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SB1716 • 2026

Education

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49 and Title 68, Chapter 140, Part 5, relative to epinephrine.

Education
Active

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

Sponsor
Hensley, Davis
Last action
2026-04-08
Official status
Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The candidate explanation included details about liability protection that are not explicitly stated in the official bill text.

Expanding Epinephrine Use in Schools

This bill changes Tennessee laws to allow schools to store and use various forms of epinephrine for treating severe allergic reactions in students.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows schools to maintain different forms of epinephrine, not just auto-injectors, to treat life-threatening allergies in students.
  • Recommends that schools keep at least two unlocked but secure locations with epinephrine on hand for emergencies.
  • Permits doctors to prescribe epinephrine directly to schools instead of individual students.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Public and nonpublic schools in Tennessee
  • Students with severe allergies
  • School nurses and other trained personnel
  • Doctors who prescribe epinephrine to schools

Terms To Know

Epinephrine
A medicine used to treat severe allergic reactions, also known as anaphylaxis.
LEA
Local Education Agency, which refers to a school district or other local organization responsible for providing public education.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how schools will be funded to purchase and store different forms of epinephrine.
  • It is unclear if all schools will have the necessary training and resources to implement these changes effectively.
  • The effective date has been changed from upon becoming a law to July 1, 2026.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB1550

Plain English: The amendment changes when a part of Tennessee's law about epinephrine will take effect.

  • Changes the effective date of Section 3 from an unspecified time to July 1, 2026.
  • The original text does not specify what the previous effective date was for Section 3, so it's unclear how this change affects the timeline.
  • The amendment only modifies one section of a larger bill and does not provide context about other parts of the bill or its full impact.
Amendment 1-0 to SB1716

Plain English: The amendment changes when a part of Tennessee's law about epinephrine will start to be used.

  • Changes the effective date from July 1, 2024, to July 1, 2026.
  • The original text does not specify the exact date change clearly, so it's unclear if there were other changes besides the effective date.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Received from House, Passed on First Consideration

  2. 2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to Sen.

  3. 2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  4. 2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  5. 2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. adopted am. (Amendment 1 - HA0820)

  6. 2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/13/2026

  7. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee

  8. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/9/2026

  9. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee

  10. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 4/8/2026

  11. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Finance, Ways, and Means Committee for 4/7/2026

  12. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  13. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/1/2026

  14. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  15. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  16. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  17. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  18. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  19. 2026-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Education Committee to 3/17/2026

  20. 2026-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Education Committee for 3/10/2026

  21. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Education Committee for 3/10/2026

  22. 2026-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  23. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Education Administration Subcommittee for 3/3/2026

  24. 2026-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee Ayes 9, Nays 0 PNV 0

  25. 2026-02-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Education Administration Subcommittee to Next Available Calendar

  26. 2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Education Committee calendar for 2/18/2026

  27. 2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Education Administration Subcommittee for 2/17/2026

  28. 2026-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Education Administration Subcommittee to 2/17/2026

  29. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Education Administration Subcommittee for 2/10/2026

  30. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  31. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Education Committee

  32. 2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  33. 2026-01-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  34. 2026-01-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Education Administration Subcommittee

  35. 2026-01-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Education Committee

  36. 2026-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  37. 2026-01-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

ON APRIL 13, 2026, THE HOUSE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED HOUSE BILL 1550, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 c
hanges this bill's effective date from upon becoming a law to July 1, 2026, at 12:01 a.m.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 1550
By Davis

SENATE BILL 1716
By Hensley
SB1716
009724
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49
and Title 68, Chapter 140, Part 5, relative to
epinephrine.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-50-1602(f), is amended by
deleting subdivision (3) and substituting:
(3)
(A) It is the intent of the general assembly that schools, both public and
nonpublic, be prepared to treat allergic reactions in the event a student's
personal source of epinephrine is not available or the student is having a reaction
for the first time.
(B) Each school in an LEA and each nonpublic school may maintain
epinephrine at the school. If a school maintains epinephrine, then it is
recommended that the school maintain epinephrine in a form that may be
administered to a student believed to be experiencing a life-threatening allergic
or anaphylactic reaction in at least two (2) unlocked, secure locations, including,
but not limited to, the school's administrative office and the school cafeteria.
(C) Notwithstanding title 63 to the contrary, a physician may prescribe
epinephrine in the name of an LEA or nonpublic school to be maintained for use
in the LEA or nonpublic school when necessary.
(D) If a student does not have a personal source of epinephrine or a
prescription for epinephrine on file, then the school nurse or other trained school
personnel may utilize the supply of epinephrine maintained by the LEA or

- 2 - 009724

nonpublic school, as applicable, to respond to an anaphylactic reaction in
accordance with a standing protocol from a physician licensed to practice
medicine in all its branches.
(E) If a student is injured or harmed due to the administration of
epinephrine prescribed to an LEA or nonpublic school by a physician under this
subdivision (f)(3), then the prescribing physician shall not be held responsible for
the injury unless the physician issued the prescription or the standing protocol
with intentional disregard for safety.
(F) If a student is injured or harmed due to the administration of
epinephrine to the student by a school nurse or other trained school personnel
under this subdivision (f)(3), then the school nurse or school employee shall not
be held responsible for the injury unless the school nurse or school employee
administered the epinephrine with intentional disregard for safety.
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 68-140-501(1), is amended by
deleting "an epinephrine auto-injector" and substituting "epinephrine".
SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.