AN ACT TO ADDRESS POLLUTION LEVELS IN THE TENNESSEE RIVER

WHB/5/9

Sponsored by Declan Burns, Elizabeth McLean of West High School

This legislation was filed in the Commerce and Insurance category

Presented as part of the YIG Volunteer 2024 conference

1	Section1: Definitions:
2	a) Disposable bag: Produced bags from nonrenewable & renewable resources that are designed to
3	be disposable.
4	b) Tennessee River: The part of the Tennessee River that flows within the state border.
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6	Section 2: All single use take out disposable bags will have $.10 tax emplaced.
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8	Section 3: The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation is to create a committee
9	designated to cleaning the Tennessee River.
10	This committee will follow guidelines previously established by the Tennessee Department of
11	Environment and Conservation, and will pursue the quickest and most efficient means to clean up
12	the Tennessee river.
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14	Section 4: The Department of Revenue shall enforce the bag tax.
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16	Section 5: The enactment and general cost of this bill will be directly funded by the bag tax of the
17	Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. Any budget surplus will go back into the
18	Tennessee Department of Treasury for general discretionary spending.
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20	Section 6: All laws or parts of laws in conflict with this are hereby repealed.
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22	Section 7: This act shall take effect January 1, 2025.
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