Tennessee 114th General Assembly Status: Enacted 4 R cosponsors

HB 1991 — AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4 and Title 63, Chapter 5, relative to dental professions.

Last action — Comp. became Pub. Ch. 1107

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. ✓
    Passed House
  4. ✓
    Passed Senate
  5. ✓
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced January 21, 2026. Enacted.

Signed by Governor Bill Lee (Republican) on April 30, 2026.

Odds of enactment

High chance

Based on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a high chance of becoming law.

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A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.

Prognosis

Likely to advance 78% · moderate confidence

  • Enacted

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 4 sponsors

    1 primary, 3 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (4 R).

  • Cleared a recorded vote

    Passed 3 recorded votes so far.

Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.

In plain language

The bill requires dental hygienists to work under a dentist's supervision for specific tasks.

This legislation mandates that dental hygienists can only perform certain procedures, like diagnostic radiographs and assessments, under the direct supervision of a dentist. This change aims to clarify the supervisory roles within dental practices.

What this means for you
  • Consumers: Patients may experience changes in how dental hygienist services are delivered, as procedures will require a dentist's direct oversight.

Summary

Dentists and Dentistry - As enacted, requires a dental hygienist to be working under the direct supervision of a dentist seeing a new patient before completing diagnostic radiographs; assessing and recording existing hard and soft tissue data; performing prophylaxis; and applying fluoride agents. - Amends TCA Title 4 and Title 63, Chapter 5.

Bill Text

Action History

  1. Filed for introduction

  2. Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  3. Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Health and Welfare Committee

  4. Placed on Senate Health and Welfare Committee calendar for 3/17/2026

  5. Sponsor(s) Added.

  6. Action deferred in Senate Health and Welfare Committee to 3/18/2026

  7. Placed on Senate Health and Welfare Committee calendar for 3/18/2026

  8. Reset on Final calendar of Senate Health and Welfare Committee

  9. Placed on Senate Health and Welfare Committee calendar for 4/1/2026

  10. Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 8, Nays 0 PNV 1

  11. Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/15/2026

  12. Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0972)

  13. Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 2 - SA0973)

  14. Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 3 - SA1040)

  15. Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 32, Nays 1

  16. Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  17. Rcvd. from S., held on H. desk.

  18. Subst. for comp. HB.

  19. Am. withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - HA0950)

  20. Passed H., Ayes 90, Nays 0, PNV 0

  21. Enrolled and ready for signatures

  22. Signed by Senate Speaker

  23. Signed by H. Speaker

  24. Transmitted to Governor for action.

  25. Signed by Governor.

  26. Pub. Ch. 1107

  27. Effective date(s) 05/22/2026, 01/01/2027

  28. Filed for introduction

  29. Intro., P1C.

  30. P2C, caption bill, held on desk - pending amdt.

  31. Ref. to Health Committee

  32. Assigned to s/c Health Subcommittee

  33. Placed on s/c cal Health Subcommittee for 3/11/2026

  34. Action Def. in s/c Health Subcommittee to 3/18/2026

  35. Placed on s/c cal Health Subcommittee for 3/18/2026

  36. Action Def. in s/c Health Subcommittee to 3/25/2026

  37. Placed on s/c cal Health Subcommittee for 3/25/2026

  38. Rec for pass if am by s/c ref. to Health Committee

  39. Placed on cal. Health Committee for 3/31/2026

  40. Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Calendar & Rules Committee

  41. Sponsor(s) Added.

  42. Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/20/2026

  43. H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/21/2026

  44. Sponsor(s) Added.

  45. Comp. SB subst.

  46. Comp. became Pub. Ch. 1107

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 3 co-sponsors · 129 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (3)

Not signed on (129)

129 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 129 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Votes

Subjects

healthcare
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does HB 1991 do?
Dentists and Dentistry - As enacted, requires a dental hygienist to be working under the direct supervision of a dentist seeing a new patient before completing diagnostic radiographs; assessing and recording existing hard and soft tissue data; performing prophylaxis; and applying fluoride agents. - Amends TCA Title 4 and Title 63, Chapter 5.
Who sponsors HB 1991?
HB 1991 is sponsored by Hill, Timothy (Republican), Davis, Elaine (Republican), Hawk, David B. (Republican), and Crawford, John (Republican).
What is the current status of HB 1991?
This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced January 21, 2026. Enacted.
Where can I track HB 1991?
Track HB 1991 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

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Last checked for changes 3 months ago · updated continuously

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