Tennessee Bills

HB 2243, the "SHIELD Act," prohibits health insurance companies from including patients with legally recognized vaccine exemptions (based on religion or medical reasons) in vaccination-related quality metrics used to determine provider reimbursement rates. It directly affects healthcare providers who treat such patients and health insurance entities that set payment structures. The bill requires insurers to exclude exempt patients from calculations of vaccination rates and bans them from penalizing providers - through reduced payments, network removal, or withheld bonuses - for having these patients in their practice. This ensures providers aren’t financially penalized for following state law on vaccine exemptions. The law takes effect July 1, 2026, for new or renewed insurance contracts.

HB 2022 modifies Trenton, Tennessee's local laws by expanding the city recorder's duties to include administering all necessary municipal operations and reporting city finances to the mayor and board. It changes residency requirements for both the city recorder and chief of police, allowing them to live anywhere in Gibson County (instead of specifically within Trenton) while still requiring six months of residency after appointment. The bill directly affects Trenton's city recorder and chief of police positions by altering their appointment rules and expanding the recorder's administrative responsibilities. This legislation requires Trenton's legislative body to approve it by a two-thirds vote before taking effect.

HB 1950 removes a requirement that applicants for speech language pathologist licensure in Tennessee must hold an American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) certificate of clinical competence. The bill directly affects individuals seeking licensure as speech language pathologists by eliminating this specific membership and certification barrier. Key provisions amend Tennessee law to state the board "shall not require by rule" an ASHA certificate for provisional licensure or while awaiting full licensure approval. The change takes effect July 1, 2026, streamlining the path to licensure without altering educational or examination standards.

SB 2070, the "SHIELD Act," prohibits health insurance companies from penalizing healthcare providers for treating patients with legally recognized vaccine exemptions (based on religious beliefs or medical contraindications). It requires insurers to exclude exempt patients from vaccination-related quality metrics, such as vaccination rate calculations, and bans insurers from dropping providers from networks or reducing payments solely because they treat such patients. The law applies to all quality measures used for reimbursement, including HEDIS, and ensures claims denied in violation of these rules are treated as "clean claims" subject to standard penalties. It takes effect July 1, 2026, affecting Tennessee healthcare providers, insurers, and patients with valid vaccine exemptions.

SB 1566 creates the Humphreys County Water Authority to manage water and wastewater systems for Humphreys County and the surrounding region, including the cities of Waverly, McEwen, and New Johnsonville. The authority, established as a public governmental body, will plan, operate, and finance water infrastructure under a five-member board appointed by the county executive and the mayors of the three cities. Key provisions define the authority's structure, including board composition (two county-appointed members, one from each city), and clarify terms like "System" (water/wastewater infrastructure) and "Participating governmental entity" (cities or entities transferring systems to the authority). This bill directly affects residents of Humphreys County and the three named cities by centralizing water system management under a new public entity.

HB 1833 restructures appointments to Tennessee's Higher Education Commission, requiring the governor, Senate Speaker, and House Speaker each to appoint three voting members (with specific geographic term assignments). It establishes a 75% cap on online course tuition fees compared to in-person equivalents at public universities and sets new on-time graduation targets (3 years for community colleges, 4 for universities) for funding decisions. The bill also allows the commission to approve separate tuition increases for institutions that demonstrate strong on-time graduation rates. These changes apply starting the 2026-2027 academic year and affect all public colleges and universities in Tennessee.

SB 2079 changes how Tennessee appoints members to the higher education commission, splitting appointments equally between the governor (3 members), senate speaker (3 members), and house speaker (3 members), with specific term expirations. It establishes new graduation rate targets for public colleges and universities (3 years for community colleges, 4 years for universities) to guide funding decisions, and allows the commission to approve different tuition increases for institutions with strong graduation rates. The bill also limits online course fees to 75% of in-person course fees at comparable institutions and requires boards to create plans using out-of-state tuition revenue to lower costs for in-state students by 2026. These changes directly affect public higher education institutions, their funding, and student tuition costs across Tennessee.

SB 1733 amends Trenton's local laws for the City Recorder and Chief of Police. It expands the City Recorder's duties to include administering all necessary municipal operations and making required financial reports, while changing the residency requirement from a Trenton resident to a Gibson County resident. Similarly, it expands the Chief of Police's responsibilities to cover all necessary police department operations and changes their residency requirement to Gibson County. The bill requires approval by a two-thirds vote of Trenton's City Council to take effect.

HB 1882 requires the Tennessee governor to seek legislative confirmation via joint resolution before appointing members to any state university board. It also changes the start date for all board terms to February 1 and sets six-year terms, aligning existing members' terms with this new schedule by extending them to January 31 of the following year. This bill directly affects governors, state university boards, and the appointment process for board members across Tennessee's public universities. The key change is shifting appointment authority from the governor alone to require legislative approval before a term begins.

HB 1804 revises the charter of the Town of Mason to update how its local government operates. It specifies that the governing body consists of a Mayor and six Aldermen elected by residents, with new grounds for vacancies (e.g., moving away, felony conviction, or failing to perform duties). The bill establishes clear meeting rules requiring 48-hour notice with agendas, mandates annual ethics disclosures and recusal for conflicts of interest, and updates the oath of office. These changes directly affect Mason’s Mayor, Aldermen, town administrator, and attorney by defining their roles, procedures, and accountability.

HB 1500 creates the Humphreys County Water Authority to manage water and wastewater systems for Humphreys County and surrounding areas. It directly affects Humphreys County residents and three specific cities - Waverly, McEwen, and New Johnsonville - by establishing a new public entity to operate their water infrastructure. The authority will be governed by a five-member board: two appointed by the county executive for unincorporated areas, and one from each city council. This structure allows the authority to plan, build, and operate water systems while enabling future cities to join by adding board seats.

HB 1645 allows Tipton County's legislative body to create a specialized "Environmental Court" division within its general sessions court. This court would handle cases involving violations of local ordinances related to health, housing, fire, land subdivision, building, or zoning. Key provisions include granting judges authority to issue injunctions, order violators to correct issues at their own expense, and impose limited contempt penalties (up to $50 or 10 days in jail). The bill directly affects Tipton County residents and businesses subject to these local ordinances, with implementation requiring county legislative approval.