NASHVILLE – With dozens of cosponsors signed onto her bill to create a two-month sales tax holiday on grocery food sales, Rep. Patsy Hazlewood, R-Signal Mountain, is hopeful the bill will move through a key House subcommittee Wednesday despite reservations by Republican Gov. Bill Lee’s administration.
“I have 50-some signatures on the bill,” Hazlewood said Monday.
As of Monday afternoon, Hazlewood, who is vice chairwoman of the full Finance Committee, had 57 of the House’s 99 members as cosponsors on the measure, which seeks to cut the state’s 4% levy on food sales to zero this July and August. It would cost the state about $100 million.
Among cosponsors are 13 of the 14 members who sit on the House Subcommittee on Finance where the bill will be discussed Wednesday. That includes the chairman of the full Finance Committee and the chairman of the subcommittee. Other cosponsors include Rep. Robin Smith, R-Hixson, and Rep. Yusuf Hakeem, D-Chattanooga.
With the state awash in $1 billion in combined surpluses from last year’s budget as well as being over on collections in the current fiscal year, Hazlewood and a number of lawmakers are looking for ways to return it to taxpayers.