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Votes at a glance: House Health Full Committee advances multiple health bills, including nursing‑home recertification change and clarifying language on care
Summary
The committee advanced a slate of bills to other committees or calendars during the session. Several measures passed unanimously or by wide margins; one bill that would clarify aspects of the Human Life Protection Act also moved forward.
The House Health Full Committee advanced a package of bills on a range of health topics during its meeting. Most measures were approved on voice or recorded votes and will move to subsequent committees or the calendar for further action.
Key votes (outcomes and committee directions):
- House Bill 1141 (Health Facilities Commission; nursing home recertification): Passed; clerk reported 21 ayes, 2 nays. Bill moves on to Calendar/Rules for further consideration. Sponsor said the bill requires recertification no more than 15 months apart and directs the Health Facilities Commission to apply to CMS for a block‑grant waiver.
- House Bill 1349 (autopsy testing following mass shootings): Passed; clerk reported 17 ayes, 5 nays. Bill moves to Calendar/Rules. Sponsor said the bill would require testing of decedents for drugs, reporting to the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Pharmacy, and quarterly reports to the legislature.
- House Bill 1351 (recovery residences certification standards): Passed unanimously; clerk reported 21 ayes, 0 nays. Moves to State and Local Committee. Sponsor said the bill requires nationally recognized certifying organizations to adopt minimum standards and annual site inspections.
- House Bill 960 (continuing medical education in maternal mental health): Passed unanimously; clerk reported 21 ayes, 0 nays. Moves to Calendar/Rules.
- House Bill 1205 (self‑prescribing and prescribing to immediate family): Passed; clerk reported 15 ayes, 5 nays. Moves to calendar/rules. Sponsor said the measure clarifies conditions under which prescribers may treat themselves or close family in rural areas or emergency situations.
- House Bill 1203 (physician reporting/monitoring for substance use — peer assistance): Passed unanimously; clerk reported 21 ayes, 0 nays. Moves to Calendar/Rules. Sponsor said it allows a board to issue a private advocacy order for monitoring physicians who self‑report substance use concerns.
- House Bill 466 (laboratory supervisor availability): Passed; clerk reported 22 ayes, 0 nays. Moves to Calendar/Rules. Sponsor said the bill updates a 30‑hour on‑site supervisor requirement to require a supervisor be readily available for consultations in line with federal CLIA guidelines.
- House Bill 1239 (midlevel prescriber authority for buprenorphine in corrections — HB 12‑39): Passed; clerk reported 23 ayes, 0 nays. Moves to Calendar/Rules. Sponsor said the amendment allows nurse practitioners and physician assistants who meet qualifications to prescribe buprenorphine to incarcerated patients in specified settings under physician review.
- House Bill 869 (electronic health record/lab result timing fixes): Passed; clerk reported 22 ayes, 0 nays. Moves to Insurance. Sponsor said the bill removes an unintended 72‑hour hold on certain lab results created by last year’s law and aligns API deadlines with CMS implementation.
- House Bill 638 (restrictions on denying TennCare patients for vaccination status — HB 6‑38): Passed; clerk reported 12 ayes, 8 nays, 2 present not voting. Moves to Government Operations. Sponsor said the bill limits denial of care for TennCare patients based solely on vaccination refusal, with listed exemptions for oncology, transplant and immune‑compromised patients.
- House Bill 865 (Ballad Health nursing pipeline in northeast Tennessee): Passed; clerk reported 23 ayes, 0 nays. Moves to Government Operations. Sponsor said an existing grant will partner with local TCAT community colleges and universities to create a nursing pipeline for high‑school students.
- House Bill 979 (allow certain physicians to be directly employed by hospitals): Passed; clerk reported 21 ayes, 1 nay, 1 present not voting. Moves to Government Operations. Sponsor said the bill allows hospitals in smaller counties and children’s hospitals to directly employ anesthesiologists, radiologists, pathologists and emergency physicians, with clarifying language to protect CRNA practice models.
- House Bill 990 (clarifying language for the Human Life Protection Act): Passed; clerk reported 15 ayes, 6 nays, 1 present not voting. Moves to Calendar/Rules. Sponsor said the measure clarifies that specific diagnoses (for example, previable premature rupture of membranes, certain severe preeclampsia presentations and other specified conditions) may constitute a serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function, while preserving reasonable medical‑judgment requirements.
Procedure notes: Several items were amended on the floor before passage; one item (House Bill 819) was taken off notice, and one earlier bill on the calendar was rolled to the first calendar of 2026. Many bills moved forward on unanimous voice votes or with clear majorities.
Ending: The committee adjourned after completing its calendar and acknowledged staff and clerks. The bills will proceed to the committees and calendars indicated by the clerk’s announcements.
