House Bill 1676 proposes the establishment of the North East Tennessee Railroad Authority, which will serve the counties of Anderson, Campbell, Scott, Claiborne, Union, and Grainger. The bill aims to secure economic benefits for these counties by ensuring the continuation of railroad services. It amends Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 64-2-101, by deleting the existing section and replacing it with new language that explicitly creates the authority and outlines its purpose.

Additionally, the bill modifies Section 64-2-102 by allowing four or more of the specified counties to join the authority with a two-thirds vote from their governing bodies. It also revises Section 64-2-110, detailing the requirements for contracts made by the authority, including stipulations for public advertising and competitive bidding for purchases exceeding a certain threshold. The bill emphasizes that emergency situations may exempt these purchases from the usual advertising requirements. The act will take effect upon becoming law.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 64-2-101, 64-2-102, 64-2-110