House Bill 44 amends Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 57-3-106, specifically addressing the local option for municipalities to permit the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages. The bill modifies the existing legal language by deleting the previous subdivision and replacing it with a new provision that allows municipalities incorporated for five years or longer to hold a local option election. This election would enable voters to decide by a majority whether to allow the manufacture, receipt, sale, storage, transportation, distribution, and possession of alcoholic beverages within their municipality, regardless of the county's voting outcome.

The new provision specifically excludes counties with populations between 65,000 and 70,000, as determined by the 1970 federal census or any subsequent census. If the local option is approved, the activities related to alcoholic beverages will be lawful until the municipality's voters decide otherwise in a subsequent election. The bill is set to take effect upon becoming law, emphasizing the public welfare.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 57-3-106(b)(1), 57-3-106