Legislative Update May 6, 2019
May 6, 2019
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Creates the Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia advisory council.
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| Sponsors: | Sen. Crowe, Rusty , Rep. Whitson, Sam |
| Summary: | Creates the state Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia advisory council and specifies membership of council and terms of members. Specifies that the council is attached to the commission on aging and disability for administrative purposes. Requires the council to develop and submit an Alzheimer’s disease state plan to the general assembly that identifies barriers to Alzheimer’s disease care, analyzes service utilization data, and includes recommendations, metrics, and best practices to address gaps in service no later than January 15, 2020. |
| Senate Status: | 04/30/19 – Senate concurred in House amendment 3. |
| House Status: | 04/30/19 – House passed with amendment 3. |
| Executive Status: | 05/03/19 – Sent to governor.
This bill has not yet been signed by the Governor and put into public chapter form. Stay tuned. Our final legislative update will include a link to the public chapter. |
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Creates elder abuse task force.
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| Sponsors: | Sen. Briggs, Richard , Rep. Carr, Dale |
| Summary: | Creates elder abuse task force charged with examining the current state of financial elder abuse, determining its economic and human impact, and developing recommendations to address problems associated with financial exploitation of the elderly. The task force will consist of 12 members, appointed by the health and financial commissioners, district attorney, and TBI, as well as representatives from health and banking associations. The task force will submit its findings and recommendations to the governor and the general assembly no later than January 15, 2021. |
| Senate Status: | 03/18/19 – Senate passed. |
| House Status: | 03/14/19 – House passed with amendment 1. |
| Executive Status: | 04/15/19 – Enacted as Public Chapter 0135 effective April 9, 2019. See this link for final language.http://publications.tnsosfiles.com/acts/111/pub/pc0135.pdf |
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Registration exemptions for charitable organizations.
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| Sponsors: | Sen. Lundberg, Jon , Rep. Hulsey, Bud |
| Summary: | Increases from over $30,000 to over $50,000 the amount of gross contributions that must be raised or received from the public by a charitable organization in order to trigger registration and reporting requirements with the secretary of state. |
| Senate Status: | 03/18/19 – Senate passed. |
| House Status: | 03/14/19 – House passed. |
| Executive Status: | 04/15/19 – Enacted as Public Chapter 0132 effective July 1, 2019.See this link for final language. http://publications.tnsosfiles.com/acts/111/pub/pc0132.pdf |
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Tax exemptions for certain non-profits.
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| Sponsors: | Sen. Stevens, John , Rep. Cepicky, Scott |
| Summary: | Authorizes property tax exemption for certain nonprofit entities that occupy and use real property owned by another tax-exempt institution, including property occupied by an exempt institution that originated as part of a single exempt institution and continues to use the property for the same purpose or property occupied and actually used by the U.S. government, the state, or any agency or political subdivision of the state. Makes other revisions related to property tax exemptions for nonprofit entities.
This bill has not yet been signed by the Governor and put into public chapter form. Stay tuned. Our final legislative update will include a link to the public chapter. |
| Senate Status: | 03/18/19 – Senate passed. |
| House Status: | 04/30/19 – House passed. |
| Executive Status: | 05/01/19 – Sent to governor. |
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| Sponsors: | Sen. Roberts, Kerry , Rep. Whitson, Sam |
| Amendment Summary: | Establishes the Katie Beckett program to provide a Medicaid services eligibility pathway by waiving the parents’ income and resources requirements for children under 18 years of age and with medical needs that result in severe functional limitations, would qualify for institutionalization in an acute care hospital, nursing facility, or intermediate care facility, and are likely to last at least 12 months or result in death, and for whom the cost of care outside of the institution does not exceed the estimated Medicare cost of appropriate institutional care. Requires program to provide an integrated program which provides such children, funding permitted, respite care, care coordination, medically necessary care and supporting services. Establishes a Medicaid diversion plan that offers a capped package of essential wraparound services and supports as well as premium assistance using a sliding scale based on parent income for children meeting the previous criteria. Requires this program provide services to support and sustain child health, family caregiving, and prepare the child for transition to employment and community living with as much independence as possible in the most integrated setting appropriate and cost-effective way. Requires TennCare and Department of intellectual and Developmental Disabilities to issue annual joint report on the program’s status to the health committees of both legislative chambers. Funded @ $27 million state dollars.
This bill has not yet been signed by the Governor and put into public chapter form. Stay tuned. Our final legislative update will include a link to the public chapter. |
| Sponsors: | Sen. Roberts, Kerry , Rep. Whitson, Sam |
| Senate Status: | 05/01/19 – Senate passed. |
| House Status: | 04/30/19 – House passed with amendment 1 and amendment 2. |
| Executive Status: | 05/01/19 – Sent to the speakers for signatures. |
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Establishes TN Education Savings Account program.
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| Sponsors: Amendment Summary: | Sen. Johnson, Jack , Rep. Lamberth, William
Establishes a voucher type program which would apply to two counties, Shelby and Davidson. This is a hugely detailed and complicated bill. Also, it has not yet been signed by the Governor and put into public chapter form. Stay tuned. Our final legislative update will include a link to the public chapter. |
| Senate Status: | 05/01/19 – Senate adopted conference committee report. |
| House Status: | 05/01/19 – House adopted conference committee report. |
| Executive Status: | 05/01/19 – Sent to the speakers for signatures. |
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Revises TN Public Charter Schools Act.
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| Sponsors: | Sen. Johnson, Jack , Rep. Lamberth, William |
| Amendment Summary: | Creates a public charter school commission to serve as an appellate charter school authorizer and as the LEA for any public charter school that it authorizes. The governor will appoint the nine commission members, subject to confirmation by each house of the general assembly. |
| Senate Status: | 04/18/19 – Senate passed with amendment 6. |
| House Status: | 04/18/19 – House concurred in Senate amendment 6. |
| Executive Status: | 04/30/19 – Enacted as Public Chapter 0219. For details click on Public Chapter 219 below. https://publications.tnsosfiles.com/acts/111/pub/pc0219.pdf |
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Limits authority of community oversight board.
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| Sponsors: | Sen. Bell, Mike , Rep. Curcio, Michael |
| Summary: | Limits the authority of a community oversight board. |
| Amendment Summary: | Senate amendment 1 deletes language from the original bill establishing that the COB did not have subpoena power and replaces it with language authorizing a court to issue a subpoena if petitioned by certain officials. House amendment 1 adds that a community oversight board in existence as of the effective date of this bill will have one year from this bill’s effective date to comply with the bill’s requirements that an employee or member of a community oversight board must be a registered voter of the jurisdiction for which the community oversight board is established and that the community oversight board must not restrict or otherwise limit membership based upon demographics, economic status, or employment history.
This bill has not yet been signed by the Governor and put into public chapter form. Stay tuned. Our final legislative update will include a link to the public chapter. |
| Senate Status: | 04/18/19 – Senate adopted conference committee report. |
| House Status: | 04/17/19 – House adopted conference committee report. |
| Executive Status: | 04/29/19 – Sent to governor. |
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TennCare funding by block grant.
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| Sponsors: | Sen. Bailey, Paul , Rep. Hill, Timothy |
| Summary: | Requires the governor acting through the commissioner of finance and administration to submit to the federal centers for Medicare and Medicaid services a waiver amendment to the existing TennCare II waiver. |
| Amendment Summary: | House amendment 1 requires any negotiated agreement between the federal government and the finance and administration commissioner be approved by a general assembly joint resolution. Senate Commerce & Labor Committee amendment 1 increases the number of days after the effective date of this act for the submission of a waiver amendment to the existing TennCare II waiver, or for the submission of a new waiver, from 120 days to 180 days. Adds that the block grant authorized must convert the federal share of all medical assistance funding for this state into an allotment that excludes from the block grant financing amount any expenses that are not included in the state’s existing 1115 demonstration waiver, factors the currant inaccurate reflection of the state’s labor costs in the state’s Medicare Wage Index, excludes administrative costs from the block grant financing amount, permits the state to continue to draw federal matching funds for administrative costs, provides the state with minimum flexibility with regard to existing federal mandates, provides the state with maximum flexibility regarding pharmacy benefits, provides the state with maximum flexibility to serve other needy populations with distinct financial needs, and remains at the level set according to the block grant without any decrease in the federal share of all medical assistance funding for this state based on deflation or a reduction in population.
This bill has not yet been signed by the Governor and put into public chapter form. Stay tuned. Our final legislative update will include a link to the public chapter. |
| Senate Status: | 04/29/19 – Set for Senate Floor 04/30/19. |
| House Status: | 04/11/19 – House passed with amendment 1. |
| Executive Status: | 05/02/19 – Sent to the speakers for signatures. |