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SB1940 • 2026

Holidays and Days of Special Observance

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 15, Chapter 2, relative to days of special observance.

Abortion Healthcare
Active

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

Sponsor
Hensley, Bulso
Last action
2026-04-09
Official status
Companion House Bill substituted
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill does not provide details about how Sanctity of Life Day will be observed or funded, leaving these aspects undefined.

Designates January 22 as Sanctity of Life Day

This bill designates January 22 each year as 'Sanctity of Life Day' to honor and renew Tennessee's commitment to protecting life.

What This Bill Does

  • Designates January 22 of each year as 'Sanctity of Life Day'.
  • Encourages Tennessee to renew its commitment to the protection of life annually.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Tennessee residents and state government.

Terms To Know

Sanctity of Life Day
A day designated by the bill for Tennessee to renew its commitment to protecting life annually.
Roe v. Wade
A Supreme Court decision that allowed states to legalize abortion, which was overturned in 2022.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how Sanctity of Life Day will be observed or funded.
  • It is unclear what specific actions Tennessee must take on this day beyond recognizing it.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB1784

Plain English: The amendment adds a new clause to honor Tennessee residents who traveled out of state for abortions in 2024.

  • Adds a new clause before the second 'whereas' statement in the bill's preamble, recognizing the right to abortion as part of unalienable rights.
  • The amendment text does not specify any concrete changes to laws or regulations beyond adding this recognition clause.
  • It is unclear how this new clause will be implemented or enforced.
Amendment 2-0 to HB1784

Plain English: The amendment adds January 22 as 'Protect Women's Rights Day' to honor Tennessee residents who traveled out-of-state for abortions in 2024.

  • Adds January 22 as a new day of special observance called 'Protect Women's Rights Day'.
  • Honors the approximately 10,020 Tennessee residents who traveled out-of-state to obtain an abortion in 2024.
  • The amendment does not specify any official activities or requirements for this observance day.
  • It references the U.S. founding document but does not provide specific details about which document is meant.
Amendment 3-0 to HB1784

Plain English: The amendment adds new reasons related to reproductive healthcare issues in Tennessee to the bill's preamble.

  • Adds statements about how Tennessee's abortion ban has affected women's health care access, including treatment for miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies.
  • Includes information that some doctors have left or stopped practicing obstetrics due to fear of legal consequences.
  • Notes that Tennessee has a high maternal mortality rate and that restrictions on reproductive healthcare can increase this risk.
  • Asserts that the unalienable rights include women's right to life, liberty, and happiness.
  • The amendment text does not specify any concrete actions or changes beyond adding these statements to the bill's preamble.
Amendment 4-0 to HB1784

Plain English: The amendment adds January 22 as 'Tennessee Women's Healthcare Day' to recognize the health, safety, and dignity of women in Tennessee.

  • Adds January 22 as a special observance day called 'Tennessee Women's Healthcare Day'.
  • The amendment does not provide details on how this day will be observed or celebrated.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  2. 2026-04-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled; ready for sig. of H. Speaker.

  3. 2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Companion House Bill substituted

  4. 2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  5. 2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate, Ayes 24, Nays 4

  6. 2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate substituted House Bill for companion Senate Bill.

  7. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/9/2026

  8. 2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Received from House, Passed on First Consideration

  9. 2026-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to Sen.

  10. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  11. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 69, Nays 22, PNV 0

  12. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Failed to adopt am (Amendment 4 - HA0892), Ayes 24, Nays 65, PNV 0

  13. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Failed to adopt am (Amendment 2 - HA0887), Ayes 25, Nays 64, PNV 0

  14. 2026-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  15. 2026-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 3/30/2026

  16. 2026-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Reset on cal. for 3/30/2026

  17. 2026-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  18. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee

  19. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/24/2026

  20. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Judiciary Committee to 3/24/2026

  21. 2026-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 3/26/26

  22. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/23/2026

  23. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 3/19/2026

  24. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee

  25. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  26. 2026-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    No Action Taken

  27. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  28. 2026-03-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Health Committee

  29. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Naming & Designating Committee for 3/2/2026

  30. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  31. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Naming & Designating Committee - Health Committee

  32. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  33. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  34. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  35. 2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  36. 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 1784
By Bulso

SENATE BILL 1940
By Hensley
SB1940
011835
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 15,
Chapter 2, relative to days of special observance.

WHEREAS, our nation's founding document recognizes that we are endowed by our
Creator with certain unalienable rights and that among these rights are life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness; and
WHEREAS, the right to life is the first unalienable right recognized in our Declaration of
Independence; and
WHEREAS, the freedom and liberty we treasure as Americans rest upon our
commitment to the protection of the sanctity of life; and
WHEREAS, the United States Supreme Court improvidently issued its ruling in Roe v.
Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973) on January 22, 1973, preventing Tennessee and other states from
extending the protection of its laws to unborn children; and
WHEREAS, on January 13, 1984, President Ronald Reagan issued Proclamation 5147,
recognizing that in the aftermath of the United States Supreme Court's ruling in Roe v. Wade on
January 22, 1973, more than 15 million unborn children had lost their lives due to legalized
abortion; and
WHEREAS, in Proclamation 5147 President Reagan designated January 22 as National
Sanctity of Human Life Day; and
WHEREAS, the United States Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade in Dobbs v.
Jackson Women's Health Organization, 597 U.S. 215 (2022), and affirmed that Tennessee and
other states may extend the protection of its laws to unborn children; and

- 2 - 011835

WHEREAS, Tennessee extended the protection of its laws to unborn children
immediately upon the reversal of Roe v. Wade by the United States Supreme Court under
Dobbs; and
WHEREAS, Tennessee remains committed to the values and freedoms enshrined in our
nation's founding document, including the unalienable right to life; now, therefore,
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 15, Chapter 2, is amended by adding
the following as a new section:
January 22 of each year is observed as "Sanctity of Life Day" so that Tennessee
may renew its commitment each year to protect the sanctity of life, and to honor the lives
of those unborn children lost to legalized abortion.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.