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HB2599 • 2026

Disability and Aging, Dept. Of

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 52, Chapter 8, Part 2, relative to respite care.

Active

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

Sponsor
Shaw, Reeves
Last action
2026-04-09
Official status
Sponsor(s) Added.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide information about renaming the program, only removing references to it being a pilot program.

Changing Rules for Alzheimer's and Dementia Respite Care

This bill changes Tennessee laws about respite care services for people with Alzheimer's and dementia by removing limits on how many people can use the program at one time each year and when the program will end.

What This Bill Does

  • Removes a limit that says only up to 225 people can be in the respite care program at one time each year.
  • Gets rid of the date when the respite care program must stop working, which was December 31, 2026.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People with Alzheimer's and dementia who need respite care services
  • Area agencies on aging and disability in Tennessee

Terms To Know

respite care
Services that give a break to caregivers of people with illnesses like Alzheimer's or dementia.
pilot program
A small-scale test version of a new service or project before it is fully implemented.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how much money will be used for the respite care program after current funding ends.
  • It's unclear if there are other limits on the program that this bill doesn't change.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 4/21/2026

  2. 2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  3. 2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  4. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/14/2026

  5. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  6. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  7. 2026-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  8. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed behind the budget

  9. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

  10. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 3/18/2026

  11. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee to 3/18/2026

  12. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  13. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  14. 2026-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  15. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 3/11/2026

  16. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee

  17. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  18. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  19. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  20. 2026-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

  21. 2026-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  22. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  23. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  24. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  25. 2026-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  26. 2026-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  27. 2026-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  28. 2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Health Subcommittee for 2/18/2026

  29. 2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  30. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Health Subcommittee

  31. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Health Committee

  32. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  33. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) withdrawn.

  34. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor change.

  35. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  36. 2026-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  37. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  38. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Present law establishes the Alzheimer's and dementia respite care pilot program to provide home and community-based services through grants provided to each of the nine area agencies on aging and disability in this state, and requires that the
Alzheimer'
s and dementia respite care program
actively serve up to 225 enrollees at one time in each fiscal year of the program's operation. This bill removes that requirement.

Present law requires the
Alzheimer's and dementia respite care program
to be operated from July 1, 2022, to December 31, 2026. This bill eliminates that termination date.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 2559
By Reeves

HOUSE BILL 2599
By Shaw
HB2599
012410
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 52,
Chapter 8, Part 2, relative to respite care.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 52-8-203(b), is amended by deleting
"pilot" wherever it appears.
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 52-8-203(b), is amended by deleting
subdivisions (b)(4)(B) and (C).
SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.