Tennessee Senate Bill SB0259

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/23/25
• Engrossed: 4/14/26
• Enrolled: 4/20/26
• Passed: 5/5/26

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 33; Title 36; Title 37; Title 49; Title 63 and Title 68, relative to healthcare treatment of minors.

Summary

SB0259 revises Tennessee law governing healthcare treatment of minors, with a focus on parental access to records and parental consent for treatment. The bill expands and clarifies a parent’s, legal guardian’s, or legal custodian’s right to access a minor’s mental health, medical, rehabilitation, and prescription records, including records tied to treatment that may otherwise be available to minors without parental consent. It also broadens the definition of “medical treatment” and “medical procedure” in state law. The bill requires healthcare providers to obtain informed consent from a parent or legal guardian before providing vaccination or other medical treatment to a minor, while preserving an exception for emergency medical treatment by a licensed physician. It also updates provisions affecting child custody and school employees, including allowing a parent or custodian to review all health and medical records of a child and limiting school employees’ medical-response authority to bleeding control and basic first aid items such as bandages, gauze, and ice packs.

Impact

The bill would amend multiple titles of the Tennessee Code, including laws on mental health records, healthcare facility record access, child custody, informed consent, and school employee medical aid. In practical terms, it strengthens parental control over minors’ healthcare information and treatment decisions, narrows the circumstances under which minors may receive treatment without parental consent, and creates clearer statutory definitions for medical treatment and medical procedure. It also preserves emergency treatment authority and leaves existing emergency-care exceptions in place.

Sentiment

The available voting history suggests the bill received generally favorable support, advancing out of the Senate Education Committee unanimously and the Senate Health and Welfare Committee by a strong margin, then passing on the floor with substantial majorities. The pattern indicates broad support for the bill’s emphasis on parental rights and consent in minors’ healthcare. The presence of some no votes, however, suggests there was meaningful opposition to at least part of the measure.

Contention

The main point of contention is the balance between parental authority and minors’ access to confidential or consent-based healthcare services. Supporters appear to favor requiring parental informed consent and expanding parental access to records, while opponents likely object to limiting minors’ ability to obtain certain medical services without parental involvement, especially in sensitive areas such as mental health or other treatment historically available without consent. The floor votes show the measure was not unanimous, indicating disagreement over how far the state should go in restricting minor consent and confidentiality.