# Tennessee SB 2544: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4 and Title 63, relative to respiratory therapy. Tennessee SB 2544, AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4 and Title 63, relative to respiratory therapy., is a 114th General Assembly (2025-2026) Senate bill sponsored by no sponsor on record; status signed, last action 2026-05-18 (Effective date(s) 05/13/2026); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-11-01). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/TN-SB2544-2025-2026 - As of: 2026-11-01 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Tennessee SB 2544 - State: Tennessee - Session: 114th General Assembly (2025-2026) - Title: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4 and Title 63, relative to respiratory therapy. - Status: signed - Chamber: Senate - Introduced: 2026-02-02 - Last action: 2026-05-18, Effective date(s) 05/13/2026 - Sponsors: no sponsor on record - Cosponsors: 0 - Subjects: Interstate Compacts - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 2 (41 yes, 0 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 8 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Military therapists and spouses avoid commission fees: benefit, low. Active-duty service members and their spouses can choose a compact home state where they hold a current, good-standing license. They can keep that home-state choice during the service member's active duty. They owe no commission fee for a compact privilege. Other member states may reduce or waive t… - New respiratory licenses require background checks: benefit, low. Tennessee's licensing authority must complete a criminal background check for each new respiratory therapist at initial licensing. It can conduct the check only with the legal authorization described in the compact. The checking duty falls on the licensing authority, not households generally. - Therapists may pay interstate practice fees: cost, low. The compact commission can charge fees to therapists who receive interstate practice privileges. It can also assess member states each year using a formula set by commission rule. These charges pay for the commission's operations. The law sets no specific fee or assessment amounts. - Compact officials gain civil lawsuit protections: cost, low. The compact preserves state immunity and generally protects covered commission personnel from civil claims for their compact duties. Protection also covers acts reasonably believed to fall within those duties. Intentional, willful, or wanton misconduct is not protected. The commission must defend c… - Respiratory therapists gain interstate practice options: mixed, low. Tennessee joins an interstate compact that starts when the seventh state enacts it. Eligible respiratory therapists can seek permission, called a compact privilege, to work in other member states. They need an active, unrestricted home-state license and a qualifying National Board for Respiratory C… - Therapists face shared oversight with privacy protections: mixed, low. Member states share licensing, disciplinary, and investigation records through a commission data system that states must monitor. They cannot submit criminal history records; significant investigation information is available only to member states. State-designated records need that state's permiss… - Therapists get transition time when states leave: mixed, low. A state can leave by repealing the compact; withdrawal takes effect 180 days after enactment. It must immediately notify listed licensees and privilege holders, and keep reporting investigations and discipline until withdrawal takes effect. The commission can remove a defaulting state by majority v… - Shared rules govern therapists across states: mixed, low. A joint commission runs the compact, with one voting commissioner chosen by each state's respiratory therapy licensing authority. Its rules have legal force on their stated dates, and state executive branches and courts must enforce the compact. The compact overrides conflicting state requirements,… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - (none) ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-03-09 | Senate | FLOOR VOTE: Motion to Adopt 3/9/2026 | pass | 32 | 0 | | | 2026-03-04 | Senate | SENATE HEALTH AND WELFARE COMMITTEE | pass | 9 | 0 | | ## Bill text - Enrolled / Public Chapter: [PDF](https://publications.tnsosfiles.com/acts/114/pub/pc0977.pdf) - Fiscal Note: [PDF](https://capitol.tn.gov/Bills/114/Fiscal/HB2145.pdf) - Introduced: [PDF](https://capitol.tn.gov/Bills/114/Bill/SB2544.pdf) ## Related bills - SB 2557: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 3; Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 8; Title 10; Title 12; Title 29; Title 35; Title 36; Title 37; Tit… (failed) - SB 2504: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 7, Chapter 4; Title 58 and Title 67, Chapter 4, relative to disaster response. (signed) - SB 2468: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 29 and Title 39, relative to criminal conduct. (signed) - SB 2419: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 68, relative to fireworks. (signed) - SB 2410: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 7, Chapter 53; Title 13; Title 48, Chapter 101, Part 3; Title 56 and Title 67, relative to housing. (failed) - SB 2295: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 57 and Title 67, relative to products regulated by the alcoholic beverage commission. (signed) ## Sources - [Enrolled / Public Chapter (PDF)](https://publications.tnsosfiles.com/acts/114/pub/pc0977.pdf) - [Fiscal Note (PDF)](https://capitol.tn.gov/Bills/114/Fiscal/HB2145.pdf) - [Introduced (PDF)](https://capitol.tn.gov/Bills/114/Bill/SB2544.pdf) ## Related - [SB 2557: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 3; Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; T…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/TN-SB2557-2025-2026) - [SB 2504: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 7, Chapter 4; Title 58 and Titl…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/TN-SB2504-2025-2026) - [SB 2468: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 29 and Title 39, relative to cr…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/TN-SB2468-2025-2026) - [SB 2419: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 68, relative to fireworks.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/TN-SB2419-2025-2026) - [SB 2410: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 7, Chapter 53; Title 13; Title…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/TN-SB2410-2025-2026) - [SB 2295: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 57 and Title 67, relative to pr…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/TN-SB2295-2025-2026) - [Tennessee bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/tennessee/bills) - [Tennessee state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/tennessee) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/TN-SB2544-2025-2026 (as of 2026-11-01).