Tennessee leaders point to classroom phone ban and new rural health dollars during HHS visit
Loading...
Summary
Tennessee legislative leaders used the HHS visit to highlight a new law banning phones during instruction, a SNAP waiver, and what they described as more than $200 million per year for rural health under a federal transformation act.
Several Tennessee officials used the event hosting HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to emphasize recent state actions and state‑federal cooperation on health and nutrition.
House Majority Leader William Lambert noted that "beginning this school year, Tennessee classrooms are phone free zones during instruction times," citing a bill sponsored by Representative Rebecca Alexander that he said he cosponsored. Lambert framed the law as a child‑protection measure and introduced national health policy leaders attending the event.
Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson thanked the federal partnership and said Tennessee would receive "over $200,000,000 annually for the next 5 years" to expand rural health care and modernize delivery under legislation he described as the "rural health transformation act." He credited Governor Bill Lee and federal leadership for the funding.
Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally specifically thanked Kennedy for approving Tennessee's SNAP waiver, which McNally said would allow parents more choice in food selections and help encourage healthier decisions.
Speaker Cameron Sexton used his remarks to push state policy priorities that he said will expand access in rural areas, including certificate‑of‑need (CON) reform to reduce barriers for health providers and a proposal to define a "basic" health insurance policy as a starting point for affordability conversations.
The event did not include a formal vote or ordinance reading; officials presented policy positions and described ongoing cooperation with HHS. Several numerical claims were made from the podium about funding and health trends; those claims were presented by officials during remarks and were not accompanied by documents or independent verification at the event.
Officials said they expect continued collaboration with HHS to implement rural investments and regulatory changes discussed at the gathering.
