---
type: "Bill"
title: "State Symbols - As enacted, designates the poem \"My Beloved Tennessee\" by Marlene Tidwell as an official state poem. - Amends TCA Section 4-1-303."
description: "State Symbols - As enacted, designates the poem \"My Beloved Tennessee\" by Marlene Tidwell as an official state poem. - Amends TCA Section 4-1-303."
jurisdiction: "us/states/tn"
legislature: "Tennessee General Assembly"
session: "112"
identifier: "SB 254"
citation: "Tennessee SB 254 (112)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["State Symbols"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Pody", "Powers"]
version_count: 1
action_count: 28
vote_count: 5
first_action: "2021-01-20"
last_action: "2021-04-21"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/184871d1-8a12-4a5e-b02c-b80e3a102d62"
source_url: "http://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/default.aspx?BillNumber=SB0254&GA=112"
source_hash: "ca050266fcc33abc68d183aa590362285b238d94183b5ebfce09c9d53ba33b60"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-tn"]
---

# Tennessee SB 254 (112) — State Symbols - As enacted, designates the poem "My Beloved Tennessee" by Marlene Tidwell as an official state poem. - Amends TCA Section 4-1-303.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Current Version** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.capitol.tn.gov/Bills/112/Bill/SB0254.pdf)

## Votes

- FLOOR VOTE: 3/8/2021 Passed (1) — **31–0** (pass) · upper
- HOUSE NAMING AND DESIGNATING COMMITTEE: Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee 3/23/2021 — **0–0** (pass) · lower
- SENATE STATE & LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE: Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee 3/2/2021 Passed (2) — **7–0** (pass) · upper
- HOUSE CALENDAR & RULES COMMITTEE: H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 3/29/2021 3/25/2021 (2) — **0–0** (fail) · lower
- FLOOR VOTE: REGULAR CALENDAR PASSAGE ON THIRD CONSIDERATION 3/29/2021 Passed (1) — **87–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Pody — primary (person)
- Powers — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2021-01-20** Filed for introduction `introduction, reading-1`
- **2021-02-04** Filed for introduction `introduction, reading-1`
- **2021-02-08** Introduced, Passed on First Consideration `introduction`
- **2021-02-08** Intro., P1C. `introduction`
- **2021-02-10** Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate State and Local Government Committee
- **2021-02-10** P2C, ref. to Naming & Designating `referral-committee`
- **2021-02-23** Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/2/2021
- **2021-03-02** Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee
- **2021-03-04** Placed on Senate Consent Calendar 2 for 3/8/2021
- **2021-03-08** Engrossed; ready for transmission to House
- **2021-03-08** Sponsor(s) Added.
- **2021-03-08** Passed Senate, Ayes 31, Nays 0 `passage`
- **2021-03-11** Rcvd. from S., held on H. desk.
- **2021-03-17** Placed on cal. Naming & Designating for 3/23/2021
- **2021-03-23** Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-03-24** Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 3/25/2021
- **2021-03-25** H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 3/29/2021
- **2021-03-29** Passed H., Ayes 87, Nays 0, PNV 2 `passage`
- **2021-03-29** Subst. for comp. HB.
- **2021-03-29** Comp. SB subst.
- **2021-03-31** Enrolled and ready for signatures
- **2021-04-01** Signed by Senate Speaker
- **2021-04-05** Signed by H. Speaker
- **2021-04-06** Transmitted to Governor for action.
- **2021-04-13** Signed by Governor. `executive-signature`
- **2021-04-21** Effective date(s) 04/13/2021
- **2021-04-21** Pub. Ch. 118
- **2021-04-21** Comp. became Pub. Ch. 118

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/184871d1-8a12-4a5e-b02c-b80e3a102d62`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Tennessee legislature records).