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SB1198 • 2026

Hospitals and Health Care Facilities

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 68, relative to designation as a critical access hospital.

Healthcare
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Jackson, Haston
Last action
2025-04-28
Official status
Comp. became Pub. Ch. 196
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not provide specific details on how much funding or other resources the hospitals will receive, nor does it specify exact steps for designation.

Restoring Rural Hospital Access for Perry and Decatur Counties Act

This act declares two rural hospitals in Tennessee as necessary providers to help them become critical access hospitals under federal criteria.

What This Bill Does

  • Declares Perry County Community Hospital and Decatur County General Hospital as necessary providers of healthcare services.
  • Requires the state health department and health facilities commission to take steps to facilitate the designation of these hospitals as critical access hospitals.
  • Directs the state agencies to coordinate with federal agencies to ensure compliance with federal requirements for designation.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Perry County Community Hospital in Linden, Tennessee
  • Decatur County General Hospital in Parsons, Tennessee

Terms To Know

Critical access hospital
A small rural hospital that receives special federal support to help it stay open and provide essential healthcare services.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify the exact steps state agencies must take or the amount of funding and resources hospitals will receive.
  • It is unclear how quickly the designation process will be expedited.

Bill History

  1. 2025-04-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 196

  2. 2025-04-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 04/11/2025

  3. 2025-04-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 196

  4. 2025-04-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2025-04-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for his action.

  6. 2025-04-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  7. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  8. 2025-03-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled; ready for sig. of H. Speaker.

  9. 2025-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  10. 2025-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Companion House Bill substituted

  11. 2025-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate, Ayes 27, Nays 0

  12. 2025-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate substituted House Bill for companion Senate Bill.

  13. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Received from House, Passed on First Consideration

  14. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Consent Calendar 2 for 3/27/2025

  15. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to Sen.

  16. 2025-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 96, Nays 0, PNV 0

  17. 2025-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  18. 2025-03-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  19. 2025-03-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Consent Calendar for 3/24/2025

  20. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 3/20/2025

  21. 2025-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee

  22. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Health Committee for 3/18/2025

  23. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  24. 2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  25. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Health Subcommittee for 3/12/2025

  26. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee

  27. 2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Health and Welfare Committee calendar for 2/26/2025

  28. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  29. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  30. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Health Subcommittee

  31. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  32. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Health Committee

  33. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  34. 2025-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

This bill requires the
department of health and the health facilities commission
to do the following:

(1) T
ake all necessary steps to facilitate the designation of Perry County C
ommunity Hospital and Decatur County General Hospital as critical access hospitals

pursuant to
federal law to
ensur
e
that those hospitals may receive the support and resources needed to continue providing critical healthcare services
; and

(
2
)
C
oordinate
with relevant federal agencies to ensure compliance with federal requirements and to expedite the process of designation of Perry County Community Hospital and Decatur County General Hospital as critical access hospitals and the delivery of the consequent

benefits of such designation.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 843
By Haston

SENATE BILL 1198
By Jackson

SB1198
001614
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 68,
relative to designation as a critical access hospital.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Short title.
This act is known and may be cited as the "Restoring Rural Hospital Access for
Perry and Decatur Counties Act."
SECTION 2. Findings.
The general assembly finds that:
(1) Rural hospitals provide essential healthcare services to this state's
most vulnerable populations and are often the only point of access to medical
care in their respective regions;
(2) Perry County Community Hospital and Decatur County General
Hospital have been fundamental in delivering healthcare services in Linden and
Parsons, respectively;
(3) Both Perry County Community Hospital and Decatur County General
Hospital previously served their respective communities as necessary providers
of healthcare services to area residents for many years, including years that
precede January 1, 2006; and
(4) The designation of these hospitals as critical access hospitals is vital
for their operational stability and for the enhancement of healthcare services in
rural Tennessee.
SECTION 3. Declaration as necessary providers.

- 2 - 001614

(a) The general assembly declares that the following are necessary providers of
healthcare services to area residents:
(1) Perry County Community Hospital, located in Linden, Tennessee; and
(2) Decatur County General Hospital, located in Parsons, Tennessee.
(b) Through its declaration in subsection (a), the general assembly recognizes
the indispensable role these hospitals play in their respective communities, and
acknowledges that prior to their closures both hospitals acted as necessary providers of
healthcare services, including during a number of years prior to 2006.
SECTION 4. Purpose.
The purpose and intent of this act is to enable Perry County Community Hospital
and Decatur County General Hospital to qualify for federal designation as critical access
hospitals pursuant to criteria established in Section 1820 of the Social Security Act (42
U.S.C. § 1395i-4), ensuring that those hospitals may receive the support and resources
needed to continue providing critical healthcare services.
SECTION 5. Implementation.
(a) The department of health and the health facilities commission shall take all
necessary steps to facilitate the designation of Perry County Community Hospital and
Decatur County General Hospital as critical access hospitals.
(b) The department of health and health facilities commission shall coordinate
with relevant federal agencies to ensure compliance with federal requirements and to
expedite the process of designation of Perry County Community Hospital and Decatur
County General Hospital as critical access hospitals and the delivery of the consequent
benefits of such designation.
SECTION 6. If any provision of this act or its application to any person or circumstance
is held invalid, then the invalidity does not affect other provisions or applications of the act that

- 3 - 001614

can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to that end, the provisions of
this act are severable.
SECTION 7. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.