2025 Legislative Session In Review
If we had to pick just one theme for this legislative year, it would be learning. Learning captures two of the most high profile bills to pass (and fail- at least temporarily): the voucher scam, which pulls funds from public schools and the bill prohibiting undocumented kids from enrolling in school. Learning also captures the work that we’ve been doing at Healthy and Free Tennessee - learning how to grow with grace, learning to navigate non-traditional allies, learning our limits and growing beyond our imagination. Carlos Saavedra writes about the four seasons of movement work. Winter, which sounds like such a dark time for movements, is actually when we sow the seeds we hope to reap in the Spring, Summer, and Fall. We are certainly in a winter for reproductive justice in Tennessee, and yet, we are continuing to learn, teach, grow, and sow seeds for our future liberation.
Let’s talk about some of the wins, losses, and learnings from the 2025 legislative year.
Illustration of Poverty is NOT Neglect Teach in by Dr. Meg
First and foremost, we are thrilled that our first proactive campaign around the family policing, or child welfare, system was successful! Led by our former Youth Leadership Council member turned Campaign Strategist, Toniah “Niah” Anderson, we passed our Poverty is NOT Neglect bill. This bill prohibits the state from terminating parental rights on the basis of poverty alone and explicitly excludes poverty alone from the definition of neglect. This was not only our first proactive bill around family policing, but it was also the first time our Youth Leadership Council completed a year-long policy and organizing training program and built out a campaign and bill! We learned a lot about supporting youth leadership, future opposition, and what it takes to tackle a bigger system - and we’re just getting started.
This session, we also introduced Tennessee’s first-ever:
Informed consent for pregnant Tennesseans bill, which requires that providers get informed consent before drug testing pregnant and postpartum patients, in the state.
Comprehensive Freedom to Grow Our Families bill, which requires private AND public insurance to cover fertility care and removes a barrier to childcare assistance, in the state.
Even though these bills did not progress this year, their introduction provided valuable information about how to move forward next year.
Picture from Coalition’s Memphis Day of Action Hosted by the ACLU-TN
Picture from our 2025 Day on the Hill Event
Illustration by Dr. Meg
The Statewide Repro Coalition, that we convene, had success with bills as well. The Reproductive Freedom Act and the Tennessee Contraceptive Freedom Act both received great press coverage. Our 12 Month Supply of Birth Control for All bill passed unanimously through two House committees. And, most impressively, AWAKE’s leadership on the Fertility Care and Contraceptive Protection Act led to the first passage of such a bill in a Southern state. The Coalition also worked with allies to defeat attacks to fertility care and delay a bad bill about abortion pills by mail.
Unfortunately, this year also saw the passage of the Governor’s voucher scheme which will strip money from our public schools and the advancement of a bill that would restrict access to school for undocumented children. All Tennesseans deserve the ability to learn, free from state and interpersonal violence. The Tennessee legislature also passed legislation that will make it easier for the state to remove children from domestic violence survivors.
Perhaps where Healthy and Free Tennessee learned the most was around reproductive health and environmental toxins. We set a goal this year to share reproductive justice analysis around pollution-related bills and communicated with several legislators, advocates, and our audience about this key intersection. We look forward to growing in this area.
While attacks on learning new information and perspectives are mounting, Healthy and Free Tennessee remains steadfast in our commitment to learn, teach, grow, and sow the skills, analysis, and seeds for our collective liberation. Scroll down to see our final version of this year’s watchlist. But remember, Tennessee’s legislative session lasts 2 years, so any bills that did not outright “fail” could reappear next year!
Join us May 8th for a celebration of our rebrand and campaign success, follow our summer education series on our social media pages, and sign up for updates and alerts about upcoming events, learnings, and ways to get involved. We look forward to the ways we can learn and grow together to meet the challenges we’ll face in the coming years and lead with a clear vision for reproductive justice for all Tennesseans.
2025 Legislative Watchlist
We have put together a list of the bills we’re watching this year that impact reproductive justice. While this list is not all of the bills impacting reproductive justice (that would be almost all of them), we believe this list represents a strong sample of legislation impacting Tennessean’s reproductive lives. We update this watchlist weekly, but for the most up-to-date information, please use the links provided to check the legislature’s website. Please also check out the legislative watchlists of our partner organizations: Disability Rights TN (disability and juvenile justice issues) and Tennessee Equality Project (queer and trans justice issues). Any questions, comments, or concerns? Reach out to our Policy Director, Nina, at nina@healthyandfreetn.org.
HFTN’s Proactive Bills:
SB 560 / HB 347: Poverty is NOT Neglect: Excludes conditions solely due to financial hardship from the definitions of child abuse, severe abuse, abandonment, and dependent and neglected child
Sponsors: Senator Ed Jackson and Representative Chris Hurt
Position: Support - Leading
Latest Action: PASSED! Headed to the Governor’s Desk!
Take Action on this Bill - Sign the Petition to Join our Poverty is NOT Neglect Campaign
SB 589 / HB 169: 12 Month Supply for All: Allows all Tennesseans to receive a 12 month supply of birth control at one time
Sponsors: Senator Raumesh Akbari and Representative Esther Helton-Haynes
Position: Support - Leading
Latest Action: Placed in the General Subcommittee of Senate Commerce and Labor Committee; Awaiting full calendar in the House
SB 1039 / HB 1102: Requires healthcare facilities to get informed consent before screening or testing pregnant and postpartum patients and their newborns for drugs and alcohol
Sponsors: Senator Janice Bowling and Representative Gabby Salinas
Position: Support - Leading
Latest Action: Paused for this year
Take Action on this Bill - Thank Senator Bowling and Representative Salinas for Introducing This Important Legislation
SB 463 / HB 595: Freedom to Grow Our Tennessee Families Act: Requires both private and public health insurance plans to cover fertility care and preservation services, updates the definitions of fertility care and infertility patient, and adjusts the requirements to receive transitional childcare assistance when exiting public benefits programs. NOTE: Amendment deletes fertility care provisions and only adjusts transitional childcare assistance.
Sponsors: Senator Richard Briggs and Representative Caleb Hemmer
Position: Support - Leading
Latest Action: Paused for this year
Statewide Repro Coalition Bills:
SB 187 / HB 27: Reproductive Freedom Act (Our South Star): Creates the right to continue or end a pregnancy, use or refuse the contraceptive method of one's own choosing, and the right to give birth in a setting that works best for you. This bill also requires the state to provide the necessary resources for Tennesseans to fully access and exercise these rights.
Sponsors: Senator London Lamar and Rep. Aftyn Behn
Position: Support - Leading
Latest Action: Failed in Population Health Subcommittee
SB 1010 / HB 1220: Tennessee Contraceptive Freedom Act: Creates the right to use or refuse the contraceptive method of one's own choosing and requires coverage for that contraceptive method
Sponsors: Senator Charlane Oliver and Representative Gloria Johnson
Position: Support
Latest Action: Failed in Senate Commerce and Labor Committee
SB 449 / HB 533: Fertility Treatment and Contraceptive Protection Act: Creates legal protection for fertility treatment and contraception.
Sponsors: Senator Becky Massey and Representative Iris Rudder
Position: Support - our partner, AWAKE, is leading on this bill
Latest Action: PASSED! Headed to the Governor’s Desk!
Priority Defensive (Bad) Bills:
SB 194 / HB 26: Allows some people to sue someone for over $1 million for bringing abortion pills into Tennessee that result in a pregnancy loss
Sponsors: Senator Joey Hensley and Representative Gino Bulso
Position: Oppose
Latest Action: Taken off notice for this year but has reappeared as HB 5, which was referred to House Health Committee (closed for the year) - meaning it will likely not move forward this year
SB 1241 / HB 1360: Makes it harder for parents experiencing domestic violence to have their children returned to their home after a DCS removal
Sponsors: Senator Ed Jackson and Representative Mary Littleton
Position: Oppose
Latest Action: Passed
SB 1283 / HB 111: Adds syphilis and hepatitis C to the list of tests prenatal care providers must perform on their pregnant patients
Sponsors: Senator Jack Johnson and Representative William Lamberth
Position: Oppose - While testing is important, legislating standards of care, especially without protections for informed consent and funding to provide treatment, is dangerous and harmful to patient-provider relationships.
Latest Action: Passed
SB 139 / HB 144: Requires hospitals to collect immigration status of all patients and report anonymized data to the state
Sponsors: Senator Adam Lowe and Representative Jason Zachary
Position: Oppose
Latest Action: Not moving this year
SB 880 / HB 896: Requires the state to show evidence of prior harm to human health before regulating possible water pollutants.
Sponsors: Senator Shane Reeves and Representative Chris Todd
Position: Oppose
Latest Action: Passed but significantly amended to lessen impact
SB 113 / HB 199: Allows the commissioner to overrule local wastewater authorities on zoning issues, potentially allowing for unsafe wastewater management practices, which can negatively impact reproductive health.
Sponsors: Senator Jack Johnson and Representative Lee Reeves
Position: Oppose
Latest Action: Passed
SB 527 / HB 809: Limits civil liability of pesticide companies for harm, including reproductive harm.
Sponsors: Senator John Stevens and Representative Rusty Grills
Position: Oppose
Latest Action: Passed the Senate; Stalled in the House for this year
The Right to Have a Child
SB 3 / HB 14: Excludes contraception and fertility care from the definition of criminal abortion
Sponsors: Senator Raumesh Akbari, Representative Harold Love Jr.
Position: Support
Latest Action: Failed in Population Health Subcommittee
SB 485: Incorporates the federal Indian Child Welfare Act into Tennessee law, including provisions that require placement within one's own tribe and ensuring tribal authorities have jurisdiction over child welfare cases involving indigenous youth.
Sponsors: Senator Janice Bowling
Position: Support
Latest Action: Introduced in the Senate **NOTE: This bill does not have a House sponsor, so the legislature cannot vote on it. We wanted to include it on our watchlist because we are excited about this bill and hopeful that there will be a House sponsor next year.
SB 849 / HB 960: Requires medical boards to develop and offer course in maternal mental health
Sponsors: Senator London Lamar and Representative Harold Love Jr.
Position: Support
Latest Action: Passed
SB 898 / HB 867: Creates a pilot program for remote patient monitoring for pregnant Tennesseans on TennCare at risk for gestational diabetes and hypertension
Sponsors: Senator Becky Massey and Representative Tim Hicks
Position: Support
Latest Action: Stalled in Finance Committees this year
SB 205 / HB 70: Requires TennCare to cover biomarker testing for preeclampsia
Sponsors: Senator Becky Massey and Representative Helton-Haynes
Position: Support
Latest Action: Introduced in the Senate and the House
SB 575/ HB 572: Requires facilities where births take place to share post-birth warning signs prior to discharge
Sponsors: Senator London Lamar and Representative Caleb Hemmer
Position: Support
Latest Action: Passed
SB 190/HB 827: Requires an employer to provide healthcare coverage to a pregnant person who is terminated until the pregnancy ends
Sponsors: Senator London Lamar; Representative Ronnie Glynn
Position: Neutral but concerned - We have concerns about the amount of information a pregnant person needs to share with their employer about their pregnancy, especially when it is likely that a person in this situation would be eligible for TennCare and coverage up to 12 months postpartum.
Latest Action: Failed in Senate Commerce and Labor Committee
The Right to Not Have a Child
HJR 7: Proposes an amendment to the Tennessee state constitution that life begins at conception
Sponsor: Representative Gino Bulso
Position: Oppose - This change would not only further restrict abortion but also potentially restrict contraception, fertility care, and civil liberties of pregnant people
Latest Action: Returned to the House Clerk’s Desk (i.e. not moving this year)
SB 319/ HB 368: Requires family life curriculum to cover safe haven laws that allow people who have recently given birth to drop off their newborn without penalty.
Sponsors: Senator Becky Massey and Representative Tom Stinnett
Position: Neutral but concerned - For too long anti-abortion advocates have claimed that safe haven laws, which allow birth parents to surrender unharmed newborns, act as a sufficient solution to abortion bans. They do not. While there is nothing inherently wrong with safe haven laws, they often fail to account for coercion or make it difficult for people who need help or are experiencing a crisis to change their minds.
Latest Action: Passed
SB 262 / HB 386: Changes time frame from 15 to 45 days for surrendering an unharmed newborn
Sponsors: Senator Ferrell Haile and Representative Ed Butler
Position: Neutral - See above
Latest Action: Passed
SB 471 / HB 178: Requires the family life curriculum to endorse and instruct on the following life path: getting a high school diploma, entering the workforce or further education, entering into marriage, and having children
Sponsors: Senator Janice Bowling and Representative Gino Bulso
Position: Oppose
Latest Action: Passed
SB 569 / HB 693: Allows pharmacies to charge patients directly for prescribing contraceptives.
Sponsors: Senator Shane Reeves and Representative Charlie Baum
Position: Oppose - While compensating pharmacists for their time in consultations and prescribing contraceptives could expand access to birth control, charge patients instead of insurance is wrong.
Latest Action: Passed
Caption Bills: A caption bill is a bill that on its face makes a very minor change, while opening up for change a large section of the law. These types of bills are often used as placeholders that will be amended when they are brought up in committee. These amendments then rewrite the bill entirely. The following is a list of caption bills we believe may be placeholders for anti-abortion legislation. We will update this list with more information when amendments are proposed.
SB 331 / HB 204: Senator Rusty Crowe and Representative Bryan Terry
SB 935 / HB 345: Senator Paul Rose and Representative Debra Moody
SB 565 / HB 914: Senator Mark Pody and Representative Mike Sparks
SB 738 / HB 570: Senator Mark Pody and Representative Jody Barrett
SB 1004 / HB 990: Senator Joey Hensley and Representative Bryan Terry
Summary: Makes some small adjustments to Tennessee’s abortion ban in response to lawsuit but does not substantially change anything
Latest Action: Passed
SB 793 / HB 945: Senator Paul Bailey and Representative Ryan Williams
Summary: Seeks to establish regulations and restrictions on fertility care
Latest Action: Failed in House Population Health Subcommittee
The Right to Raise Families in Safe and Healthy Communities
SB 147 / HB 60: Requires the Tennessee Department of Transportation to label rest areas if they include a family restroom
Sponsors: Senator Adam Lowe and Representative Kevin Raper
Position: Support
Latest Action: Passed
SB 861 / HB 910: Removes some of the power of the Tennessee Human Rights Commission and reassigns their work on enforcing certain anti-discrimination laws to the state Attorney General’s Office
Sponsors: Senator John Stevens and Representative Johnny Garrett
Position: Oppose
Latest Action: Passed
SB 322 / HB 915: Expands the public employee paid leave program to include caring for a family member with a serious health condition
Sponsors: Senator Becky Massey and Representative Mike Sparks
Position: Support
Latest Action: Passed
SB 230/ HB 223: Prohibits reporting of medical debt judgment on credit reports
Sponsors: Senator Heidi Campbell and Representative John Ray Clemmons
Position: Support
Latest Action: Taken off notice in House Banking and Consumer Affairs Subcommittee
SB 155 / HB 39: Menstrual Hygiene Products Accessibility Act - makes period products available for free to all students
Sponsor: Senator Raumesh Akbari and Representative Elaine Davis
Position: Support
Latest Action: Stalled in Finance Committees this year
SB 259 / HB 853: Requires that parents have access to all minor’s medical records
Sponsors: Senator Mark Pody and Representative Michele Reneau
Position: Oppose
Latest Action: Assigned to General Subcommittee in Senate Education Committee; Introduced in the House
SB 1290 / HB 113: Removes test strips from list of drug paraphernalia under criminal law
Sponsors: Senator Jack Johnson and Representative William Lamberth
Position: Support
Latest Action: Passed
SB 465 / HB 464: Removes limitation on first time overdose as exemption from crime for seeking help
Sponsors: Senator Todd Gardenhire and Representative Esther Helton-Haynes
Position: Support
Latest Action: Introduced in the Senate and the House
SJR 3: Definition of Antisemitism to include criticism of the state of Israel
Sponsors: Senator Mark Pody
Position: Oppose
Latest Action: Passed Senate; Assigned to Criminal Justice Subcommittee in the House (will not reopen until next year)
HJR 49: Introduces an amendment to the Tennessee Constitution that removes right to bail in certain cases
Sponsor: Representative Cameron Sexton
Position: Oppose
Latest Action: House substituted SJR 25 - Passed
SB 1303 / HB120: Creates new crime for failure to comply with legislator security
Sponsor: Senator Jack Johnson and Representative William Lamberth
Position: Oppose
Latest Action: Passed
SB 324 / HB 1200: Creates a publicly available domestic violence registry
Sponsors: Senator Becky Massey and Representative Sabi Kumar
Position: Oppose - these registries disproportionately impact criminalized survivors of domestic violence and do not make people safer from domestic violence.
Latest Action: Passed
SB 841 / HB 473: Requires collection of a DNA sample for anyone arrested for a felony
Sponsors: Senator Page Walley and Representative John Crawford
Position: Oppose
Latest Action: Stalled in Finance Committees this year
SB 1154 / HB 1236: Prohibits using SNAP benefits from purchasing candy or soft drinks
Sponsors: Senator Rusty Crowe and Representative Jason Zachary
Position: Oppose - Adding restrictions to SNAP when so many Tennesseans already cannot access the benefits they are entitled to is wrong. We know that public benefits are the first targets for cuts, and we can’t accept further restrictions and cuts, especially when we know this will pave the way for more. We should be ensuring that all Tennesseans can get the groceries they need without additional burdens or restrictions.
Latest Action: Passed House; Assigned to General Subcommittee in Senate Health and Welfare Committee
SB 1287 / HB 107: Removes certain requirements for Families First assistance (Tennessee’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families or TANF program) like requirements about keeping kids in school, attending wellness visits, and vaccination requirements
Sponsors: Senator Jack Johnson and Representative William Lamberth
Position: Neutral - While keeping kids in school and vaccines are important, we believe that there should be less not more restrictions on public benefits. Unfortunately, this bill leaves Tennessee’s work requirements and requirements to pursue child support still intact.
Latest Action: Passed
SB 1286 / HB 105: Allows for-profit entities to apply for child care improvement program grants
Sponsors: Senator Jack Johnson and Representative William Lamberth
Position: Oppose - There are no guarantees that this money will go to small and community-run childcare businesses. It seems like yet another handout to corporations that regular Tennesseans are stuck paying.
Latest Action: Passed
SB 836 / HB 793: Requires local school districts to refuse to enroll undocumented students
Sponsors: Senator Bo Watson and Representative William Lamberth
Position: Oppose
Latest Action: Stalled in House Finance Committee for this year