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Votes at a glance: Tennessee House clears a batch of bills, including health, criminal and administrative changes
Summary
The House passed a number of bills on third consideration covering subjects from athletic-training scope to privacy, TennCare coverage for a rare genetic disorder, and organized retail crime. Several measures were amended in committee before floor passage.
During its March 12 session the Tennessee House passed a series of bills on third and final consideration. Many passed with committee amendments adopted on the floor. Below is a concise summary of each measure the chamber disposed of during the regular calendar.
- House Bill 23 (definition of "district"): Sponsor Representative Davis said the bill clarifies statutory terminology so that terms such as ward, precinct or district are understood uniformly. A committee amendment rewrote the bill. Final recorded vote: 71 yeas, 23 nays. Outcome: passed.
- House Bill 62 (athletic trainers; dry needling): Chairman Supiki moved the bill, and committee language set minimum competency requirements for dry needling, including at least 24 hours of dry-needling-specific instruction and 50 additional hours. Sponsor said the change was requested by university athletic programs. Final recorded vote: 93 yeas, 2 nays. Outcome: passed.
- Senate Bill 19 (conforming changes related to investigations/nepotism cleanup; substituted for HB 96): Representative Davis said the measure is cleanup language adjusting conjunctions in the statute to separate investigative triggers. Final recorded vote: 73 yeas, 20 nays. Outcome: passed.
- Senate Bill 668 (RN death pronouncement statute): The bill, as amended, removes the term "anticipated" from the nurse pronouncement statute for hospitals, nursing homes and assisted-living facilities and reaffirms county medical examiners' investigatory authority. Final recorded vote: 94 yeas, 0 nays. Outcome: passed.
- House Bill 207 (organized retail crime): Deputy Speaker Zachary said the bill updates definitions and technological references in the organized retail crime statute. Final recorded vote: 93 yeas, 1 present. Outcome: passed.
- Senate Bill 335 (invasion of privacy / unlawful photography): Representative Freeman said the bill adds a definition of "disseminate," tolls the statute of limitations where the defendant concealed the crime, and allows petitioning for orders of protection. Victims and advocates were present in the gallery for the vote. Final recorded vote: 93 yeas, 0 nays. Outcome: passed.
- House Bill 502 (TennCare coverage for Kleefstra syndrome): Representative Littleton said the bill authorizes TennCare to cover diagnosis, genetic testing and treatment for Kleefstra syndrome when medically necessary, similar to coverage for autism and Down syndrome; sponsors noted fewer than 1,000 U.S. cases and 8 in Tennessee. Final recorded vote: 94 yeas, 0 nays. Outcome: passed.
- House Bill 657 (peer-assistance confidentiality for disciplined health-care providers): Representative Hicks described a process to allow providers who complete peer-assistance programs to request removal of public disciplinary information after five years. Final recorded vote: 92 yeas, 1 present. Outcome: passed.
- House Bill 395 (Genomic Security and organ-harvesting provisions): Chairman Terry said the bill seeks to protect Tennesseans' genetic data from foreign adversaries and to stand against human-rights violations such as unlawful organ harvesting; it passed on final consideration. Final recorded vote: unanimous/recorded as constitutional majority. Outcome: passed.
- House Bill 959 (marriage and family therapy licensing terminology updates): Sponsor Representative Hemmer said the bill modernizes terminology (e.g., "associate" license) and aligns Tennessee with other states; the bill passed. Final recorded vote: 94 yeas, 0 nays. Outcome: passed.
- House Bill 1095 (special deputies in resort areas): Chairman Doggett said the bill applies to private special deputies employed by resort areas or management companies and requires POST certification and comparable in-service training. Final recorded vote: 95 yeas, 0 nays. Outcome: passed.
- House Bill 1236 (SNAP restrictions waiver request for soft drinks and candy): Deputy Speaker Zachary described a policy alignment with public health; the bill passed (recorded tally: 69 yeas, 23 nays, 1 present). Outcome: passed.
Procedural notes: Several bills were adopted with committee amendments that rewrote the bills' substantive text before floor consideration. Votes and tallies were taken by the clerk and announced from the floor; the speaker declared passage when the constitutional majority was met. Members used the "previous question" and other procedural motions while handling the calendar.
These measures now proceed through the subsequent stages required by state law. For details on any single bill, consult the bill file or the House clerk's official roll-call records for exact vote lists and amendment texts.
