KLS Keeping Law Simple Legislation in plain English

Straight-ahead summaries built from the official bill text. We keep the source links front and center and leave the decision up to you.

Back to Tennessee

HB1784 • 2026

Holidays and Days of Special Observance

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 15, Chapter 2, relative to days of special observance.

Abortion Children Healthcare
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Bulso, Hensley
Last action
2026-04-16
Official status
Transmitted to Governor for his action.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill does not provide specific details on how Sanctity of Life Day will be observed or celebrated.

Designates January 22 as Sanctity of Life Day

This bill designates January 22 each year as 'Sanctity of Life Day' to observe and honor the commitment to protecting life, especially for unborn children.

What This Bill Does

  • Designates January 22 of each year as 'Sanctity of Life Day'.
  • Encourages Tennessee to renew its dedication to upholding the right to life annually on this day.

Who It Names or Affects

  • All residents of Tennessee who observe or are informed about special days and observances.

Terms To Know

Sanctity of Life Day
A day designated by the state to honor and protect the lives of unborn children, observed on January 22 each year.
Roe v. Wade
A landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in 1973 that established a constitutional right to abortion under the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify any penalties for non-compliance.
  • It is unclear how this day will be officially observed or celebrated by Tennessee residents.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB1784

Plain English: Amendment No.

  • Amendment No.
  • 1 to HB1784 Pearson Signature of Sponsor AMEND Senate Bill No.
  • 1940 House Bill No.
  • 1784* HA0886 016769 - 1 - by inserting the following immediately preceding the second whereas clause of the preamble: WHEREAS, this State honors the 10,020 Tennessee residents who travelled out of state to obtain an abortion in 2024, a right given to them by our nation's founding document, which recognizes that we are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights and that among these rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; and
Amendment 2-0 to HB1784

Plain English: Amendment No.

  • Amendment No.
  • 2 to HB1784 Pearson Signature of Sponsor AMEND Senate Bill No.
  • 1940 House Bill No.
  • 1784* HA0887 016795 - 1 - by deleting all language after the caption and substituting: BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE: SECTION 1.
Amendment 3-0 to HB1784

Plain English: Amendment No.

  • Amendment No.
  • 3 to HB1784 Behn Signature of Sponsor AMEND Senate Bill No.
  • 1940 House Bill No.
  • 1784* HA0891 016887 - 1 - by deleting "; now therefore," at the end of the final clause of the preamble and substituting "; and".
Amendment 4-0 to HB1784

Plain English: Amendment No.

  • Amendment No.
  • 4 to HB1784 Behn Signature of Sponsor AMEND Senate Bill No.
  • 1940 House Bill No.
  • 1784* HA0892 016885 - 1 - by designating the existing amendatory language in SECTION 1 as subsection (a) and adding the following as a new subsection (b): (b) January 22 of each year is also observed as "Tennessee Women's Healthcare Day" so that Tennessee may renew its commitment each year to the health, safety, and dignity of women in this state and honor citizens of this state who have suffered harm or death as a result of being denied reproductive medical care.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for his action.

  2. 2026-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  3. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  4. 2026-04-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled; ready for sig. of H. Speaker.

  5. 2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate, Ayes 24, Nays 4

  6. 2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate substituted House Bill for companion Senate Bill.

  7. 2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Companion House Bill substituted

  8. 2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  9. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/9/2026

  10. 2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Received from House, Passed on First Consideration

  11. 2026-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to Sen.

  12. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  13. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 69, Nays 22, PNV 0

  14. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Failed to adopt am (Amendment 4 - HA0892), Ayes 24, Nays 65, PNV 0

  15. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Failed to adopt am (Amendment 2 - HA0887), Ayes 25, Nays 64, PNV 0

  16. 2026-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  17. 2026-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 3/30/2026

  18. 2026-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Reset on cal. for 3/30/2026

  19. 2026-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  20. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee

  21. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/24/2026

  22. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Judiciary Committee to 3/24/2026

  23. 2026-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 3/26/26

  24. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 3/19/2026

  25. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/23/2026

  26. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee

  27. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Health Committee for 3/17/2026

  28. 2026-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    No Action Taken

  29. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Health Committee for 3/10/2026

  30. 2026-03-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Health Committee

  31. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Naming & Designating Committee for 3/2/2026

  32. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Naming & Designating Committee - Health Committee

  33. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  34. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  35. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  36. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  37. 2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  38. 2026-01-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Abstract summarizes the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 1940
By Hensley

HOUSE BILL 1784
By Bulso
HB1784
011835
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 15,
Chapter 2, relative to days of special observance.

WHEREAS, our nation's founding document recognizes that we are endowed by our
Creator with certain unalienable rights and that among these rights are life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness; and
WHEREAS, the right to life is the first unalienable right recognized in our Declaration of
Independence; and
WHEREAS, the freedom and liberty we treasure as Americans rest upon our
commitment to the protection of the sanctity of life; and
WHEREAS, the United States Supreme Court improvidently issued its ruling in Roe v.
Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973) on January 22, 1973, preventing Tennessee and other states from
extending the protection of its laws to unborn children; and
WHEREAS, on January 13, 1984, President Ronald Reagan issued Proclamation 5147,
recognizing that in the aftermath of the United States Supreme Court's ruling in Roe v. Wade on
January 22, 1973, more than 15 million unborn children had lost their lives due to legalized
abortion; and
WHEREAS, in Proclamation 5147 President Reagan designated January 22 as National
Sanctity of Human Life Day; and
WHEREAS, the United States Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade in Dobbs v.
Jackson Women's Health Organization, 597 U.S. 215 (2022), and affirmed that Tennessee and
other states may extend the protection of its laws to unborn children; and

- 2 - 011835

WHEREAS, Tennessee extended the protection of its laws to unborn children
immediately upon the reversal of Roe v. Wade by the United States Supreme Court under
Dobbs; and
WHEREAS, Tennessee remains committed to the values and freedoms enshrined in our
nation's founding document, including the unalienable right to life; now, therefore,
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 15, Chapter 2, is amended by adding
the following as a new section:
January 22 of each year is observed as "Sanctity of Life Day" so that Tennessee
may renew its commitment each year to protect the sanctity of life, and to honor the lives
of those unborn children lost to legalized abortion.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.