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SB1806 • 2026

Healthcare Liability

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 28 and Title 29, relative to healthcare liability.

Healthcare
Active

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

Sponsor
Bailey, Hale
Last action
2026-01-22
Official status
Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Healthcare Liability Act

This bill changes Tennessee's healthcare liability laws to remove a three-year limit on when patients can file lawsuits based on injuries they didn't know about at the time of treatment.

What This Bill Does

  • Removes the three-year statute of repose for filing healthcare liability claims if an injury was not discovered right away.
  • Allows patients to file lawsuits within one year after discovering an injury caused by medical negligence.
  • Amends Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 28 and Title 29.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Patients who discover injuries from past medical treatment later than expected.
  • Healthcare providers facing potential lawsuits based on delayed discovery of injuries.

Terms To Know

statute of repose
A law that sets a time limit after which certain legal actions cannot be brought, even if the injury or damage was not discovered earlier.
healthcare liability action
A lawsuit filed against healthcare providers for medical errors or negligence.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what happens to existing cases under the old statute of repose.
  • It is unclear how this change will affect insurance rates and healthcare costs in Tennessee.

Bill History

  1. 2026-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Civil Justice Subcommittee

  2. 2026-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Ref. to Judiciary Committee

  3. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  4. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, caption bill, held on desk - pending amdt.

  5. 2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  6. 2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  7. 2026-01-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  8. 2026-01-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Abstract summarizes the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 1730
By Hale

SENATE BILL 1806
By Bailey
SB1806
011090
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 28
and Title 29, relative to healthcare liability.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 29-26-116(a), is amended by
deleting subdivision (a)(3).
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.