Health, Dept. of

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49 and Title 68, relative to assistance for women.

Children

Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor: Shaw, Lamar
Last action: 2026-04-08
Official status: Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/14/2026
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary does not specify exact amounts or details about funding allocation, leaving room for interpretation.

Help for Women After Stillbirth

This bill allows Tennessee's Department of Health to use federal Title V funds to help women who have experienced stillbirth by covering burial costs and offering educational scholarships.

What This Bill Does

Allows the commissioner of health to use available federal Title V maternal and child health services block grant money for a new program.
The program will pay for burial or other ways to handle remains after a stillbirth.
The program also supports educational scholarships that may be awarded by the department to women who have experienced a pregnancy ending in stillbirth.

Who It Names or Affects

Women whose pregnancies ended in stillbirth
Tennessee's Department of Health

Terms To Know

Title V funds: Money given by the federal government to help with maternal and child health services.

Limits and Unknowns

The exact amount of money available for this program is not clear.
Other programs might need less funding if these new support services are started, but specific impacts cannot be reasonably estimated due to unknown variables.

Amendments

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

HA0845

Amendment 1-0 to HB1534

Plain English: This amendment adds new provisions to Tennessee Code Annotated to create a grant program for women who have experienced stillbirths, providing financial assistance and educational resources.

Adds a new section in Title 68 of the Tennessee Code Annotated to establish a grant program for women whose pregnancies ended in stillbirth.
Establishes a special fund called the 'stillbirth assistance fund' within the state treasury to hold money for this grant program.
Specifies that grants can be used to cover burial or other disposition costs and provide educational resources related to stillbirth.

The exact details of how the department will administer the program, including application procedures and criteria for allocating funds, are not specified in this amendment.

SA0670

Amendment 1-0 to SB1565

Adds a new section in Title 68 of the Tennessee Code Annotated to establish a grant program for women whose pregnancies ended in stillbirth.
Establishes a special fund called the 'stillbirth assistance fund' within the state treasury to hold money for this grant program.
Specifies that grants can be used to cover burial or other disposition costs and provide educational resources related to stillbirth.

The exact procedures for applying for grants and allocating funds are not detailed in the amendment text, but will be developed by the department of health.

Bill History

2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/14/2026
2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed behind the budget
2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/8/2026
2026-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly
Action deferred in Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee / Behind Budget
2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly
Assigned to s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee
2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly
Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee
2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 3/31/2026
2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. Health Committee for 3/24/2026
2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) Added.
2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly
Action def. in Health Committee to 3/24/2026
2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. Health Committee for 3/17/2026
2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly
Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee Ayes 5, Nays 2 PNV 0
2026-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly
Rec for pass if am by s/c ref. to Health Committee
2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on s/c cal Population Health Subcommittee for 3/10/2026
2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Health and Welfare Committee calendar for 3/11/2026
2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly
Action deferred in Senate Health and Welfare Committee to 3/11/2026
2026-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly
Action Def. in s/c Population Health Subcommittee to 3/10/2026
2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on s/c cal Population Health Subcommittee for 3/3/2026
2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Health and Welfare Committee calendar for 3/4/2026
2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly
Action deferred in Senate Health and Welfare Committee to 3/4/2026
2026-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Health and Welfare Committee calendar for 2/25/2026
2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly
Action deferred in Senate Health and Welfare Committee to 2/25/2026
2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Health and Welfare Committee calendar for 2/11/2026
2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) Added.
2026-01-15 Tennessee General Assembly
Assigned to s/c Population Health Subcommittee
2026-01-15 Tennessee General Assembly
P2C, ref. to Health Committee
2026-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly
Intro., P1C.
2026-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly
Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Health and Welfare Committee
2026-01-13 Tennessee General Assembly
Filed for introduction
2026-01-13 Tennessee General Assembly
Introduced, Passed on First Consideration
2026-01-07 Tennessee General Assembly
Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

This bill authorizes the
commissioner of health to utilize, to the extent allowed under federal law, available funds

received from the federal Title V maternal and child health services block grant to establish a program that provides funds to women whose pregnancies have ended in stillbirth.
The purpose of such program must be to
(
i
)
o
ffset a woman's costs of burial or other disposition of the woman's stillborn child's remains an
d
(
ii
)
s
upport educational scholarships that may be awarded by the departme
nt
of health
to women who have experienced a pregnancy that ended in stillbirth.
The commissioner may
seek an authorization, waiver, or other permission
that
is necessary to effectuate
this bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

SENATE BILL 1565
By Lamar

HOUSE BILL 1534
By Shaw
HB1534
009707
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49
and Title 68, relative to assistance for women.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 68, Chapter 1, Part 1, is amended by
adding the following as a new section:
(a) As used in this section, "Title V funds" means funding received from the
federal Title V maternal and child health services block grant.
(b) The commissioner of health is authorized to utilize, to the extent allowed
under federal law, available Title V funds to establish a program that provides funds to
women whose pregnancies have ended in stillbirth. The purpose of the program must
be to:
(1) Offset a woman's costs of burial or other disposition of the woman's
stillborn child's remains; and
(2) Support educational scholarships that may be awarded by the
department to women who have experienced a pregnancy that ended in stillbirth.
(c) The commissioner may seek an authorization, waiver, or other permission
the commissioner determines is necessary to effectuate subsection (b).
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.