Tennessee House Bill HB2143

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/2/26
• Refer: 2/5/26
• Refer: 3/10/26
• Refer: 4/8/26
• Chaptered: 5/4/26
• Passed: 5/4/26

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4, Chapter 25 and Title 58, Chapter 3, relative to veterans services.

Summary

HB2143 requires the Tennessee Department of Veterans Services to conduct a study of county veterans service offices using existing departmental resources. The study must examine staffing levels, accreditation of office personnel, office hours, budgets and funding sources, underserved areas, veteran population by county, counties or regions without a full-time county veterans service officer, local workload and productivity measures, outreach efforts, partnerships, and possible funding mechanisms to support local veterans service offices. The department must compile the findings into a report and submit it to the governor and the speakers of the House and Senate by December 31, 2026. The study provision is temporary and is repealed on January 1, 2027. The bill does not directly change veterans benefits eligibility or create a new program; instead, it directs a one-time assessment intended to inform future policy or funding decisions related to local veterans services.

Impact

The bill amends Tennessee Code Annotated Title 58, Chapter 3 by adding a new, temporary section requiring the Department of Veterans Services to evaluate county veterans service office capacity and report its findings. It affects the department, county veterans service offices, county governments, and veterans who rely on local assistance, but it does not impose a permanent regulatory scheme or appropriations change. The practical legal effect is to create a reporting obligation and a legislative information-gathering process that could support later changes to staffing, funding, or service delivery.

Sentiment

The available voting history suggests broad bipartisan support and little opposition. The bill advanced unanimously in the House Departments & Agencies Subcommittee and the House State & Local Government Committee, with recommendations for passage. The absence of recorded dissent in the provided context indicates the measure was generally viewed as a practical, noncontroversial study of veterans service needs.

Contention

There is little visible contention in the provided record. The main policy issue is whether the Department of Veterans Services can complete the study within existing resources, and whether the report will identify a need for additional funding or staffing for county veterans service offices. Any potential disagreement would likely center on local resource disparities, the adequacy of county-level veteran services, and how any future funding mechanism should be structured, but no specific opposing arguments appear in the available discussion or votes.