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HB2569 • 2026

Hospitals and Health Care Facilities

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 68, relative to immunization.

Healthcare
Active

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

Sponsor
Kumar, Haile
Last action
2026-04-14
Official status
Passed Senate, Ayes 30, Nays 2
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not provide specific details on how hospitals will implement the changes before July 1, 2026.

Immunization Requirements for Hospital Patients

This bill changes Tennessee's law to require hospitals to offer flu and pneumococcal vaccines to patients aged 50 or older before discharging them, instead of the current requirement for those aged 65 or older.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes the age from 65 to 50 for hospital patients who must receive an influenza vaccine before being discharged.
  • Requires hospitals to offer a pneumococcal vaccine to patients aged 50 or older before discharging them.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Hospitals in Tennessee
  • Patients aged 50 or older who are hospitalized

Terms To Know

Influenza vaccine
A shot that helps protect against the flu virus.
Pneumococcal vaccine
A shot that protects against a type of bacteria that can cause pneumonia, meningitis, and other serious illnesses.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what happens if vaccines are unavailable or if there is a medical reason to avoid them.
  • It's unclear how hospitals will implement these changes before the effective date of July 1, 2026.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate, Ayes 30, Nays 2

  2. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate substituted House Bill for companion Senate Bill.

  3. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  4. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Companion House Bill substituted

  5. 2026-04-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/14/2026

  6. 2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Received from House, Passed on First Consideration

  7. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to Sen.

  8. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  9. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 62, Nays 22, PNV 10

  10. 2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/7/2026

  11. 2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Objected to on Consent Calendar.

  12. 2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Consent Calendar for 4/6/2026

  13. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/2/2026

  14. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee

  15. 2026-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee

  16. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Health Committee for 3/31/2026

  17. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Health and Welfare Committee calendar for 4/1/2026

  18. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Health Committee to 3/31/2026

  19. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  20. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Health Committee to 3/24/2026

  21. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) withdrawn.

  22. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Health and Welfare Committee to 3/18/2026

  23. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  24. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  25. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Health and Welfare Committee to 3/18/2026

  26. 2026-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  27. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Population Health Subcommittee for 3/10/2026

  28. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Health and Welfare Committee calendar for 3/11/2026

  29. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Health and Welfare Committee to 3/11/2026

  30. 2026-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Population Health Subcommittee to 3/10/2026

  31. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  32. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Health and Welfare Committee calendar for 3/4/2026

  33. 2026-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  34. 2026-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Population Health Subcommittee

  35. 2026-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Ref. to Health Committee

  36. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  37. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  38. 2026-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  39. 2026-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  40. 2026-01-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  41. 2026-01-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Present law provides that, i
n accordance with the latest recommendations of the advisory committee on immunization practices of the centers for disease control, and subject to the availability of vaccine, each year from October 1 through March 1, prior to discharging any inpatient w
ho is

65

or older, a hospital
must
offer the inpatient immunization for influenza and pneumococcal diseases.

This bill rewrites the present law to provide that, i
n accordance with the latest recommendations of the advisory committee on immunization practices of the federal centers for disease control and prevention, unless contraindicated and subject to the availability of vaccine, a hospital
must do both of the following instead:



Offer an inpatient who is

50

or older immunization
against
influenza disease each year from October 1 through March 1 prior to discharging the inpatient
.



Offer an inpatient who is 50

or older immunization
against
pneumococcal disease prior to discharging the inpatient.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 1584
By Haile

HOUSE BILL 2569
By Kumar
HB2569
009863
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 68,
relative to immunization.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 68-11-266, is amended by deleting
the section and substituting:
In accordance with the latest recommendations of the advisory committee on
immunization practices of the federal centers for disease control and prevention, unless
contraindicated and subject to the availability of vaccine, a hospital shall:
(1) Offer an inpatient who is fifty (50) years of age or older immunization
against influenza disease each year from October 1 through March 1 prior to
discharging the inpatient; and
(2) Offer an inpatient who is fifty (50) years of age or older immunization
against pneumococcal disease prior to discharging the inpatient.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2026, the public welfare requiring it.