Tennessee House Bill HB1113

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/5/25
• Refer: 2/10/25
• Refer: 3/11/25
• Refer: 4/2/25

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, Chapter 6, Part 36 and Title 68, Chapter 6, relative to youth athletic activities.

Summary

HB1113 revises Tennessee law governing school youth athletic activities by strengthening preparticipation health screening and updating the state’s Safe Stars advisory framework. Before a student may participate in a school youth athletic activity, the bill requires submission of either a medical evaluation form signed by a licensed medical professional confirming the student is physically fit to participate, or a written opt-out statement from a parent, legal guardian, or adult student based on sincerely held beliefs or practices. The physical examination must be current and not dated before April 15. The bill also restructures the Safe Stars advisory committee and expands its duties. The committee is tasked with developing and publishing updated guidance and educational materials for students, parents, and coaches about sudden cardiac arrest, its warning signs, and the role, benefits, and limitations of electrocardiogram (EKG) testing. It must also inform families that they may request an EKG from a family medical provider in addition to the standard preparticipation physical, at the family’s expense, and review and update materials at least annually.

Impact

HB1113 amends Tennessee Code Annotated Title 49, Chapter 6, Part 36, and makes related changes affecting school athletic participation requirements and the duties of the Safe Stars advisory committee. It adds a new documentation requirement for student athletes, clarifies who may sign the medical clearance form, preserves a religious or conscientious opt-out, and directs state education and health officials to maintain and publish updated cardiac-safety guidance. Schools, local education agencies, public charter schools, students, parents, and medical providers involved in sports physicals would be directly affected.

Sentiment

The available voting history suggests broad support for the bill at the committee level, with unanimous or near-unanimous favorable votes in the House Education Administration Subcommittee and the House Education Committee. The bill appears to have been received positively as a student-safety measure focused on cardiac screening and athletic participation. No committee transcript is available here, so the record does not show detailed debate, but the votes indicate little opposition in early consideration.

Contention

The main policy tension in HB1113 is between stronger health screening for student athletes and preserving family autonomy or belief-based refusal of medical evaluation. Supporters are likely to emphasize prevention of sudden cardiac arrest and better education for students, parents, and coaches, while any concerns would center on the added administrative burden for schools and the cost or accessibility of additional EKG testing, which the bill makes optional but explicitly at the family’s expense. The bill also leaves room for opt-out based on sincerely held beliefs or practices, which may reflect an effort to balance safety requirements with parental rights.