Tennessee House Bill HB2555

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/3/26
• Refer: 3/3/26

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4; Title 7; Title 24; Title 33; Title 38; Title 49; Title 53; Title 55; Title 56; Title 63; Title 68; Title 71 and Chapter 1042 of the Public Acts of 2024, relative to physician assistants.

Summary

HB2555 amends Tennessee law governing physician assistants by shortening the time the Board of Physician Assistants has to act on completed applications. Under current law, the board has 45 days to process certain applications; this bill reduces that period to 35 days. The measure is narrowly focused and does not otherwise change the substantive licensing standards, scope of practice, or disciplinary framework for physician assistants. The bill takes effect July 1, 2026, and applies only to completed applications submitted to the board on or after that date. In practical terms, it is intended to speed up the licensure or approval process for physician assistants and may reduce delays for applicants seeking to enter practice in Tennessee.

Impact

The bill amends Tennessee Code Annotated section 63-19-105(b)(2)(A), changing the board’s application-processing deadline from 45 days to 35 days for completed physician assistant applications. It affects the Board of Physician Assistants and applicants seeking licensure or other board action on completed applications, but it does not alter the underlying qualifications or regulatory authority of the profession. The delayed effective date means the new deadline will apply prospectively to applications submitted on or after July 1, 2026.

Sentiment

Because there are no committee transcripts or recorded votes provided, the public or legislative sentiment cannot be measured directly from the available record. Based on the bill’s narrow administrative purpose and lack of controversy in the materials provided, it appears to be a routine professional licensing measure rather than a contested policy change.

Contention

No specific points of contention are documented in the provided materials. The only potentially debatable issue is whether reducing the board’s review window from 45 days to 35 days gives regulators enough time to complete application review while maintaining administrative efficiency. No opposing arguments, amendments, or recorded objections are included in the record supplied here.