A slate of bills targeting the LGBTQ community, pushing for transparency within Tennessee’s school voucher program, providing maternal health support and more were included in this week’s discussions at the state legislature.
Here’s a recap of the week’s key votes and political happenings at the Tennessee General Assembly.
Slew of Anti-LGBTQ Bills Advance in House
A number of anti-LGBTQ bills advanced this week, including new efforts by Rep. Gino Bulso (R-Brentwood) to ban Pride flags from government institutions.
House Bill 1474, or the “No Pride Flag or Month Act,” passed the House Public Service Subcommittee on Thursday. HB 1666, sponsored by Rep. Aron Maberry (R-Clarksville), would include “honorifics” in the “prohibition on requiring a student, teacher, employee, or contractor to use or provide a person’s preferred name or pronoun” and passed the same subcommittee on Wednesday. A similar anti-Pride-flag bill died on the Senate floor last year.
HB 1665, also sponsored by Maberry, passed the House Health Subcommittee on Wednesday and would prohibit health care providers from “asking certain listed gender-related questions to a minor unless a parent is physically present and fully informed and provides written consent to such questions and the questions are directly related to the diagnosis or treatment of a specific medical or psychological condition currently being evaluated.”
HB 1473, sponsored by Bulso, aims to circumvent the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and the 2015 U.S Supreme Court decision Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized same-sex marriage — Bulso claims the latter is meant to only clarify the impact of the amendment and the Obergefell decision on public versus private entities regarding marriage. The passage of the bill in Wednesday’s House Judiciary Committee was met with a verbal outburst by protester Aiden Pratt, a Democratic candidate for the Wilson County Commission.
Another bill sponsored by Bulso, HB 1742 — or the “Banning Bostock Act,” a reference to the 2020 U.S. Supreme Court case Bostock v. Clayton County — would remove prohibitions against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The bill passed the House Civil Justice Subcommittee on Wednesday.
Democratic state lawmakers address reporters, February 2026
On Thursday, Democratic House Caucus Chair John Ray Clemmons (D-Nashville) referred to the Brentwood representative's legislation as “Bulso’s bullshit agenda.”
Tuesday was the Tennessee Equality Project’s Advancing Equality Day on the Hill, which also featured members of the Metro Council’s LGBTQ Caucus and the Tennessee Pride Chamber. TEP’s executive director Chirs Sanders characterized the slate of anti-LGBTQ bills as a “crisis” and a “total assault on our rights” during a Tuesday press conference.
On Tuesday, Senate Bill 1424, sponsored by Sen. Joey Hensley (R-Hoenwald), was set to be debated in the Senate Judiciary Committee but was reassigned to the General Subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee. That legislation would expand the state’s definition of an “adult-oriented establishment” to include commercial businesses.
Rep. Sam McKenzie, February 2026
Voucher Accountability Fails in Committee
A Democratic push for more transparency surrounding the state’s school voucher program failed in the House K-12 Subcommittee this week. HB 1052, sponsored by Rep. Sam McKenzie (D-Knoxville), would have required the Tennessee Comptroller's Office of Research and Education and Accountability to annually report information about the students receiving vouchers. Specifically, the bill aimed to examine whether students participating in the state’s Education Freedom Scholarship program already attended a private school. The bill was killed in the committee on Tuesday, with votes ultimately falling along party lines.
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Lawmakers have continually argued about the feasibility of the bill, with Republicans saying information on individual students is not available. Democrats meanwhile argue that the Tennessee Department of Education does in fact have the data.
“The Department of Education is lazy, and they're doing the bidding of the governor and the speaker,” McKenzie said during a press conference Thursday.
A Republican-backed effort to increase accountability is seemingly still alive, however. HB 1544/SB 1643 would require the Department of Education to submit an annual report to the General Assembly with information on the voucher program.
In his State of the State address this month, Gov. Bill Lee proposed a budget that would double funding for vouchers.
‘Illegal to Be Illegal’ Bill Passes House Subcommittee
Immigrant rights advocate calls Republican-backed legislation ‘more of the supermajority’s anti-immigrant agenda’
A state bill that would criminalize being an undocumented person in Tennessee passed the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee on Wednesday. HB 1704, sponsored by House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland), as he pitched it, “would literally make it illegal to be illegal in the state of Tennessee.” The legislation would make it a class-A misdemeanor for any undocumented person 18 or older to intentionally enter or attempt to enter Tennessee or be present in the state following a final order of removal.
House OKs Bill Allowing Display of Ten Commandments in Schools
After sailing through committees, HB 47/SB 303 — a bill carried over from last session that would allow public schools to display the Ten Commandments — passed in the House on Thursday.
The legislation, brought forth by Rep. Michael Hale (R-Smithville), would allow schools to display the Ten Commandments, along with the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, the Tennessee Constitution, the Bill of Rights and other “historically significant” documents.
The House fell along party lines with all no votes coming from Democrats.
Maternal Health Bills Stalled, Abortion Pill Limitations Loom
Sen. London Lamar (D-Nashville) on Tuesday led the charge in Maternal Health Day on the Hill, during which she highlighted a collection of bills aimed at helping mothers and babies.
This week, action was deferred on a bill that would establish a fund to help mothers of stilborn babies, as well as legislation that would ensure pregnant women are not denied emergency care while in labor.
A bill from Sen. Raumesh Akbari (D-Memphis) that would allow for 12-month refills on birth control moved forward this week.
Rep. Gino Bulso (R-Brentwood) discussed two abortion-related bills in committees on Tuesday. The House Population Health Subcommittee passed HB 1528, which would allow wrongful-death claims to include spouses up to three years after they separated and include unborn children. A bill that seeks to limit access to abortion pills by mail was rolled three weeks. As it stands, Tennesseans can order the drug in the mail, despite past attempts from the legislature to ban that capability.
Sen. Oliver Amplifies Child Care Reform
Sen. Charlane Oliver (D-Nashville) also hosted Family Child Care Advocacy Day on Wednesday, partnering with the National Association for Family Child Care as part of her ongoing legislative priority to grow access to child care. This year, Oliver has sponsored a bill that would expedite safety inspections and permit applications for child care agencies, as well as the “Universal Pre-K Funding Act.” She is also set to continue with a bill that would allow family child care providers to care for a broader swath of relatives.
Also this week, the Senate passed a bill from Sen. Ferrell Haile (R-Gallatin) that makes it easier for churches, nonprofits and other organizations to host child care services, clarifying that liability would remain with the child care business, not the host site.
