---
type: "Bill"
title: "Funeral Directors and Embalmers - As enacted, authorizes qualified aliens enumerated in federal law to apply for a funeral director's license or an apprentice registration; deletes an obsolete provision in the code concerning licensees from 1951. - Amends TCA Title 62, Chapter 5."
description: "Funeral Directors and Embalmers - As enacted, authorizes qualified aliens enumerated in federal law to apply for a funeral director's license or an apprentice registration; deletes an obsolete provision in the code concerning licensees from 1951. - Amends TCA Title 62, Chapter 5."
jurisdiction: "us/states/tn"
legislature: "Tennessee General Assembly"
session: "111"
identifier: "SB 2538"
citation: "Tennessee SB 2538 (111)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Funeral Directors and Embalmers"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Boyd", "Powers"]
version_count: 1
action_count: 34
vote_count: 7
first_action: "2020-02-05"
last_action: "2020-03-26"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/dd4a64a9-2e4f-416b-bd9d-be735e8ef3f6"
source_url: "http://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/default.aspx?BillNumber=SB2538&GA=111"
source_hash: "977b230f4958f074b3dc74203ea6bec909a32c41d47857795ffb45bff5c2ad1c"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-tn"]
---

# Tennessee SB 2538 (111) — Funeral Directors and Embalmers - As enacted, authorizes qualified aliens enumerated in federal law to apply for a funeral director's license or an apprentice registration; deletes an obsolete provision in the code concerning licensees from 1951. - Amends TCA Title 62, Chapter 5.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Current Version** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.capitol.tn.gov/Bills/111/Bill/SB2538.pdf)

## Votes

- SENATE COMMERCE AND LABOR COMMITTEE: Recommend for passage 3/3/2020 Passed — **8–0** (pass) · upper
- HOUSE COMMERCE COMMITTEE: Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee 3/10/2020 (4) — **0–0** (pass) · lower
- FLOOR VOTE: PASSAGE ON THIRD CONSIDERATION 3/16/2020 Passed (1) — **93–0** (pass) · lower
- FLOOR VOTE: Motion to Adopt 3/9/2020 Passed (1) — **31–0** (pass) · upper
- HOUSE BUSINESS SUBCOMMITTEE: Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to Commerce Committee 3/3/2020 (5) — **0–0** (pass) · lower
- FLOOR VOTE: CONSENT CALENDAR PASSAGE ON THIRD CONSIDERATION 3/16/2020 Passed (2) — **93–0** (pass) · lower
- HOUSE CALENDAR & RULES COMMITTEE: H. Placed on Consent Calendar for 3/16/2020 3/12/2020 (3) — **0–0** (fail) · lower

## Sponsors

- Boyd — primary (person)
- Powers — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2020-02-05** Filed for introduction `reading-1, introduction`
- **2020-02-05** Intro. `introduction`
- **2020-02-05** Filed for introduction `reading-1, introduction`
- **2020-02-06** Introduced, Passed on First Consideration `introduction`
- **2020-02-06** P1C.
- **2020-02-10** Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Commerce and Labor Committee
- **2020-02-10** P2C, caption bill, held on desk - pending amdt.
- **2020-02-14** Assigned to s/c Business Subcommittee `referral-committee`
- **2020-02-14** Ref. to Commerce Committee `referral-committee`
- **2020-02-19** Placed on s/c cal Business Subcommittee for 2/25/2020
- **2020-02-25** Action Def. in s/c Business Subcommittee to 3/3/2020
- **2020-02-26** Placed on Senate Commerce and Labor Committee calendar for 3/3/2020
- **2020-02-26** Placed on s/c cal Business Subcommittee for 3/3/2020
- **2020-03-03** Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee
- **2020-03-03** Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to Commerce Committee `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2020-03-04** Placed on cal. Commerce Committee for 3/10/2020
- **2020-03-05** Placed on Senate Consent Calendar 2 for 3/9/2020
- **2020-03-09** Passed Senate, Ayes 31, Nays 0 `passage`
- **2020-03-10** Engrossed; ready for transmission to House
- **2020-03-10** Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2020-03-11** Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 3/12/2020
- **2020-03-12** Rcvd. from S., held on H. desk.
- **2020-03-12** H. Placed on Consent Calendar for 3/16/2020
- **2020-03-16** Passed H., Ayes 93, Nays 0, PNV 1 `passage`
- **2020-03-16** Subst. for comp. HB.
- **2020-03-16** Comp. SB subst.
- **2020-03-18** Signed by Senate Speaker
- **2020-03-18** Enrolled and ready for signatures
- **2020-03-19** Transmitted to Governor for action.
- **2020-03-19** Signed by H. Speaker
- **2020-03-25** Signed by Governor. `executive-signature`
- **2020-03-26** Pub. Ch. 625
- **2020-03-26** Effective date(s) 03/25/2020
- **2020-03-26** Comp. became Pub. Ch. 625

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/dd4a64a9-2e4f-416b-bd9d-be735e8ef3f6`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Tennessee legislature records).