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HB0466 • 2026

Public Health

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 68, relative to medical laboratories.

Healthcare
Enacted

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

Sponsor
Helton-Haynes, Watson
Last action
2025-04-29
Official status
Comp. became Pub. Ch. 232
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary and text do not provide details on how supervisors must be available or consequences if they are unreachable.

Medical Laboratory Supervisor Availability

This law requires that a medical laboratory supervisor must be available for consultations during all hours when tests are performed and removes the requirement for the supervisor to physically stay at the lab.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires a medical laboratory supervisor to be readily available for consultations during all hours when tests are performed.
  • Prohibits a medical laboratory supervisor from being required to be on laboratory premises.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Medical laboratories and their supervisors

Terms To Know

medical laboratory supervisor
A person who is in charge of making sure a medical lab follows rules and provides good service.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how the supervisor must be available, only that they need to be readily reachable.
  • It's unclear what happens if a supervisor cannot be reached during testing hours.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB0466

Plain English: The amendment changes when a certain section of Tennessee's health laws becomes effective.

  • Changes the timing for when a specific part of the bill (SECTION 2) will go into effect to 'upon becoming law,' meaning it would take immediate effect once signed.
  • The amendment text does not provide details about which section of Tennessee's health laws is being amended, making it hard to explain specific changes beyond the timing adjustment.
Amendment 1-0 to SB1385

Plain English: The amendment changes when a certain section of Tennessee's medical laboratory laws will take effect.

  • Changes the effective date for Section 2 of the bill to be immediately upon becoming law.
  • The original text of SECTION 2 that is being replaced is not provided, so details about what exactly is changing are limited.

Bill History

  1. 2025-04-29 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 232

  2. 2025-04-29 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 04/21/2025

  3. 2025-04-29 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 232

  4. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2025-04-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for action.

  6. 2025-04-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  7. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  8. 2025-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled and ready for signatures

  9. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. SB subst.

  10. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 95, Nays 0, PNV 0

  11. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Am. withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - HA0257)

  12. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Subst. for comp. HB.

  13. 2025-04-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/7/2025

  14. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/3/2025

  15. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Calendar & Rules Committee

  16. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Health Committee for 4/1/2025

  17. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Health Committee to 4/1/2025

  18. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Health Committee for 3/25/2025

  19. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec for pass if am by s/c ref. to Health Committee

  20. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Health Subcommittee for 3/19/2025

  21. 2025-03-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rcvd. from S., held on H. desk.

  22. 2025-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  23. 2025-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 31, Nays 0

  24. 2025-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0022)

  25. 2025-02-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/3/2025

  26. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 9, Nays 0 PNV 0

  27. 2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Health and Welfare Committee calendar for 2/26/2025

  28. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Health and Welfare Committee

  29. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  30. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  31. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Health Subcommittee

  32. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Health Committee

  33. 2025-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  34. 2025-01-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

ON MARCH 3, 2025, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 1385, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 changes the effective date of the bill from July 1, 2025, to upon becoming a law.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 1385
By Watson

HOUSE BILL 466
By Helton-Haynes

HB0466
001881
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 68,
relative to medical laboratories.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 68, Chapter 29, Part 1, is amended by
adding the following as a new section:
(a) Each medical laboratory shall have a medical laboratory supervisor readily
available for consultations during all hours when tests are performed.
(b) A medical laboratory shall not require a medical laboratory supervisor to be
on laboratory premises.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.