Rep. Brock Martin

Maddy summaryThis bill allows Tennessee schools to deny students participation in physical activities during the school day if they engage in disruptive, violent, or threatening behavior that disrupts others. Teachers or administrators may remove students from physical activities or assign alternative lessons, assignments, or physical activities to improve conduct. It specifically clarifies that physical activity does not include time using electronic devices or regular physical education class time. The bill amends Tennessee law (TCA 49-6-1021) to define these disciplinary procedures for school staff.

Maddy summaryHB 1655 would update Tennessee's medical practice law to explicitly allow healthcare professionals to use the terms "clinical informatics," "lifestyle medicine," and "medical virtualist" after their name to indicate their specialty within medical practice. The bill amends Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 63, Chapter 6, adding these terms to the list of permitted designations that do not mislead the public about a person's medical credentials. This change directly affects medical professionals working in these specific specialties who wish to accurately describe their practice to patients. It is a technical update to clarify legal standards for professional designations, not a substantive change to medical practice requirements.

Maddy summaryThis bill would allow certain licensed psychologists in Tennessee to independently prescribe medications for mental health conditions after meeting specific training and certification requirements. It directly affects doctoral-level psychologists who complete a post-doctoral master's program in clinical psychopharmacology, pass a national prescribing exam, and complete a one-year fellowship with 100 patient evaluations under supervision. Key provisions require 450 patient contact hours in training, a master's degree covering neurosciences and pharmacology, and verification by the Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology. The board would issue an "advanced certificate to prescribe" for independent authority, expanding psychologists' scope to include prescribing psychotropic medications without physician oversight.

Maddy summaryHB 1428 amends Milan's city charter to extend the deadline for filling vacant alderman positions from 30 to 60 days after a vacancy is declared. It also authorizes the mayor to make temporary appointments to the city attorney or city judge roles during sickness, absence, or other temporary disability, pending board confirmation. These changes apply solely to Milan's local government structure and do not affect other cities or state-level policies. The bill focuses on procedural updates to the city charter rather than new policy initiatives.

Maddy summaryHB 1244 requires pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs) in Tennessee to pay pharmacies for prescription claims within 30 days for paper submissions and 14 days for electronic submissions if the claim is "clean" (complete, error-free, and without missing documentation). The bill removes previous caps on aggregate penalties for PBMs that fail to meet these payment deadlines, imposing tiered fines up to $200,000 for failing to process 60% of clean claims annually. It also mandates 1% monthly interest on overdue payments and defines key terms like "clean claim" to standardize processing requirements. This directly affects PBMs and pharmacists, ensuring faster reimbursement for prescription services under Tennessee’s insurance laws.

Maddy summaryHB 874, now Public Chapter 368, prohibits electronic communications service providers (like internet or email companies) from notifying account holders when a search warrant or subpoena is issued for investigations involving child sexual exploitation. The law directly affects these service providers by banning them from disclosing such legal requests to users or unauthorized individuals. Key provisions require providers to withhold notification during investigations under Tennessee's child exploitation statutes, aiming to prevent suspects from destroying evidence. This law focuses on preserving the integrity of ongoing investigations into child sexual exploitation cases.

Maddy summaryHB 329 allows certain bank-run health insurance arrangements (called "multiple employer welfare arrangements" or MEWAs) operating across state lines to be treated as domestic Tennessee arrangements if they meet specific conditions. It affects bank-based MEWAs that are licensed in a neighboring state, serve no more than 2,500 Tennessee employees, and comply with regulatory oversight similar to Tennessee standards. Key provisions require these arrangements to be exclusively for banks, avoid health-based enrollment restrictions, and obtain approval from Tennessee's insurance commissioner. The bill aims to simplify regulatory compliance for these arrangements while ensuring they meet solvency and oversight standards. This change took effect after becoming law in May 2025 (Public Chapter 161).

Maddy summaryHB 173 sets new minimum (100%) and maximum (120%) reimbursement rates for rural hospitals providing services to TennCare patients, directly affecting rural hospitals with 49 or fewer beds located outside urbanized areas. The bill requires these rates to be calculated based on each hospital's current federal Medicare reimbursement rates. It amends Tennessee Code to define "rural hospital" and mandates that TennCare's reimbursement levels align with Medicare rates for routine inpatient care. The director may seek federal waivers to implement this without expanding Medicaid eligibility.

Maddy summaryHB 195 establishes separate reimbursement rates for ambulance services under Tennessee's TennCare program. Urban ambulance providers will be reimbursed at 67.5% of Medicare rates, while rural ambulance providers will receive 100% of Medicare rates for services to TennCare recipients. The bill also authorizes emergency medical equipment grants for for-profit rural ambulance service providers. These changes directly affect ambulance companies operating in rural or urban areas that bill TennCare. The policy aims to address cost disparities between service areas while maintaining existing billing frameworks.

Maddy summaryHJR 69 is a non-binding resolution urging Tennessee to adopt a comprehensive plan to address chronic disease. It proposes four key areas: reforming food access (e.g., restricting junk food in SNAP benefits, increasing healthy food availability), integrating health education in schools, improving government health standards (like banning toxins and updating FDA processes), and requiring nutritious meals in state facilities. The resolution directs state officials to support these principles and participate in an annual "Make Tennessee Healthy" summit. It does not create new laws but calls for policy shifts to reduce preventable health issues affecting Tennesseans.