The measure, House Bill 6, targets retail sales of those items only. It would not eliminate the state's grocery tax across the board, a broader idea lawmakers have debated for years without resolving how to replace the roughly $1 billion-plus in revenue the tax generates.

The savings for shoppers would be modest but concrete: 40 cents in state tax for every $10 spent on qualifying items. Local sales taxes would still apply.

The proposal lands weeks after a separate, locally driven cut took effect in Davidson County. On November 1, Metro lowered its own share of the tax on food, trimming Nashville-area grocery bills while the state's 4% levy stayed in place. Sexton's bill would layer a state-level exemption on top of that for the three named products.

Advocates for repealing the grocery tax entirely argue it falls hardest on low-income families, who spend a larger share of their income on food, and that taxing necessities is regressive. Critics of a full repeal have warned that the lost revenue would force cuts to schools, health programs and other services, or require offsetting tax increases elsewhere — the sticking point that has stalled previous efforts.

Sexton's narrower approach sidesteps much of that fight by limiting the exemption to a short list of basics, though it also leaves most of the grocery tax intact. The bill must clear both chambers and be signed into law before any shopper sees a change at the register.

With the session gaveling in in January, HB 6 gives the new legislature an early test of how far it is willing to go on affordability — and whether a symbolic cut for milk, eggs and bread becomes a template for a larger rollback.