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SB0160 • 2026

Local Government, General

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 7, Chapter 61, relative to ambulance service.

Active

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

Sponsor
Hensley, Capley
Last action
2025-05-15
Official status
Effective date(s) 05/09/2025
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide details on how TACIR will fund the study or what specific policy changes might be recommended by the report.

Tennessee Ambulance Service Study Act

This law requires TACIR to study the economic impact of ambulance services and emergency transport reimbursement in Tennessee and report its findings to relevant committees.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires TACIR (Tennessee Advisory Council on Intergovernmental Relations) to conduct a study about how providing ambulance services affects counties' finances, including analysis of different payment methods for emergency and non-emergency transport.
  • Requires TACIR to report its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to specific state committees.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Counties that provide or contract for ambulance services
  • Municipalities that do not provide their own ambulance services but receive them from the county
  • TACIR (the Tennessee Advisory Council on Intergovernmental Relations)

Terms To Know

TACIR
The Tennessee Advisory Council on Intergovernmental Relations, a group that studies and advises on issues between state and local governments.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how TACIR will fund the study.
  • It is unclear what specific policy changes might be recommended by TACIR's report.
  • The exact timeline for completing the study is not detailed in the legislation.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB0083

Plain English: The amendment changes Senate Bill No. 160 by adding new sections that require TACIR to study the economic impact of ambulance services and emergency transport reimbursement in Tennessee.

  • TACIR will study the economic impact on counties providing ambulance services, whether directly or through franchises, as well as municipalities offering such services.
  • The study will also examine how counties and municipalities fund deficits related to ambulance services and look into emergency and non-emergency transport reimbursement from various payors like Medicare and Medicaid.
  • TACIR can request information from other state and local entities for the study, which must be conducted using existing resources.
  • The exact details of how TACIR will conduct the study are not specified in the amendment text.
Amendment 1-0 to SB0160

Plain English: The amendment asks TACIR to study the economic impact of ambulance services on counties and municipalities and how reimbursement for emergency and non-emergency transport affects funding.

  • TACIR will conduct a study on the economic impact of providing ambulance services by counties and municipalities, including direct provision or franchising.
  • The study will also examine how different types of payment (like from Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial payors) affect the financial health of these services.
  • After completing the study, TACIR must report its findings to specific legislative committees.
  • The amendment does not specify when or how often TACIR will provide updates during the study process.

Bill History

  1. 2025-05-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 05/09/2025

  2. 2025-05-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 413

  3. 2025-05-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 413

  4. 2025-05-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2025-05-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for action.

  6. 2025-04-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  7. 2025-04-29 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  8. 2025-04-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled and ready for signatures

  9. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 92, Nays 0, PNV 0

  10. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Am. withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - HA0286)

  11. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Subst. for comp. HB.

  12. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  13. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. SB subst.

  14. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/21/2025

  15. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/17/2025

  16. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee

  17. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

  18. 2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/17/2025

  19. 2025-04-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  20. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/14/2025

  21. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee to TACIR Calendar

  22. 2025-04-03 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  23. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/9/2025

  24. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  25. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  26. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor change.

  27. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) withdrawn.

  28. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  29. 2025-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  30. 2025-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  31. 2025-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 28, Nays 0

  32. 2025-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0230)

  33. 2025-03-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/31/2025

  34. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 4/2/2025

  35. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 4/2/2025

  36. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  37. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/25/2025

  38. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/26/2025

  39. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec for pass if am by s/c ref. to State & Local Government Committee

  40. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Cities & Counties Subcommittee for 3/19/2025

  41. 2025-01-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Cities & Counties Subcommittee

  42. 2025-01-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate State and Local Government Committee

  43. 2025-01-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  44. 2025-01-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Ref. to State & Local Government Committee

  45. 2025-01-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  46. 2025-01-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C held on desk, pending appointment of Standing Committees

  47. 2025-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  48. 2025-01-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

ON MARCH 31, 2025, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED HOUSE BILL 83, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 rewrites this bill to require
TACIR
to
study
:

(1)

T
he economic impact on counties that ar
e required to provide ambulance services, which counties provide services directly or franchise those services, which municipalities provide ambulance services, and whether policy changes may benefit the overall health and delivery of ambulance services i
n
this state
; and

(2)

E
mergency and non-emergency transport reimbursement including from commercial payors, Medicare, Medicaid, and the way counties and municipalities fund the deficit at which these services operate.

U
pon completion of the study,
this
amendment requires
TACIR
to
report its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the chair of the state and local government committee of the senate and the chair of the committee of the house of representatives having jurisdicti
on over subject matters pertaining to state and local government, and provide a copy of the report to the legislative librarian.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 83
By Moon

SENATE BILL 160
By Hensley

SB0160
000426
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 7,
Chapter 61, relative to ambulance service.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 7-61-102, is amended by adding the
following new subsection:
(g) If a municipal governing body does not provide ambulance service within the
boundaries of the municipality and the county in which the city lies provides ambulance
service within the municipality, then the municipal governing body shall reimburse the
county for the ambulance service provided in proportion to the municipality's population
to the population of the county, according to the most recent federal census; provided,
that the reimbursement must not exceed fifty percent (50%) of the total cost of providing
the ambulance service.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.