Tennessee House Bill HB2646

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/26/26
• Refer: 3/5/26
• Refer: 3/16/26
• Refer: 3/24/26
• Chaptered: 5/1/26
• Passed: 5/1/26

Caption

AN ACT to amend Chapter 107 of the Private Acts of 1957; as amended by Chapter 2 of the Private Acts of 1987; Chapter 63 of the Private Acts of 1993 and Chapter 144 of the Private Acts of 1998; and any other acts amendatory thereto, relative to the Williamson County Hospital.

Summary

HB2646 is a private act affecting the Williamson County Hospital District. It amends the district’s governing law to revise the Board of Trustees’ authority over property transactions. Under the bill, the board may still sell or lease real or personal property owned or operated by the hospital district, but it is specifically barred from selling any real property and from leasing substantially all of the district’s facilities to one or more entities in a single transaction or related series of transactions without approval from the Williamson County Board of Commissioners. The bill also establishes a local approval requirement: it has no effect unless the Williamson County legislative body approves it by a two-thirds vote. The act becomes effective immediately for the limited purpose of seeking that approval, but otherwise only takes effect if the county government ratifies it and the approval is certified to the secretary of state. This means the measure changes local hospital governance only if the county chooses to adopt it.

Impact

The bill amends a prior private act governing the Williamson County Hospital District by narrowing the board’s unilateral authority to dispose of or lease major assets. It preserves general authority to sell or lease property, but adds county oversight for any sale of real property and for any lease of substantially all hospital facilities. The practical effect is to give the Williamson County Board of Commissioners a veto or approval role over major asset transfers involving the hospital district.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have been broadly supported and moved through the legislative process with little opposition. It received unanimous or near-unanimous committee recommendations and passed the House on third consideration from the consent calendar by an 81-1 vote. That voting pattern suggests general agreement with the local governance change and no significant statewide controversy.

Contention

The main point of contention, to the extent one exists, is the balance of authority between the hospital district’s Board of Trustees and the Williamson County Board of Commissioners. The bill limits the trustees’ ability to sell real property or lease substantially all facilities without county approval, which could be viewed as adding oversight and protecting public assets, but also as reducing the district’s operational flexibility. No committee transcript objections are provided, and the overwhelming votes indicate that any disagreement was minimal.