Tennessee House adopts measures on contraception supply coverage, urges federal immigration reform, clarifies election vacancy rules and affirms TPUC authority

The Tennessee House of Representatives on Tuesday advanced a slate of measures that included a change to how private insurance covers contraception supplies, a nonbinding call for federal immigration reform, a fix to election vacancy procedures and clarification of utility acquisition authority.

House Bill 169, advanced on third reading as amended, allows private insurers to permit an annual supply of contraception to be dispensed at pharmacies so patients need not return every one to three months. Chairlady Helton Haynes, who managed the bill on the floor, said the bill would “allow a person to pick up an annual supply at the pharmacy so they don't have to go every back every 1 to 3 months.” Representatives asked if the measure would require public funds to pay for emergency contraception or long‑acting reversible contraception; Chairlady Haynes responded that the bill applies to private insurance and “does not” authorize public funds for those products. The House recorded 92 yeas and 2 nays, with 3 members recorded as present, and the bill passed.

The chamber also adopted House Joint Resolution 180, introduced by Representative Reeves, which urges the federal government to streamline legal immigration processes. Supporters, including Representative Kumar, framed the resolution as intended to reduce bureaucratic delay and cost for lawful applicants; Kumar said a reformed system would strengthen the economy and public safety. Opponents, including Representative Powell and Representative Salinas, said the resolution was symbolic and insufficient to address what they described as harmful federal actions; Powell said, “I am disgusted by them,” referencing federal enforcement tactics he criticized. The resolution passed by a vote of 89 yeas, 6 nays and 1 present.

On election law, Chairman Jim Rudd moved a substitution to conform House Bill 458 to Senate Bill 367. Chairman Rudd and Chairman Crawford explained the change addresses vacancies that arise after party primary deadlines by allowing party executive committees in multi‑county judicial districts to nominate replacements so a party has a nominee on the ballot. Representative Clemons questioned whether the new language overlapped with existing Tennessee Code Annotated provisions (TCA section 2‑13‑204); sponsors said the substitute resolves a problem created by last year’s reforms and was requested by the secretary of state and party chairs. The House recorded 91 yeas and no nays (6 present) and passed the measure.

Finally, the chamber approved the House substitute to Senate Bill 717, described by Chairman Vaughn as an administrative clarification that affirms the Tennessee Public Utility Commission’s (TPUC) exclusive authority to approve acquisitions or changes in control of investor‑owned natural gas companies and to treat associated franchise transfers as covered by a TPUC approval for transactions after Oct. 1, 2025. Vaughn said the bill is intended to create efficiency and not to change rate‑setting authority; he stated it would have "no impact" on municipally owned utilities such as Memphis Light, Gas and Water (MLGW). The bill passed with an affirmative recorded quorum in the 90s.

Votes at a glance

- HB 169 (contraception supply, as amended): Passed — recorded vote: Yeas 92, Nays 2, Present 3. - HJR 180 (urging federal immigration streamlining): Passed — recorded vote: Yeas 89, Nays 6, Present 1. - SB 367 (conforming substitute for HB 458; election vacancy nomination): Passed — recorded vote: Yeas 91, Nays 0, Present 6. - SB 717 (utility acquisition/TPUC jurisdiction, substituted): Passed — recorded vote: Yeas 96 (no nays reported in the roll call excerpt).

What’s next

Several bills were moved to final action and are ready for enrollment or further processing consistent with legislative procedure. The House suspended rules to consider a recess resolution for Presidents Day and stood recessed until 9 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026.

Reporting note: Quotes and vote tallies are taken directly from the House floor transcript; where the transcript used variant spellings or acronyms (for example, for the Tennessee Public Utility Commission), this article uses the standard agency name "Tennessee Public Utility Commission (TPUC)" for clarity.