Disability Bill Tracking Begins!

The House and Senate resumed their sessions this week. It began with a joint session Monday night. Governor Lee delivered his final State of State speech and released his proposed budget. You can read our analysis on our website: https://tndisability.org/news/disability-priorities-in-the-governors-state-of-the-state-budget/

Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson introduced a Senate Joint Resolution expressing support for dismantling the U.S. Department of Education and returning educational authority to the states, and the intention to establish a task force to develop a comprehensive plan for assuming responsibility over federal education programs. This a resolution, it doesn’t have the force of law but it does express the position of the TN General Assembly. We believe there is a critical need for the state to take greater responsibility to help local schools, to make sure students with disabilities get the services they need, and that Tennessee schools know how to do that. We urge families and advocates to use the Tennessee Disability Scorecard and speak with school administrators and elected officials about how we can make sure everyone follows the law, while giving every Tennessee student an opportunity to learn, and to make a life.

1272 bills have been introduced in the last 7 days! That is a lot to go through, but our public policy team is on duty! We have combed through them to develop this watch list of 77 bills. The list is organized by issue area. TDC membership targeted Access to Care, Education, and Caregiver Supports as our priority issues this year.

TDC February 6 2026 Bill Tracking

There are many other issues that also need attention. For example, HB 1457/SB 1684. This bill would allow women in the second or third trimester of pregnancy or those with a high-risk pregnancy to obtain an accessible parking placard. The bill is patterned after a Florida law that passed in 2025 without any real opportunity for the disability community to weigh in. That law now faces a federal lawsuit that it violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504.

We will add additional bills as they come up in the coming weeks.

We also created a calendar for next week of the disability-related bills that are scheduled to be heard at the TN General Assembly: Week of Feb 9th Calendar

You can tune in to these hearings using the live video feed on their website at: capitol.tn.gov

Disability Day on the Hill (DDH) is getting closer. The last workshop in our series is next Thursday evening, February 12th. Register here and learn what to expect at DDH, and how to make your voice heard: https://tndisability.org/event/ddh-2026-virtual-workshop-series/2026-02-12/