AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 71, Chapter 5, relative to the nursing home assessment.
HB0728 is a technical amendment to Tennessee’s nursing home assessment law in Title 71, Chapter 5. The bill does not create a new program or change the structure of the assessment itself; instead, it updates multiple date references so the existing nursing home assessment provisions continue for an additional fiscal year. Specifically, it moves the relevant assessment period and related payment language from FY 2024-2025 to FY 2025-2026 and extends the operative dates from July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025, to July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026.
The bill also amends the statute’s sunset or expiration date by changing June 30, 2025, to June 30, 2026. In practical terms, this preserves the current nursing home assessment framework for another year and maintains the statutory authority under which nursing homes are assessed during that period. Because the bill is largely date-driven, its legal effect is to extend existing law rather than alter substantive policy terms.
The bill appears to have been received favorably throughout the legislative process. It advanced unanimously through the House TennCare Subcommittee, House Insurance Committee, House Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee, and House Finance, Ways, and Means Committee, and then passed the House on third consideration by consent calendar with 94 yeas and no nays. The lack of recorded opposition suggests broad agreement that the extension was routine and necessary to keep the assessment mechanism in place.
There is little evidence of controversy in the available record. The main point of legislative attention appears to have been administrative continuity: ensuring the nursing home assessment does not lapse and that the associated fiscal-year references remain aligned with the state budget cycle. Any potential concern would likely relate to the continued financial burden on nursing homes and, indirectly, Medicaid/TennCare financing, but no committee debate or recorded dissent indicates significant disagreement.
HB0728 amends Tennessee Code Annotated Title 71, Chapter 5 by extending the nursing home assessment provisions for one additional fiscal year, updating statutory dates from FY 2024-2025 to FY 2025-2026 and moving the effective assessment period to July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026. It also extends the related statutory end date from June 30, 2025 to June 30, 2026. The bill preserves the existing assessment framework for nursing homes and maintains the legal authority for collection and administration of the assessment during the extended period.
The overall sentiment around HB0728 was strongly positive and routine. It moved unanimously through committee and passed the House on consent calendar with no recorded opposition, indicating broad bipartisan support or at least no meaningful resistance. The bill appears to have been viewed as a necessary technical extension to avoid interruption in the nursing home assessment structure.
There was no recorded substantive contention in the available committee or floor history. The only likely area of concern, based on the subject matter, is that nursing homes are the entities directly affected by the assessment and may bear the financial cost of the extension. However, the legislative record provided shows no debate, amendments, or dissent, suggesting that any such concerns were not significant enough to slow passage.