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SB1565 • 2026

Health, Dept. of

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49 and Title 68, relative to assistance for women.

Children
Active

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

Sponsor
Lamar, Shaw
Last action
2026-04-14
Official status
Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 4/21/2026
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The exact amount of money available and its impact on other programs are not clearly defined in the official source material.

Help for Women After Stillbirth

This bill allows Tennessee's Department of Health to use federal Title V funds to help women who have had stillbirths by covering burial costs and offering educational scholarships.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows the commissioner of health to use available federal Title V maternal and child health services block grant money, within limits set by federal law, for a program that helps women pay for funeral or other ways to handle their baby's remains after a stillbirth.
  • The same program also supports educational scholarships awarded by the department to women who have experienced a pregnancy ending in stillbirth.
  • The commissioner can seek necessary federal authorization or waiver to start this program.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Women whose pregnancies end in stillbirth
  • Tennessee's Department of Health

Terms To Know

Title V funds
Money given by the federal government to help with maternal and child health services.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The exact amount of money available for this program is not specified.
  • Other programs might need less funding if these new support services are started, but specific impacts cannot be estimated due to unknown variables.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB1534

Plain English: This amendment adds new sections to Tennessee Code Annotated that allow for the creation of a grant program by the Department of Health to assist women who have experienced stillbirths.

  • Adds provisions for the Department of Health to create a grant program for women whose pregnancies ended in stillbirth, with funds deposited into a special account called the 'stillbirth assistance fund'.
  • Specifies that grants can be used to cover burial or other disposition costs and provide educational resources related to grief support and information on stillbirth.
  • Establishes requirements for reporting to legislative committees about the program's administration and funding.
  • The exact details of how the grant application process will work are not specified in this amendment.
Amendment 1-0 to SB1565

Plain English: This amendment adds new provisions to Tennessee Code Annotated that allow for the creation of a grant program by the Department of Health to assist women who have experienced stillbirths.

  • Adds a new section in Title 68, Chapter 1, Part 1 of Tennessee Code Annotated to establish a grant program for women whose pregnancies ended in stillbirth.
  • Establishes a special fund called the 'stillbirth assistance fund' within the state treasury to hold and manage funds for this grant program.
  • Specifies that grants can be used to cover burial or other disposition costs of the stillborn child's remains, as well as providing educational resources and grief support materials.
  • The amendment does not specify how much funding will be allocated to the program or when it will start.
  • Details on the application process for grants and criteria for allocating funds are left to the Department of Health to develop, which is not fully detailed in this amendment.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  2. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  3. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed behind the budget

  4. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/8/2026

  5. 2026-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee / Behind Budget

  6. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 3/31/2026

  7. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  8. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  9. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  10. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  11. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  12. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee Ayes 5, Nays 2 PNV 0

  13. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  14. 2026-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  15. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  16. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  17. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  18. 2026-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  19. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  20. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Health and Welfare Committee to 3/4/2026

  21. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  22. 2026-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Health and Welfare Committee calendar for 2/25/2026

  23. 2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Health and Welfare Committee to 2/25/2026

  24. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Health and Welfare Committee calendar for 2/11/2026

  25. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  26. 2026-01-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Population Health Subcommittee

  27. 2026-01-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Health Committee

  28. 2026-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  29. 2026-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  30. 2026-01-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  31. 2026-01-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  32. 2026-01-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

This bill authorizes the
commissioner of health to utilize, to the extent allowed under federal law, available funds

received from the federal Title V maternal and child health services block grant to establish a program that provides funds to women whose pregnancies have ended in stillbirth.
The purpose of such program must be to
(
i
)
o
ffset a woman's costs of burial or other disposition of the woman's stillborn child's remains an
d
(
ii
)
s
upport educational scholarships that may be awarded by the departme
nt
of health
to women who have experienced a pregnancy that ended in stillbirth.
The commissioner may
seek an authorization, waiver, or other permission
that
is necessary to effectuate
this bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 1534
By Shaw

SENATE BILL 1565
By Lamar
SB1565
009707
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49
and Title 68, relative to assistance for women.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 68, Chapter 1, Part 1, is amended by
adding the following as a new section:
(a) As used in this section, "Title V funds" means funding received from the
federal Title V maternal and child health services block grant.
(b) The commissioner of health is authorized to utilize, to the extent allowed
under federal law, available Title V funds to establish a program that provides funds to
women whose pregnancies have ended in stillbirth. The purpose of the program must
be to:
(1) Offset a woman's costs of burial or other disposition of the woman's
stillborn child's remains; and
(2) Support educational scholarships that may be awarded by the
department to women who have experienced a pregnancy that ended in stillbirth.
(c) The commissioner may seek an authorization, waiver, or other permission
the commissioner determines is necessary to effectuate subsection (b).
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.