Katherine Braun sorts packages toward the right shipping area at an Amazon.com fulfillment center in Goodyear, Ariz., in this Associated Press file photo. Some Tennessee lawmakers object to Amazon not paying sales taxes on products that will be shipped from its Hamilton and Bradley fulfillment centers.NASHVILLE – A bill that could impact Amazon.com and its decision to proceed with building two planned distribution centers in Southeast Tennessee is scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Finance Committee today.
The sponsor of the bill, Finance Committee Chairman Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, said Monday afternoon he did not know whether he has the votes to pass the bill.
“I’ll present the amendment, and it’ll definitely get some discussion,” McNally said. “I think that [a vote] probably depends on where that discussion leads [as to] whether to proceed or not.”
McNally said he has not lobbied colleagues on the bill.
But lobbyists for Amazon and its business rivals Wal-Mart and Best Buy plied legislative corridors Monday afternoon in search of votes or the latest news on the issue.