Tennessee Fish & Wildlife Commission - As enacted, establishes a statutory sc... explained: SB 2173 | Vote Impact

StateTennesseeIntroduced

SB 2173: Tennessee Fish & Wildlife Commission - As enacted, establishes a statutory schedule of permit fees for the operation of off highway vehicles at North Cumberland Wildlife Management Area. - Amends TCA Title 70, Chapter 9.

Ken Yager

Source

OpenStates

Confidence

Low

Analysis basis

OpenStates summary

What this bill does

Official summary alongside an AI-generated read on where it stands and why.

Overall Score

58OUT OF 100

Score:58/100 civic fit

Risk:Low Risk

Impact:Low Impact 25/100

Constitutionality95%

Bipartisan70%

Public opinion50%

Bill summary

What changes

The bill replaces or supplements agency-determined permit fees for off-highway vehicles (OHV) at the North Cumberland Wildlife Management Area with a statutorily defined schedule.

Who is affected

OHV operators, dirt bike users, and recreational visitors to the North Cumberland WMA.

Requirements and enforcement

Compliance with the new statutory fee schedule for operating vehicles within the management area.

Costs and funding

Direct fee costs for riders; administrative costs for the state to manage and collect these fees.

When it takes effect

The bill has been enacted as Public Chapter 1120.

Potential benefits

Provides legislative oversight for revenue generation and standardizes the cost of public land usage.

Risks and tradeoffs

Potential for reduced flexibility in fee adjustments and increased financial burden on recreational users.

What is still unknown

The exact fee schedule numbers and the specific long-term impact on rider participation rates are not detailed in the available abstract.

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Impact analysis

✦ AI analysis

Modeled effects across six domains, estimated from bill text and comparable legislation.

Environment

Positive outlook

60%

Benefits

Provides predictable funding for WMA maintenance
Enables sustainable management through fee collection
Supports conservation efforts via dedicated revenue

Risks

Direct impact of OHV traffic on local ecosystems
Potential for noise pollution in protected habitats
Risk of trail degradation from increased usage

Economy

Positive outlook

60%

Benefits

Standardizes revenue stream for wildlife commission
Reduces fiscal uncertainty for area operations
Allows users to budget for recreational activities

Risks

Increased costs for local recreational riders
Potential decline in casual site participation
Added compliance costs for administrative processing

Society

Mixed / Neutral

50%

Benefits

Codifies access rules for outdoor recreation
Ensures transparency in public facility pricing
Creates an orderly environment for diverse users

Risks

Potential exclusion of low-income outdoor users
Restricted access due to mandatory fee structures
Disputes regarding equity in user fee distribution

Technology Industry

No direct effect

Neutral — no direct effect identified.

Benefits

No material direct effect identified.

Risks

No material direct effect identified.

Civic Accountability

Positive outlook

70%

Benefits

Statutory fee setting increases legislative transparency
Reduces reliance on non-legislated commission rules
Clarifies fiscal obligations for state agencies

Risks

Limits adaptive commission fee adjustments
Requires legislative action for price changes
Reduces administrative agency flexibility

Public Health & Safety

Mixed / Neutral

50%

Benefits

Formalized regulations improve site order
Regulated access can include safety requirements
Supports emergency services through fee-funded maintenance

Risks

Continued physical risks of off-road vehicle operation
Risk of accidents in remote wildlife areas
Limited medical infrastructure in wilderness zones

How trustworthy & consequential it is

Sourcing already shown above, this is what the analysis found worth flagging.

Source
OpenStates
Official bill text or data from OpenStates.
Confidence
Low
Information is limited or incomplete.
Analysis basis
OpenStates summary
Source used for this bill's analysis.

Source note

LegiScan returned a PDF-only document. PDF extraction is not enabled in this build, so the pipeline used a safer fallback.

Analysis scope

Source provided is a summary; full legislative text not analyzed.

Where it stands

Official record

IntroducedCurrent
CommitteeUpcoming
Chamber votesUpcoming
Final agreementUpcoming
GovernorUpcoming
EnactedUpcoming

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