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TN General Assembly Updates
The Tennessee General Assembly adjourned on Friday, April 21 after passing the $56.2B FY24 budget. The General Assembly will return in January 2024 for the second year of the two-year session.
View Governor Lee's budget summary >>>
Safety Net Funding
The FY24 budget included an additional $7M in recurring funding for the Health Care Safety Net through the Tennessee Department of Health, bringing total Health Care Safety Net Funding to more than $31M for FY24, the highest amount ever allocated to the fund. The Safety Net Fund partially offsets the cost of providing care to uninsured adults being cared for at community health centers and charitable and faith-based clinics.
TennCare Funding
Several initiatives in the TennCare budget will expand access to coverage for enrollees, including $30M in state funding as part of the Tennessee Strong Families Initiative to:
- Permanently cover expanded postpartum coverage for an estimated 3,000 mothers each year
- Increase the income eligibility threshold for pregnant women to 250% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), covering an additional 2,400 mothers each year
- Increase the income eligibility threshold to 100% for parents and caregivers to support an extra 8,100 parents each year
- Provide continuous coverage for children for at least one year, allowing an estimated 10,000 children to stay enrolled
- Cover diapers for the first two years of a baby’s life for mothers with TennCare coverage
Response to Covenant School Shooting
Although Governor Lee called for the General Assembly to take action on an "order of protection" law before adjourning, the legislature did not take up the governor's proposal. Immediately following adjournment, Governor Lee announced he was calling for a special legislative session to address the issue. No date has yet been announced for the special session. It is expected the special session won't begin until sometime after the July 4 holiday.
Read Governor Lee's statement >>>
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