Hospitals and Health Care Facilities

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 68, Chapter 11, relative to healthcare facilities.

Healthcare

Active

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

Sponsor: Slater, Watson
Last action: 2026-04-16
Official status: H. Placed on Consent Calendar for 4/20/2026
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Changes to Licensing Requirements for Homes for the Aged

This bill changes how homes for older people are classified based on the number of unrelated residents they have.

What This Bill Does

Defines a 'home for the aged' as a place that accepts older adults for long-term care and provides room, board, and personal services.
Changes the classification from tier 1 to tier 2 if a home houses six or more non-related people instead of four or more.
Requires homes with five or fewer unrelated residents to be licensed by the department of disabilities and aging as tier 1 homes.
Requires homes with six or more unrelated residents to be licensed by the health facilities commission as tier 2 homes.

Who It Names or Affects

Homes for older people in Tennessee
The Department of Disabilities and Aging
The Health Facilities Commission

Terms To Know

tier 1 home for the aged: A home that houses five or fewer non-related residents.
tier 2 home for the aged: A home that houses six or more non-related residents.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify how existing homes will transition to new classifications.
It is unclear if there are additional financial impacts beyond the $800 funding mentioned for FY26-27 and subsequent years.

Bill History

2026-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly
H. Placed on Consent Calendar for 4/20/2026
2026-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/16/2026
2026-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly
Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee
2026-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. Finance, Ways, and Means Committee for 4/15/2026
2026-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly
Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee
2026-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/15/2026
2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/14/2026
2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly
Rcvd. from S., held on H. desk.
2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly
Engrossed; ready for transmission to House
2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly
Passed Senate, Ayes 32, Nays 0
2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Consent Calendar 2 for 4/6/2026
2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly
Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee
2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Health and Welfare Committee calendar for 4/1/2026
2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly
Reset on Final calendar of Senate Health and Welfare Committee
2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Health and Welfare Committee calendar for 3/18/2026
2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly
Action deferred in Senate Health and Welfare Committee to 3/18/2026
2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed behind the budget
2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Health and Welfare Committee calendar for 3/17/2026
2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 3/11/2026
2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly
Assigned to s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee
2026-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly
Rec. for pass; ref to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee
2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. Health Committee for 3/3/2026
2026-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly
Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to Health Committee
2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on s/c cal Health Subcommittee for 2/18/2026
2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly
Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Health and Welfare Committee
2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly
Assigned to s/c Health Subcommittee
2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly
P2C, ref. to Health Committee
2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly
Intro., P1C.
2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly
Introduced, Passed on First Consideration
2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly
Filed for introduction
2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly
Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Present law requires a home for the aged to be licensed. Tier 1 homes for the aged must be licensed by the department of disabilities and aging. Tier 2 homes for the aged must be licensed by the health facilities commission. The chief administrator fo
r the home for the aged must be certified as a residential or institutional home administrator and submit proof of completion of 24 hours of continuing education courses during the biennial renewal of their certification. The health facilities commission
i
s required to inspect homes for the aged at least once every 15 months.

"HOME FOR THE AGED" DEFINED

Present law generally defines "home for the aged" as a home represented and held out to the general public as a home that primarily accepts aged persons for relatively permanent, domiciliary care and provides room, board, and personal services. Present
law categorizes a tier 1 home for the aged as a home that houses three or fewer nonrelated persons and a tier 2 home for the aged as a home that houses four or more nonrelated persons. This bill, instead, categorizes a tier 1 home for the aged as a home
th
at houses five or fewer nonrelated persons and a tier 2 home for the aged as a home that houses six or more nonrelated persons.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

SENATE BILL 2083
By Watson

HOUSE BILL 1899
By Slater
HB1899
011275
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 68,
Chapter 11, relative to healthcare facilities.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 68-11-201(23)(A), is amended by
deleting the subdivision and substituting:
(A) "Home for the aged" means a home represented and held out to the general
public as a home that primarily accepts an aged person for relatively permanent,
domiciliary care and provides room, board, and personal services and that is categorized
as either a tier 1 home for the aged or a tier 2 home for the aged as follows:
(i) A home for the aged that houses five (5) or fewer nonrelated persons
is a tier 1 home for the aged; and
(ii) A home for the aged that houses six (6) or more nonrelated persons
is a tier 2 home for the aged;
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.