AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 56-7-2916, relative to the repeal date of the Access Tennessee Act of 2006.
Summary
SB1304 extends the repeal date of the Access Tennessee Act of 2006 by five years, changing the sunset date in Tennessee Code Annotated § 56-7-2916 from June 30, 2025, to June 30, 2030. The bill does not create a new program or substantially alter the underlying provisions of the Act; it simply keeps the existing law in place for an additional period.
The measure was enacted as Public Chapter No. 185 and took effect upon becoming law. In practical terms, it preserves the statutory framework associated with Access Tennessee, which is a state insurance-related program, and delays any repeal or expiration that would otherwise have occurred in 2025.
Impact
The bill amends Tennessee Code Annotated § 56-7-2916 to extend the sunset date for the Access Tennessee Act of 2006 from June 30, 2025, to June 30, 2030. This maintains the current legal authority for the program and prevents its automatic repeal for another five years, affecting the state’s insurance-related statutory scheme and the individuals or entities covered by or administering the program.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have received broadly favorable and largely noncontroversial support. It passed the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee unanimously, was adopted on the Senate floor without opposition, and passed final House consideration overwhelmingly with only one dissenting vote. The voting pattern suggests general agreement that the existing program should remain in place.
Contention
There is little evidence of substantive controversy in the available record. The only notable point of contention is the policy choice to extend rather than allow the Access Tennessee Act to sunset, but the near-unanimous votes indicate that any disagreement was minimal. The lone no vote on final passage suggests isolated opposition, though no committee transcript or debate is available to identify the specific objection.