-2026) House bill sponsored by no sponsor on record; status signed, last action 2026-05-01 (Pr. Ch. 38) (as of 2026-11-01).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/TN-HB1500-2025-2026
- As of: 2026-11-01
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Tennessee HB 1500
- State: Tennessee
- Session: 114th General Assembly (2025-2026)
- Title: AN ACT to create the Humphreys County Water Authority.
- Status: signed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2026-01-12
- Last action: 2026-05-01, Pr. Ch. 38
- Sponsors: no sponsor on record
- Cosponsors: 0
- Subjects: Humphreys County
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 5 (160 yes, 2 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 10

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Water Commissioners Can Receive Meeting Pay: benefit, medium. Commissioners serve without salary, but the board can approve meeting payments by resolution. Payments are capped at $150 per meeting for 12 meetings each calendar year, or $1,800 per commissioner annually. Commissioners can also receive actual, reasonable work-expense reimbursements under the Auth…
- Local Tax Breaks For Water Investors: benefit, low. The Authority, its property, and its income and revenues are exempt from state, county, and city taxes. Its bonds, notes, refinancing bonds, and income from them are also exempt from those taxes. Exceptions include inheritance, transfer, and estate taxes, and taxes otherwise provided by state law.…
- Local Governments Share Leftover Water Assets: benefit, low. After the Authority ends by operation of law, eligible local governments receive equal shares of its remaining assets. Recipients include the county, cities that transferred systems, and qualifying participating counties or municipalities. No distribution is allowed while Authority bonds, notes, or…
- Local Water Board Faces Annual Audits: benefit, low. An initial five-member board represents unincorporated Humphreys County, Waverly, McEwen, and New Johnsonville. The board expands for participating entities that transfer systems; commissioners serve staggered initial terms, then four-year terms. Board meetings are public, and the board must adopt…
- Authority Can Refinance Water System Debt: benefit, low. The Authority can issue new bonds to refinance existing debt, including qualifying local-government debt for systems it acquires. The amount is capped at eligible principal, redemption premiums, accrued and applicable construction interest, reserves, and issuance costs. Proceeds must pay off the ol…
- Water Projects Can Require Property Takings: cost, medium. The Authority can use eminent domain to take land, easements, and rights-of-way its board finds necessary for its work. It must follow applicable eminent-domain laws. Property already devoted to public use can be taken only when the Authority's use does not interfere with that use.
- Water Customers Fund Costs Through Rates: cost, low. The Authority's board must set and revise reasonable water and wastewater rates to keep its systems self-supporting. Charges must cover operations, maintenance, debt payments, reserves, and system extensions and improvements. The law sets no bill amount or required rate increase. The Tennessee Publ…
- New Authority Runs Local Water Systems: mixed, low. The law creates the Humphreys County Water Authority to plan, acquire, run, and finance water and wastewater systems. It requires two-thirds approval by the county legislative body before it applies locally. Local governments can transfer systems, property, and related debt by resolution; the Autho…
- Local Guarantees Can Expose Taxpayers: mixed, low. Authority debt normally belongs only to the Authority, and lenders cannot force governments to levy taxes for repayment. Debt documents must state that protection when no joint liability is authorized. Local governments can separately approve guarantees or joint debt, including pledges of their ful…
- Water Projects Gain Long-Term Borrowing Tools: mixed, low. The Authority can issue bonds lasting up to 40 years for system projects and related financing costs, repaid from designated system revenues. Board-approved notes backed by planned bonds cannot exceed that bond amount and mature within two years, with at most two additional two-year renewals or ext…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- (none)

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-03-30 | Senate | FLOOR VOTE: Motion to Adopt 3/30/2026 | pass | 33 | 0 |   |
| 2026-03-16 | House | FLOOR VOTE: CONSENT CALENDAR PASSAGE ON THIRD CONSIDERATION 3/16/2026 | pass | 94 | 0 |   |
| 2026-03-12 | House | HOUSE CALENDAR & RULES COMMITTEE | fail | 0 | 2 |   |
| 2026-03-04 | House | HOUSE STATE & LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE | pass | 21 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-09 | House | HOUSE PRIVATE ACTS COMMITTEE | pass | 12 | 0 |   |

## Bill text

- Enrolled / Public Chapter: [PDF](https://publications.tnsosfiles.com/acts/114/priv/pr0038.pdf)
- Introduced: [PDF](https://capitol.tn.gov/Bills/114/Bill/HB1500.pdf)

## Related bills

- HB 1380: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 67, Chapter 5, Part 7, relative to property tax relief for elderly persons. (failed)
- HB 1346: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 40, Chapter 32, Part 1, relative to expunction of criminal records. (failed)
- HB 0794: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 8; Title 12; Title 13; Title 29; Title 54; Title 64; Title 65; Title 68 and… (failed)
- HB 0489: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 38; Title 39; Title 40 and Title 55, relative to criminal law. (failed)
- HB 0162: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 67, relative to taxes. (failed)
- SB 2733: AN ACT to amend Chapter 33 of the Private Acts of 1985; as amended by Chapter 85 of the Private Acts of 2004; and any other acts amendatory thereto, relative t… (failed)

## Sources
- [Enrolled / Public Chapter (PDF)](https://publications.tnsosfiles.com/acts/114/priv/pr0038.pdf)
- [Introduced (PDF)](https://capitol.tn.gov/Bills/114/Bill/HB1500.pdf)

## Related
- [HB 1380: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 67, Chapter 5, Part 7, relative…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/TN-HB1380-2025-2026)
- [HB 1346: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 40, Chapter 32, Part 1, relativ…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/TN-HB1346-2025-2026)
- [HB 0794: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; T…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/TN-HB0794-2025-2026)
- [HB 0489: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 38; Title 39; Title 40 and Titl…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/TN-HB0489-2025-2026)
- [HB 0162: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 67, relative to taxes.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/TN-HB0162-2025-2026)
- [SB 2733: AN ACT to amend Chapter 33 of the Private Acts of 1985; as amended by Chapter 8…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/TN-SB2733-2025-2026)
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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/TN-HB1500-2025-2026 (as of 2026-11-01).