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

HB2337 • 2026

Hospitals and Health Care Facilities

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 48, Chapter 68 and Title 68, Chapter 11, relative to hospitals.

Healthcare
Active

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

Sponsor
McCalmon, Johnson
Last action
2026-04-02
Official status
Comp. SB subst.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide details about how the attorney general's decision-making process changes or specifies exceptions for certain hospitals.

Hospitals and Health Care Facilities Act

This bill requires hospitals in Tennessee to notify the attorney general at least 30 days before selling or transferring assets.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires public benefit hospitals in Tennessee to give written notice to the attorney general at least 30 days before entering into a sale or transfer of hospital property.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Public benefit hospitals in Tennessee
  • The attorney general of Tennessee

Terms To Know

public benefit hospital conveyance transaction
A sale or transfer of a public benefit hospital's property or assets.
attorney general
The top lawyer for the state who gives legal advice and represents the government in court.

Limits and Unknowns

  • Does not specify what happens if hospitals do not follow this rule.
  • It is unclear how many hospitals will be affected by the exception clause.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB2337

Plain English: The amendment changes how certain hospitals are classified and affects their relationship with local governments.

  • It exempts hospitals established solely for county government benefit and valued over $500 million from being considered public benefit hospital entities under specific conditions.
  • It requires a two-thirds vote by the legislative body of the county to make this exemption effective in that county.
  • The amendment text does not specify all details about how hospitals will be affected beyond these changes, so some impacts are unclear.
Amendment 1-0 to SB2194

Plain English: The amendment changes Tennessee's laws about hospitals by adding exceptions for certain large hospitals owned by counties and modifies how proceeds from hospital sales are handled.

  • Adds an exception to the definition of 'public benefit hospital entity' for hospitals established solely for a county government with an estimated value over $500 million.
  • Requires a two-thirds vote in the county legislative body to apply this new exception.
  • Modifies the requirement that proceeds from hospital sales must be controlled independently and limits when these proceeds can be returned to local governments.
  • The amendment text does not specify how many hospitals will qualify under the new exception or what specific changes it will bring about in practice.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for action.

  2. 2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  3. 2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  4. 2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. SB subst.

  5. 2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled and ready for signatures

  6. 2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  7. 2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Am. withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - HA0804)

  8. 2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Subst. for comp. HB.

  9. 2026-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/2/2026

  10. 2026-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  11. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 3/26/2026

  12. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  13. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  14. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  15. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 27, Nays 1

  16. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0733)

  17. 2026-03-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/23/2026

  18. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Health Committee for 3/24/2026

  19. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  20. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  21. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Health Subcommittee for 3/18/2026

  22. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Health Subcommittee to 3/18/2026

  23. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Health and Welfare Committee calendar for 3/17/2026

  24. 2026-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  25. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Health Subcommittee for 3/11/2026

  26. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Health Subcommittee

  27. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Ref. to Health Committee

  28. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, caption bill, held on desk - pending amdt.

  29. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  30. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor change.

  31. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  32. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  33. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  34. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

ON MARCH 23, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 2194, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 rewrites the bill to, instead, require the attorney general, in making a decision as to whether to object to a public benefit hospital conveyance transaction, to consider whether the proceeds will be controlled as funds independently of the
acquiring or related entities. However, such consideration does not apply if the hospital was established solely for the benefit of a county government and has an estimated sales value of more than $500 million. This exemption only becomes effective in
a
county government that contains such a hospital upon approval by a 2/3 vote of the legislative body of the county government.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 2194
By Johnson

HOUSE BILL 2337
By McCalmon
HB2337
012388
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 48,
Chapter 68 and Title 68, Chapter 11, relative to
hospitals.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 48-68-203(a), is amended by adding
the following language after the first sentence:
Such notice must be provided not less than thirty (30) days prior to the transaction.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.