TNAAP Day on the Hill
Each spring, we invite members to join us for a day of advocacy. The day includes a general overview of the legislative process, a discussion of current proposed legislation, plus individual and group meetings with legislators and leadership.
This is your chance to get involved and speak out on behalf of children and pediatricians. Whether you are new to the process or a “seasoned veteran”, your participation helps us make a solid impact with Tennessee legislators.
Our Day on the Hill came early for 2025, letting us get a jumpstart on advocating for many important issues in pediatrics. We gathered at the State Capitol on February 26, and broke into regional groups for meetings with more than two dozen lawmakers. Priorities included Medicaid pay parity and a bill to let school nurses stock albuterol for asthma emergencies. We also shared our concerns about legislation that would prevent doctors from asking about access to firearms and bills that would erode the public’s trust in vaccines

2025 Legislative Activities
Another year, another fight. As the 114th General Assembly has come to a close, we are finally able to sit back, take a deep breath, and reflect over this past legislative session. We had some wins, we had some losses, and we had some good ole fashion political kicking the proverbial can down the road. But alas, we were able to fight for pediatricians and TN children throughout the state, and that’s always worth fighting for.
TNAAP tracked over 200 bills this legislative and through collaboration with our members and our lobbyists, we were able to testify at the Senate Health Committee, educate legislators on issues affecting pediatricians and kids, and advocate both for and against a number of issues that would directly affect child health and the way we practice medicine.
First the good bills:
TNAAP introduced a bill (HB760/SB817 by Rep. Tandy Darby and Sen. Adam Lowe) allowing schools to keep emergency stock albuterol inhalers. This potentially lifesaving legislation will allow schools to keep albuterol on hand for emergency situations when a child may not have a previous asthma diagnosis, does not have an inhaler at school, or does not have a school medication form on file. It passed unanimously with bipartisan support and was signed by the Governor on May 2.
TNAAP was able to support a grass roots movement called Say Yes to Recess getting a bill (HB85/SB158 by Rep. Scott Cepicky and Sen. Joey Hensley) passed that will increase exercise in kids. Elementary schools will now be required to provide students with 60 minutes of daily physical activity. It was signed into law by Governor Lee and will go into effect July 1, 2025.
Bad bills:
TNAAP fought hard against a physician gag order bill (HB387/SB474 by Rep. Ed Butler and Sen. Janice Bowling) that would have prohibited physicians from discussing firearm safety with patients. Through grassroots advocacy, discussions during Day on the Hill, testimony in committee hearings, and direct lobbying, this bill was ultimately put off until next year’s legislative session.
Another bill (HB638/SB1389 by Rep. Michele Carringer and Sen. Bo Watson) that required a tremendous amount of effort to fight would prohibit physicians who accept TennCare from turning away patients based on their vaccination status. TNAAP and others were able to amend this bill in the House to include exceptions to the prohibition for physicians who see patients who are immunocompromised. This bill made it all the way to both the House and Senate floors. However the House and Senate could not agree on the amendment excluding doctors that see immunocompromised patients, delaying further discussion on the bill until next year’s legislative session.
THANK YOU to those of you who responded to our “calls to action” regarding these two bills! Your calls and emails made an impact and helped us stop these!
Other efforts and notes:
Although the above mentioned bills took up an enormous amount of our time and effort this legislative session, TNAAP’s Legislative Committee, Members, and lobbyists also fought to kill a number of bills that would directly affect pediatricians and child health – a potential ban on fluoride in our water supply, unsupervised prescribing authorization for psychologists, and numerous anti-vaccine related bills, and we advocated for bills ranging from increasing counsellors in schools to providing free school breakfast and lunch for all TN children.
Another hot topic has been Medicaid payment parity. Medicaid payment parity with increasing TennCare reimbursement rates has been a priority for TNAAP and is gaining traction with specialists and primary doctors of all medical fields throughout the state. TNAAP was able to meet with executive committees from various TN state medical organizations, compile data on member experiences and their plans for future TennCare patients and meet with TennCare’s Director Stephen Smith to share the concerns of our members. Although the current political environment in Washington has everyone concerned about various forms of Medicaid cuts, we continue to work with the Tennessee Medical Association and other specialty and primary care state organizations to fight for Medicaid payment parity.
As always, every legislative session brings a new set of challenges and threats, both to us and to our patients. This year has been no different and we expect next year to be more of the same. Although it is too early to know, a few topics we expect to come up next year include repeated efforts to ban doctors from asking about firearm safety, efforts to force physicians to see non-vaccinating patients even if it puts other patients at risk, a renewed fight for independent practice for advanced practice providers, and various anti-vaccine bills. If you get a chance, please take time to thank any members of the legislative committee or members that have met with legislators or testified at committee hearings for all of their hard work over the last several months. TNAAP is you and you are TNAAP, and we need your help. Join us at a board meeting or join us for committee meetings. Reach out to your legislators. Let your voices be heard. And always, if you have any questions, would like more information, or are interested in getting involved, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.
AAP Legislative Conference Sponsorship
Every year TNAAP sponsors Tennessee Residents and Early Career Physicians (defined as first 10 years of practice) to attend the AAP Advocacy Conference held in March.
“I want to say a huge thank you to all of the members of TNAAP for allowing me the opportunity to attend the AAP National Conference and Exhibition. I can’t possibly summarize all of the numerous amazing encounters I had. Nevertheless, please know that your support provided a future pediatrician with an unforgettable experience, and I truly hope that the ideas I brought back to my program will provide tangible benefit to the state of Tennessee.”
– Matthew Holland, DO, PGY-1 Pediatrics, University of Tennessee, College of Medicine – Chattanooga
Advocacy Education Series
TNAAP hosted four virtual advocacy sessions during 2020. We partnered with our lobbying firm, Schmidt Government Solutions, and the family advocacy organization, The Tennessee Justice Center, to address important topics of interest.
The four Tennessee residency programs participated along with other TNAAP members!
Missed a Session? View Recordings Here
Session 1: Intro to the Series, AAP Early Career Resources & Learning to Become an Effective Advocate – Click Here to Watch
Session 2: Understanding Health Disparities, COVID Mental Health and COVID Immunizations – Click Here to Watch
Session 4: Mitigating Barriers for Families and Children’s Access to Health Insurance – Click Here Watch
Get Involved
Contact Ruth.Allen@tnaap.org to find out how you can become a part of the TNAAP advocacy team.