# Tennessee HB 2645: AN ACT to amend Chapter 158 of the Private Acts of 1992; as amended by Chapter 103 of the Private Acts of 1993; Chapter 62 of the Private Acts of 1993; Chapter 27 of the Private Acts of 2001; Chapter 37 of the Private Acts of 2003; Chapter 87 of the Private Acts of 2006; and any other acts amendatory thereto, relative to the charter for the City of Martin.

Tennessee HB 2645, AN ACT to amend Chapter 158 of the Private Acts of 1992; as amended by Chapter 103 of the Private Acts of 1993; Chapter 62 of the Private Acts of 1993; Chapter 27 of the Private Acts of 2001; Chapter 37 of the Private Acts of 2003; Chapter 87 of the Private Acts of 2006; and any other acts amendatory thereto, relative to the charter for the City of Martin., is a 114th General Assembly (2025-2026) House bill sponsored by no sponsor on record; status signed, last action 2026-05-01 (Pr. Ch. 48) (as of 2026-11-01).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/TN-HB2645-2025-2026
- 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 2645
- State: Tennessee
- Session: 114th General Assembly (2025-2026)
- Title: AN ACT to amend Chapter 158 of the Private Acts of 1992; as amended by Chapter 103 of the Private Acts of 1993; Chapter 62 of the Private Acts of 1993; Chapter 27 of the Private Acts of 2001; Chapter 37 of the Private Acts of 2003; Chapter 87 of the Private Acts of 2006; and any other acts amendatory thereto, relative to the charter for the City of Martin.
- Status: signed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2026-02-25
- Last action: 2026-05-01, Pr. Ch. 48
- Sponsors: no sponsor on record
- Cosponsors: 0
- Subjects: Martin
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 5 (125 yes, 1 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 13

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Martin establishes charter and government rules: benefit, low. The law replaces Martin's earlier charters and establishes a board with a mayor and six aldermen. The mayor can veto ordinances; two-thirds of the full board can override a veto. A board-selected vice mayor serves two years and acts for or succeeds the mayor as the charter directs. The manager prep…
- Martin can require owner sidewalk repairs: cost, low. Martin can require written permission before a building is built. The city can also require owners to build or repair sidewalks next to their property. The law sets no repair cost or schedule.
- Martin employees face limits when running: cost, low. A Martin employee cannot keep a city job after filing a nominating petition for city office. This excludes the mayor, aldermen, board or commission members, city attorney, and city judge. The restriction takes substantive effect upon two-thirds approval by the city legislative body.
- Martin sets property tax rules: cost, low. All taxable property in Martin is subject to city property tax. The board sets a rate per $100 of assessed value; last year's rate continues without a new rate. The recorder must add property missed by the county assessor, using the same assessment ratio as the same property class. Martin can also…
- Martin fills vacancies and limits mayoral runs: cost, low. Vacancy grounds include resignation, death, relocation, certain convictions, 90 days of unexplained meeting absences, or six months of continuous disability. A majority of remaining board members must appoint a qualified replacement within 45 days. The replacement serves until the term ends or the…
- Martin penalizes candidate-related gifts and promises: cost, low. Candidates and people acting for them cannot give or promise offices, jobs, money, benefits, or anything of value. Violators face a civil penalty of up to $1,000. They also cannot hold city office or city employment for five years.
- Martin caps fines and allows installments: mixed, low. Martin can penalize city ordinance violations, but a fine under the charter cannot exceed $50. The city judge hears ordinance cases and can impose fines, penalties, forfeitures, and costs. Contempt fines are also capped at $50, and city ordinances can allow installment payments with required securi…
- Martin allows installments and tax collection: mixed, low. Martin must set tax due dates by ordinance and send bills showing assessed values, amounts due, and delinquency details. City ordinances can allow two equal yearly payments and set late-payment penalties and interest. Delinquent tax records have the force of a court judgment. An ordinance can autho…
- Martin sets voter and candidate rules: mixed, low. Martin has three wards, with ward lines reviewed at least every 10 years when census results are available. Nonpartisan elections occur every two years at the November state election, with staggered four-year terms. Terms start at 7:00 p.m. on the first Monday in December after the election. Candid…
- Martin caps utility deals at 20 years: mixed, low. Martin can provide water, sewer, natural gas, and garbage services. The city can grant franchises or make contracts for public utilities and public services. These agreements cannot last more than 20 years. The law does not set household rates or require a specific service change.
- Martin limits official pay and protects funds: mixed, low. The board sets the mayor's and aldermen's pay by ordinance, but salaries cannot change during their terms. Officials can receive reimbursement for actual, necessary costs of official duties. The mayor and specified personnel must have board-approved bonds, with amounts set by the board. Martin pays…
- Martin requires bids for larger purchases: mixed, low. Martin generally must use formal sealed bids and written, board-approved contracts for transactions of $10,000 or more. The board can waive bidding for a declared emergency. It can also approve a clearly advantageous contract by unanimous resolution of members present, following the manager's writt…
- Martin requires merit-based city hiring: mixed, low. Martin must base hiring and promotions on skills, experience, and other job qualifications. The board appoints the city manager based on qualifications, not political or religious preference. The manager must live in Martin or nearby; former mayors and aldermen must wait two years after their lates…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- (none)

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-04-02 | Senate | FLOOR VOTE: Motion to Adopt 4/2/2026 | pass | 31 | 0 |   |
| 2026-03-30 | House | FLOOR VOTE: CONSENT CALENDAR PASSAGE ON THIRD CONSIDERATION 3/30/2026 | pass | 82 | 1 |   |
| 2026-03-26 | House | HOUSE CALENDAR & RULES COMMITTEE | fail | 0 | 0 |   |
| 2026-03-18 | House | HOUSE STATE & LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE | fail | 0 | 0 |   |
| 2026-03-09 | House | HOUSE PRIVATE ACTS COMMITTEE | pass | 12 | 0 |   |

## Actions (20)

- 2026-05-01: Pr. Ch. 48
- 2026-04-16: Signed by Governor.
- 2026-04-07: Transmitted to Governor for his action. (House)
- 2026-04-06: Signed by Senate Speaker (Senate)
- 2026-04-06: Signed by H. Speaker (House)
- 2026-04-02: Enrolled; ready for sig. of H. Speaker. (House)
- 2026-04-02: Passed Senate, Ayes 31, Nays 0 (Senate)
- 2026-04-02: Senate substituted House Bill for companion Senate Bill. (Senate)
- 2026-04-02: Received from House, Passed on First Consideration (Senate)
- 2026-03-31: Engrossed; ready for transmission to Sen. (House)
- 2026-03-30: Passed H., Ayes 82, Nays 1, PNV 10 (House)
- 2026-03-26: H. Placed on Consent Calendar for 3/30/2026 (House)
- 2026-03-25: Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 3/26/2026 (House)
- 2026-03-18: Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee (House)
- 2026-03-11: Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/18/2026 (House)
- 2026-03-09: Rec. for pass; ref to State & Local Government Committee (House)
- 2026-03-04: Placed on cal. Private Acts Committee for 3/9/2026 (House)
- 2026-03-02: P2C, ref. to Private Acts Committee - State & Local Government Committee (House)
- 2026-02-26: Intro., P1C. (House)
- 2026-02-25: Filed for introduction (House)

## Bill text

- Enrolled / Public Chapter: [PDF](https://publications.tnsosfiles.com/acts/114/priv/pr0048.pdf)
- Introduced: [PDF](https://capitol.tn.gov/Bills/114/Bill/HB2645.pdf)

## Related bills

- HB 2631: AN ACT to make appropriations for the purpose of defraying the expenses of the state government for the fiscal years beginning July 1, 2025, and July 1, 2026,… (failed)
- HB 2649: AN ACT to amend Chapter 84 of the Private Acts of 1991; as amended by Chapter 162 of the Private Acts of 1994; Chapter 140 of the Private Acts of 1996; Chapter… (signed)
- HB 2541: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 12, Chapter 4, Part 4, relative to the prevailing wage rate. (signed)
- HB 2542: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 50-7-303, relative to suitable work requirements. (signed)
- HB 2533: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4, Chapter 29; Title 5, Chapter 21; Title 8, Chapter 50, Part 8; Title 49, Chapter 10, Part 1; Title 49, Chapte… (signed)
- HB 2502: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4; Title 38; Title 39; Title 45; Title 47; Title 49 and Title 67, relative to money transmission. (signed)

## Sources
- [Enrolled / Public Chapter (PDF)](https://publications.tnsosfiles.com/acts/114/priv/pr0048.pdf)
- [Introduced (PDF)](https://capitol.tn.gov/Bills/114/Bill/HB2645.pdf)

## Related
- [HB 2631: AN ACT to make appropriations for the purpose of defraying the expenses of the…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/TN-HB2631-2025-2026)
- [HB 2649: AN ACT to amend Chapter 84 of the Private Acts of 1991; as amended by Chapter 1…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/TN-HB2649-2025-2026)
- [HB 2541: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 12, Chapter 4, Part 4, relative…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/TN-HB2541-2025-2026)
- [HB 2542: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 50-7-303, relative to suitabl…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/TN-HB2542-2025-2026)
- [HB 2533: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4, Chapter 29; Title 5, Chapter…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/TN-HB2533-2025-2026)
- [HB 2502: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4; Title 38; Title 39; Title 45…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/TN-HB2502-2025-2026)
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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/TN-HB2645-2025-2026 (as of 2026-11-01).