Government Operations Committee advances a slate of bills including TennCare relief fund, PBM penalties and drone use for wounded deer

The Government Operations Committee on April 16, 2025 advanced a package of bills addressing TennCare debt relief, disaster grants, hunting and wildlife rules, health-care workforce training and other topics, sending most measures to finance/ways and means or to counting rules for further action.

At issue were more than a dozen bills the committee debated or reviewed in a roughly 31-minute session. Sponsors generally summarized each measure and the panel recorded roll-call votes on each item; most measures passed on unanimous or near-unanimous tallies.

The most prominent measures included House Bill 1280, presented by Representative Hill, which would create a medical expense relief fund to help heirs and estates with outstanding bills owed to TennCare. Representative Hill said the fund is “to be used to assist the next of kin and the estate of those who passed, that were enrolled in TennCare and at the time of death, have an outstanding bill,” and added that the change is intended “to keep TennCare from going after these families 1 last time.” The committee vote was recorded as 9 ayes, 0 noes; the bill was referred to finance/ways and means.

House Bill 1278, also sponsored by Representative Hill, would establish a direct grant program to send money…