STATE BUDGET

Tennessee’s fiscal year begins on July 1 and ends on June 30 the following year. The state operates on an annual budget cycle. State agencies submit their budget requests to the governor by October 1.  The governor submits the proposed budget to the state legislature by February 1. The deadline for new governors is March 1.  The legislature typically adopts a budget between April and June.

STATE LEGISLATURE

The state Legislature has 33 Senators, and the House of Representatives has 99 members.  The representatives are elected to two-year terms, and the senators are elected to four-year staggered terms.  The Tennessee General Assembly meets convenes on the second Tuesday of January. Each General Assembly meets 90 session days over a two-year period. Generally, legislative sessions last from mid-January through late April or May of each year.  Bills carry over from odd to even numbered years.

KEY RESOURCES

• Tennessee General Assembly
• Tennessee Office of the Attorney General
• Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance
• Baptist Memorial Health Care Cost Estimator
• Tennessee Governor
• Information about Healthcare Policy in Tennessee

2025 LEGISLATIVE SUMMARY

Tennessee introduced several bills in 2025 that will roll over into 2026. These bills proposed limiting noncompete agreements, with exceptions for physician ownership transactions (HB1034/SB0995 and HB1206/SB0852), and expanding the types of facilities exempt from need certification to expand (HB0819/SB1369 and HB0970/SB0853).