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HB0133 • 2026

Disabled Persons

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 33 and Title 52, relative to facilities for persons with disabilities.

Taxes

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Raper, Lowe
Last action: 2025-05-13
Official status: Comp. became Pub. Ch. 303
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill does not specify exact locations within Bradley County for new facilities.

Expanding Disability Services Pilot Program to Eastern Tennessee

This law adds an eastern division participant to a pilot program for disability services in Tennessee and sets criteria for facilities applying to be part of this new division.

What This Bill Does

Adds one more participant location for the pilot program in the eastern part of Tennessee.
Sets specific criteria for facilities applying to be part of the eastern division pilot program, including property size and tax status.
Changes bathroom facility standards so that each bedroom must have a full bathroom nearby.
Establishes application deadlines for the new eastern division participant starting July 1, 2025.

Who It Names or Affects

People with intellectual and developmental disabilities who will use services from the pilot program.
Facilities applying to be part of the disability services pilot program in Tennessee.

Terms To Know

Grand Division: One of three regions (eastern, middle, and western) used for administrative purposes in Tennessee.
501(c)(3): A tax-exempt status given by the IRS to organizations that are charitable, religious, educational, scientific, or literary in nature.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify the exact location within Bradley County where facilities must be located.
It is unclear how many applications will meet the new criteria set by this law.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

HA0108

Amendment 1-0 to HB0133

Plain English: The amendment changes requirements for a pilot program that helps people with disabilities by specifying locations and conditions for participants in Tennessee.

Adds specific location requirements for pilot program participants in each of Tennessee's three grand divisions (eastern, middle, western).
Sets detailed eligibility criteria for participating in the eastern division pilot program, including property size, population limits, and tax-exempt status.
Adjusts application deadlines and approval timelines for different parts of the pilot program.
Clarifies reporting requirements and intent regarding the number of participants per grand division.

The amendment text does not provide full details on all aspects of the pilot program, such as specific benefits or services offered to individuals with disabilities.

HA0422

Amendment 2-0 to HB0133

Plain English: The amendment changes requirements for a pilot program that helps people with disabilities by specifying locations and conditions for participants in Tennessee.

Requires one pilot participant to be located in each of the three grand divisions (western, middle, eastern) of Tennessee.
Adds specific eligibility criteria for participating in the pilot program in the eastern division, including property size, population requirements, and tax-exempt status.
Updates application deadlines and approval timelines for different parts of the pilot program.

The amendment text is technical and includes many legal references that are not explained here. Readers should consult the full bill or seek legal advice for a complete understanding.

Bill History

2025-05-13 Tennessee General Assembly
Comp. became Pub. Ch. 303
2025-05-13 Tennessee General Assembly
Effective date(s) 07/01/2025
2025-05-13 Tennessee General Assembly
Pub. Ch. 303
2025-05-02 Tennessee General Assembly
Signed by Governor.
2025-04-22 Tennessee General Assembly
Transmitted to Governor for action.
2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly
Signed by H. Speaker
2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly
Signed by Senate Speaker
2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly
Enrolled and ready for signatures
2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly
Comp. SB subst.
2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) Added.
2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly
Passed H., Ayes 95, Nays 0, PNV 0
2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly
Am. withdrawn. (Amendment 2 - HA0422)
2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly
Am. withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - HA0108)
2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly
Subst. for comp. HB.
2025-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly
H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/16/2025
2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/15/2025
2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) Added.
2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly
Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Calendar & Rules Committee
2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. Finance, Ways, and Means Committee for 4/14/2025
2025-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly
Action def. in Finance, Ways, and Means Committee to 4/15/2025
2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. Finance, Ways, and Means Committee for 4/8/2025
2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly
Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee
2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/2/2025
2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly
Assigned to s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee
2025-03-20 Tennessee General Assembly
Re-ref. Finance, Ways, and Means Committee
2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 3/20/2025
2025-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly
Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Calendar & Rules Committee
2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. Health Committee for 3/18/2025
2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly
Rec for pass if am by s/c ref. to Health Committee
2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on s/c cal Health Subcommittee for 3/12/2025
2025-02-27 Tennessee General Assembly
Rcvd. from S., held on H. desk.
2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) Added.
2025-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) Added.
2025-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly
Engrossed; ready for transmission to House
2025-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly
Passed Senate, Ayes 33, Nays 0
2025-02-20 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Consent Calendar 2 for 2/24/2025
2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly
Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee
2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Health and Welfare Committee calendar for 2/19/2025
2025-01-28 Tennessee General Assembly
Assigned to s/c Health Subcommittee
2025-01-16 Tennessee General Assembly
Ref. to Health Committee
2025-01-15 Tennessee General Assembly
P2C held on desk, pending appointment of Standing Committees
2025-01-15 Tennessee General Assembly
Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Health and Welfare Committee
2025-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly
Intro., P1C.
2025-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly
Introduced, Passed on First Consideration
2025-01-13 Tennessee General Assembly
Filed for introduction
2025-01-13 Tennessee General Assembly
Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Present law requires the department of disability and aging ("department") to administer a
residential pilot program
,
whic
h
must
meet certain eligibility
requirements, for

persons with an intellectual or developmental disability
. Present law requires one
pilot participant
to be located in the western and middle grand divisions. This bill adds that one pilot participant must
be located in the eastern grand division. In order t
o be eligible to participate in the pilot program in the eastern grand division,
this bill requires
a participant
to meet the following criteria:



Possess a license issued by the department to operate an existing residential home, which must be located on property in Bradley County,
o
wned by the participant
,
and consist of no less than 26 acres
.



Offer residential services for no more than 60 additional adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities
.



Foster an inclusive community by making available additional homes on the property for adults of all abilities equal to

25% of homes on the property
.



Be recognized by the internal revenue service as
a
tax exempt

501(c)(3)
entity.

BATHROOM FACILITIES

Present law requires e
ach
housing
building
in the pilot program to meet certain standards, including that e
ach bedroom
be
adjacent to, or across the hallway from, a full bathroom facility
. This bill revises this provision so that this standard is me
t if each
bedroom contains, is adjacent to, or across the hallway from, a full bathroom facility
.

APPLICATION TIMING

Present law requires t
he department
to
accept applications for pilot program
participants in the western and middle grand divisions
beginning July 1, 2024
, with a deadline of
March 31, 2025.
This bill creates a timeline for an eastern grand division pilot program participant application, whereby t
he department
must
accept applications for participation
beginning
July 1, 2025
, with a
deadline of
March 31, 2026.

ANNUAL REPORT

Present law requires the
department
to
submit a report on the outcomes of the pilot program to
legislative committees
no later than July 31, 2026, and annually no later than July 31 of each year through July 31, 2031.
However, this bill does not require t
he department to report outcomes for a
n eastern grand division
participant until such participant's facility is opera
tional.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

SENATE BILL 110
By Lowe

HOUSE BILL 133
By Raper

HB0133
000616
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 33
and Title 52, relative to facilities for persons with
disabilities.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 52-2-418(d)(1), is amended by
deleting the second sentence and substituting:
One (1) pilot participant must be located in the western grand division, as
described in § 4-1-204, one (1) pilot participant must be located in the middle
grand division, as described in § 4-1-203, and one (1) pilot participant must be
located in the eastern grand division, as described in § 4-1-202.
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 52-2-418(d)(3), is amended by
adding the following new subdivision (C):
(C) To be eligible to participate in the pilot program in the eastern grand division,
a participant must:
(i) Possess a license issued by the department to operate an existing
residential home, which must be located on property:
(a) In a county with a population of not less than one hundred
eight thousand six hundred (108,600) and not more than one hundred
eight thousand seven hundred (108,700), according to the 2020 federal
census or a subsequent federal census;
(b) Owned by the participant; and

- 2 - 000616

(c) That consists of no less than twenty-six (26) acres, which may
include adjacent properties on which adults reside in an existing
independent living, licensed assisted-care living, or licensed nursing
home community;
(ii) Offer residential services for no more than sixty (60) additional adults
with intellectual and developmental disabilities;
(iii) Foster an inclusive community by making available additional homes
on the property for adults of all abilities equal to twenty-five percent (25%) of
homes on the property; and
(iv) Be recognized by the internal revenue service as an entity that is tax
exempt pursuant to § 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. §
501(c)(3)), as amended.
SECTION 3. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 52-2-418(d)(4)(A)(iv), is amended by
deleting the subdivision and substituting:
(iv) Each bedroom contains, is adjacent to, or across the hallway from, a full
bathroom facility;
SECTION 4. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 52-2-418(d)(5), is amended by
deleting the subdivision and substituting:
(A) The department shall accept applications for participation in a pilot program:
(i) Authorized under subdivision (d)(3)(A) or (B) beginning July 1, 2024.
Applications must be received on or before March 31, 2025; and
(ii) Authorized under subdivision (d)(3)(C) beginning July 1, 2025.
Applications must be received on or before March 31, 2026.
(B) The department shall approve an application for participation in the pilot
program that satisfies the requirements of subdivisions (d)(2)-(4) within thirty (30) days

- 3 - 000616

of receipt of the application. If an applicant proposes to build facilities in order to
participate in the pilot program, then the applicant must complete the facilities necessary
to participate in the pilot program on or before June 30, 2028. All pilot participants shall
comply with the applicable requirements for licensure for services or facilities, as the
case may be, prior to accepting residents.
SECTION 5. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 52-2-418(d)(7), is amended by
adding the following sentence at the end of the subdivision:
The department is not required to report outcomes for a participant under the pilot
program qualified and approved under subdivision (d)(3)(C) for a reporting year until
such participant's facility is operational.
SECTION 6. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 52-2-418(d)(8), is amended by
deleting all language before the colon and substituting:
It being the intent of the general assembly that there be one (1) pilot program
participant in the western grand division, one (1) pilot program participant in the
middle grand division, and one (1) pilot program participant in the eastern grand
division, the department shall not
SECTION 7. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.