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SB2239 • 2026

Boards and Commissions

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 63, Chapter 6 and Title 63, Chapter 9, relative to continuing education requirements.

Education Healthcare
Active

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

Sponsor
Johnson, Lamberth
Last action
2026-04-13
Official status
Concurred, Ayes 33, Nays 0 (Amendment 2 - HA0933)
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill does not specify penalties for non-compliance.

Continuing Education Requirements for Nutrition

This bill requires medical and osteopathic doctors to complete at least one hour of continuing education focused on nutrition topics once.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires doctors licensed by the board of medical examiners to take one hour of continuing education about nutrition, which must be completed only once.
  • Requires osteopathic doctors licensed by the board of osteopathic examination to also take one hour of continuing education about nutrition, which must be completed only once.
  • Makes sure that any required nutrition education for doctors is free of charge and needs to be completed only once.
  • Gives the boards authority to make rules to enforce these requirements.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Doctors licensed by the board of medical examiners in Tennessee
  • Osteopathic doctors licensed by the board of osteopathic examination in Tennessee

Terms To Know

Continuing education
Training or classes that professionals take to keep their skills up-to-date after they finish school.
Nutrition
The science of food and how it affects the body, including what we eat and drink and how it impacts our health.

Limits and Unknowns

  • Doctors only need to complete one hour of nutrition education once.
  • The bill does not specify if there are any penalties for not completing this requirement.
  • The rules about how the boards will enforce these requirements have not been made yet.
  • These provisions terminate January 1, 2033.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB2562

Plain English: The amendment adds requirements for doctors and osteopathic physicians to complete one hour of continuing education on nutrition, which must be free.

  • Doctors and osteopathic physicians must complete at least one hour of continuing medical or osteopathic education on nutrition.
  • This requirement applies only once in a physician's career.
  • The educational materials related to nutrition must be provided free of charge.
  • The amendment ends its requirements on January 1, 2033.
Amendment 2-0 to HB2562

Plain English: The amendment changes the date for a requirement from January 1, 2029 to January 1, 2028.

  • Changes the effective date in SECTION 4 of Senate Bill No. 2239 and House Bill No. 2562 from January 1, 2029 to January 1, 2028.
  • The amendment text does not provide details about the specific requirement being moved up by one year, only the date change.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Concurred, Ayes 33, Nays 0 (Amendment 2 - HA0933)

  2. 2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Concurred, Ayes 31, Nays 2 (Amendment 1 - HA0932)

  3. 2026-04-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Message Calendar for 4/13/2026

  4. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  5. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. adopted am. (Amendment 2 - HA0933)

  6. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. adopted am. (Amendment 1 - HA0932)

  7. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Subst. for comp. HB.

  8. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  9. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. SB subst.

  10. 2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/7/2026

  11. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/2/2026

  12. 2026-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Calendar & Rules Committee

  13. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Health Committee for 3/31/2026

  14. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Health Committee to 3/31/2026

  15. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  16. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  17. 2026-03-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  18. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Health Subcommittee for 3/18/2026

  19. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Health Subcommittee to 3/18/2026

  20. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Health Subcommittee for 3/11/2026

  21. 2026-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rcvd. from S., held on H. desk.

  22. 2026-02-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  23. 2026-02-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate, Ayes 32, Nays 0

  24. 2026-02-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Consent Calendar 2 for 2/23/2026

  25. 2026-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee

  26. 2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Health and Welfare Committee calendar for 2/18/2026

  27. 2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  28. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  29. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Health Subcommittee

  30. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Health Committee

  31. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  32. 2026-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  33. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  34. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

ON APRIL 7, 2026, THE HOUSE SUBSTITUTED SENATE BILL 2239 FOR HOUSE BILL 2562, ADOPTED AMENDMENTS #1 AND 2, AND PASSED SENATE BILL 2239, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 makes the following changes:



Clarifies that any person licensed to practice medicine or osteopathic medicine is only required to complete the one hour continuing education course on nutrition once. Any required continuing medical education requirement related to nutrition must be made available free of charge. These provisions terminate January 1, 2033.


Authorizes the board of medical examiners and the board of osteopathic examination to promulgate rules to effectuate the bill.


Changes the effective date from January 1, 2028, to January 1, 2029.

AMENDMENT #2 changes the effective date from January 1, 2029, to January 1, 2028.

ON APRIL 13, 2026, THE SENATE CONCURRED IN HOUSE AMENDMENT
S #1 AND
#2.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 2562
By Lamberth

SENATE BILL 2239
By Johnson
SB2239
011247
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 63,
Chapter 6 and Title 63, Chapter 9, relative to
continuing education requirements.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 63-6-233, is amended by adding the
following as a new subsection:
(d) In establishing continuing medical education requirements pursuant to
subsection (b), the board shall require that a minimum of one (1) of the required hours
be completed on topics related to nutrition.
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 63-9-107(a), is amended by adding
the following as a new subdivision:
(3) In establishing continuing osteopathic medical education requirements
pursuant to subdivision (a)(1), the board shall require that a minimum of one (1) of the
required hours be completed on topics related to nutrition.
SECTION 3. For the purpose of promulgating rules, including emergency rules, this act
takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it. For all other purposes, this act
takes effect on January 1, 2028, the public welfare requiring it.