New bill filed to crack down on bad contractors
Right now, local governments can only charge a $50 fine.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - State Representative Aftyn Behn filed a bill Monday she said aims to hold contractors more accountable in Tennessee.
The bill would give municipalities, like the City of Nashville, the ability to give more hefty fines to contractors who violate codes and ordinances. Right now, local governments can only charge a $50 fine. Rep. Behn, a Democrat, said that is not enough.
“There should be harsher penalties for exploitative business practices, and unfortunately, the Tennessee state legislature has deregulated the industry and not held bad actors accountable,” Rep. Behn said during a May 2024 interview.
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State Republican lawmakers previously have said that too much regulation can deter people from starting businesses in Tennessee.
Behn has also talked about increasing funding for the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance to hire more investigators to track down bad contractors.
“I spoke with the Department of Commerce and Insurance about hiring more investigators, but their funding works differently than most agencies,” Rep. Behn said in an email Monday. “Because the entire department relies on licensing fees, increasing staffing would mean raising those fees. Unfortunately, this would penalize reputable contractors, even though my constituents’ main issue is with unlicensed ones that the department already struggles to hold accountable. Politically, that doesn’t feel right.”
Behn said she may file a second bill “to roll back last year’s state preemption that weakened local control over bad contractors.”
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