House Bill 125, sponsored by Lamberth, amends Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 67-4-409, concerning the local parks land acquisition fund. The bill modifies the matching grant requirements for county or municipal governments that receive funding under this section. Specifically, it deletes the first sentence of the existing law and replaces it with a new provision stating that these governments must match the grant with an equal amount of money for each project. However, for projects located in counties designated as distressed or at-risk by the Appalachian Regional Commission at the time of the grant application, the matching requirement is reduced to twenty-five percent (25%) of the project cost.

The changes aim to provide more accessible funding options for local governments in economically challenged areas, thereby encouraging the development of parks and recreational facilities. The bill is set to take effect on October 1, 2025, ensuring that the new matching requirements will be in place for future grant applications.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 67-4-409(i)(4)(A), 67-4-409