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HB1715 • 2026

Juries and Jurors

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 22, Chapter 1 and Title 22, Chapter 2, relative to jury service.

Healthcare
Enacted

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

Sponsor
Hale, Bowling
Last action
2026-03-23
Official status
Comp. became Pub. Ch. 594
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill does not specify an effective date, only that it takes effect upon becoming law.

Breastfeeding Mothers Excused from Jury Service

This bill allows breastfeeding mothers to be excused from jury duty if they provide a written request and a medical statement from a licensed physician or certified professional midwife.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows breastfeeding mothers to ask for time off from being on a jury.
  • Requires the mother to give a note from her doctor or a certified professional midwife saying she needs to breastfeed.
  • Says that if the request and medical statement are given, the person in charge of the jury must let the mother out of jury duty.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Breastfeeding mothers who might be called to serve on a jury.
  • People or organizations that run juries and receive requests from breastfeeding mothers.

Terms To Know

Certified Professional Midwife
A health care provider with special training in helping women during childbirth and after, who can now provide medical statements for jury duty excuses.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what happens if a mother cannot get a statement from a doctor or midwife.
  • It is unclear how this will affect the number of people available to serve on juries.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB1715

Plain English: The amendment adds a new subsection to Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 22-1-103, allowing breastfeeding mothers to be excused from jury duty if they provide a medical statement.

  • Breastfeeding mothers can now request to be excused from jury service by providing a written request and a supporting medical statement from a licensed physician or certified professional midwife.
  • The amendment does not specify the exact process for submitting the medical statement or how long it takes for the court to respond.
  • It is unclear what happens if there are no other qualified jurors available when a breastfeeding mother is excused.
Amendment 1-0 to SB1893

Plain English: The amendment adds a new subsection to Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 22-1-103, allowing breastfeeding mothers to be excused from jury duty if they provide a medical statement.

  • Breastfeeding mothers can now request to be excused from jury service by providing a written request and a supporting medical statement from a licensed physician or certified professional midwife.
  • The amendment does not specify the exact process for submitting the medical statement or how long it takes for the court to respond.
  • It is unclear if there are any limits on when breastfeeding mothers can request an exemption, such as during a specific period after giving birth.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 594

  2. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 03/18/2026

  3. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 594

  4. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2026-03-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for action.

  6. 2026-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  7. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  8. 2026-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled and ready for signatures

  9. 2026-03-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  10. 2026-03-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. SB subst.

  11. 2026-03-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 94, Nays 1, PNV 0

  12. 2026-03-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Am. withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - HA0570)

  13. 2026-03-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Subst. for comp. HB.

  14. 2026-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 3/2/2026

  15. 2026-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  16. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 2/26/2026

  17. 2026-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  18. 2026-02-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  19. 2026-02-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 32, Nays 0

  20. 2026-02-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0481)

  21. 2026-02-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  22. 2026-02-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 2/23/2026

  23. 2026-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  24. 2026-02-17 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  25. 2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 2/18/2026

  26. 2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  27. 2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 2/17/2026

  28. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Civil Justice Subcommittee for 2/11/2026

  29. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  30. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Civil Justice Subcommittee

  31. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Judiciary Committee

  32. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  33. 2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  34. 2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  35. 2026-01-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

ON FEBRUARY 23, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 1893, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 adds a certified professional midwife as someone who can provide a supporting medical statement.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 1893
By Bowling

HOUSE BILL 1715
By Hale
HB1715
011283
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 22,
Chapter 1 and Title 22, Chapter 2, relative to jury
service.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 22-1-103, is amended by adding the
following as a new subsection:
( ) A mother who is breastfeeding a child is excused from jury service upon
providing the court with a supporting medical statement from a licensed physician. The
jury coordinator of the county shall excuse a mother who is breastfeeding a child from
jury service upon receiving a written request to be excused and a supporting medical
statement from a licensed physician.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.