Commerce and Labor committee advances multiple bills to calendars; several roll and one pass

The Tennessee Senate Commerce and Labor Committee on March 11, 2025, advanced a package of bills to committee calendars, including measures on real estate continuing education, electronic health records changes, tattoo apprenticeship rules, broadband policy and workers’ compensation updates. Several bills were rolled for further consideration and one was taken off notice at the sponsor’s request.

The committee moved a number of bills with little debate and recorded roll calls before the measures were sent to calendars. Among the bills the committee advanced: Senate Bill 8 86 (real estate continuing education for supervising brokers), Senate Bill 8 90 (electronic health records fixes), Senate Bill 4 97 (tattoo apprenticeship and licensure), Senate Bill 5 56 (broadband regulatory updates), Senate Bill 12 70 (Insurance Modernization Act), Senate Bill 13 09 (workers’ compensation updates) and Senate Bill 10 63 (prior-authorization notification changes). Several of these carried unanimous or near-unanimous yea votes in committee.

Two bills were rolled for further work: Senate Bill 4 02 (medical debt and credit reporting changes) was taken off notice at the sponsor’s request for further committee work; Senate Bill 4 03 (requirements around hospitals applying uncompensated-care funds to patient debt and notifying patients) was rolled two weeks to allow meetings with the Tennessee Hospital Association and additional stakeholders. One bill, Senate Bill 4 37, was rolled for one week for clarifying questions.

The committee also approved procedure- and deadline-related housekeeping and moved other bills to specific calendar assignments: Senate Bill 9 41 — to the state and local calendar; Senate Bill 2 04 — to the calendar committee; and other measures to the calendar committee or calendar as noted in the roll calls.

Votes at a glance - Senate Bill 8 86 (Realtor CE for supervising brokers): moved to calendar committee (recorded ayes reported by the clerk; committee recorded six ayes and one pass earlier in the item discussion). Motion moved by Chairman Reeves; second by Vice Chair Taylor. - Senate Bill 8 90 (electronic health records / lab-result timing): moved to calendar committee; recorded seven ayes. Motion moved and amendment that “makes the bill” was adopted on the floor of the committee. - Senate Bill 4 97 (tattoo apprenticeship and licensure changes): moved to committee on calendar; recorded seven ayes after two adopted amendments that altered apprentice signing, out-of-state trainer eligibility, and apprenticeship duration. - Senate Bill 1 85 (Save the Rural Hospital Act): moved to the Health Committee; recorded seven ayes. - Senate Bill 2 04 (Home Buyer Harassment Prevention Act): moved to calendar committee; recorded eight ayes. Motion moved by the sponsor and seconded in committee. - Senate Bill 9 41 (temporary extension for charitable gaming application window): moved to state and local calendar; recorded eight ayes after an amendment extending the filing window for a nonprofit in one district. - Senate Bill 12 70 (Insurance Modernization Act): moved to the calendar committee after two amendments; recorded seven ayes. - Senate Bill 13 09 (2025 Workers’ Compensation update): moved to calendar committee; committee vote recorded as six ayes and one pass on the roll call. - Senate Bill 5 56 (broadband regulatory updates): moved to calendar committee; recorded seven ayes. - Senate Bill 10 63 (prior authorization notification cleanup): moved to committee on calendar; recorded seven ayes. - Senate Bill 7 15 (cemetery law update): moved to committee on calendar; recorded seven ayes after adoption of an amendment clarifying no cause of action for reclamation of an abandoned grave.

Rolls and procedural outcomes - Senate Bill 4 02: taken off notice at sponsor’s request for further work (no committee vote). Sponsor asked to meet with stakeholders; committee honored the request. - Senate Bill 4 03: rolled two weeks to allow sponsor meetings with the Tennessee Hospital Association (no committee vote today). - Senate Bill 4 37: rolled one week to resolve member questions.

What this means Committee action sends these bills to the next step in the legislative calendar; several measures will proceed with the committee’s recommendations. The bills the committee rolled were not defeated; sponsors and staff will continue stakeholder outreach before returning to committee.

Members and oversight Committee actions and roll-call votes were recorded by the clerk at the meeting. Committee chairing and motions were led from the dais. The committee used standard amendment processes; some measures carried “amendment that makes the bill” procedural motions that substituted final language before final committee votes.

The committee adjourned after completing the calendar; the chair reminded members of committee notice deadlines for remaining bills this session.