TN Urgent Alert - Stop Pesticide Mfrs' Push for Immunity [9am hearing 4/8 - HB0809]

Tell Committee Members to Vote NO on HB 0809

Stop Pesticide Manufacturers’ Push for Immunity

The final hearing for House Bill 0809 will be in the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, April 8th at 9am.

It’s critical that you call your State Representative and ask them to oppose HB 0809 in order to stop the relentless effort in Tennessee to pass disastrous legislation that would provide virtual immunity to pesticide manufacturers whose products have caused injury and illness. Passage of this legislation into law would make it almost impossible for there to be a successful personal injury lawsuit against a company that had an EPA-registered pesticide. The bill has been amended and the talking points below are in response to the amended version of the bill.

Talking Points

1. HB 809 grants blanket legal immunity based on flawed assumptions

The bill treats an EPA-approved label as legally sufficient — no questions asked — but EPA approval is not a guarantee of safety, accuracy, or completeness.
The EPA itself does not independently test pesticides. It simply reviews data submitted by the manufacturer, who profits from the product and controls what is submitted.

2. The EPA registration process is not designed to catch all risks

EPA doesn’t require effectiveness data for most products.
Full product formulations aren’t evaluated — only the active ingredient is assessed, ignoring chemical interactions that can cause harm.
Courts have repeatedly found EPA assessments to be flawed or insufficient, including recent cases where they were vacated due to inaccurate or incomplete risk evaluation.

3. HB 809 guts accountability for harm

The bill makes the label a complete shield against lawsuits related to the duty to warn or label — even if the label is misleading, outdated, or based on faulty data.
This would undermine the very purpose of civil law — to hold companies accountable when their products cause injury or damage.

4. Lawsuits and misbranding laws are necessary backstops

Labels can contain bad data, outdated risk information, vague or misleading instructions, or even deliberate omissions.
When this happens, state-level tort claims are often the only way to force corrections and protect public health.

ACTION TO TAKE

Call and email House Judiciary members and ask that they vote NO on HB 0809. Include where you live in TN. The talking points above can be used in your messages.

Rep Rebecca Alexander 615-741-2251 rep.rebecca.alexander@capitol.tn.gov

Rep Fred Atchley 615-741-5981 rep.fred.atchley@capitol.tn.gov

Rep Gino Bulso 615-741-6808 rep.gino.bulso@capitol.tn.gov

Rep Clay Doggett 615-741-7476 rep.clay.doggett@capitol.tn.gov

Rep Johnny Garrett 615-741-3893 rep.johnny.garrett@capitol.tn.gov

Rep G.A. Hardaway 615-741-5625 Rep.ga.hardaway@capitol.tn.gov

Rep Torrey Harris 615-741-2239 rep.torrey.harris@capitol.tn.gov

Rep Gloria Johnson 615-741-2031 rep.gloria.johnson@capitol.tn.gov

Rep William Lamberth 615-741-1980 rep.william.lamberth@capitol.tn.gov

Rep Mary Littleton 615-741-7477 rep.mary.littleton@capitol.tn.gov

Rep Jason Powell 615-741-6861 Rep.jason.powell@capitol.tn.gov

Rep Lowell Russell 615-741-3736 rep.lowell.russell@capitol.tn.gov

Rep Gabby Salinas 615-741-1920 rep.gabby.salinas@capitol.tn.gov