<BillNo> <Sponsor>
SENATE BILL 1146
By Crowe
SB1146
002688
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AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 38;
Title 53; Title 63 and Title 68, relative to
psychotropic drugs.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 38-7-109, is amended by adding the
following as a new subsection:
(c)
(1)
(A) If a county medical examiner's office or regional forensic center is
conducting an autopsy on a decedent who is suspected to have committed a
mass shooting that resulted in the deaths of four (4) or more individuals, then the
county medical examiner or regional forensic center shall consult such
decedent's treating mental health professional or primary care physician, if
known and reasonably able to be identified through the decedent's next of kin, to
obtain information regarding the decedent's psychotropic drug use.
(B) The county medical examiner shall test the decedent for the
presence of any drugs, including psychotropic drugs.
(2)
(A) The county medical examiner's office or regional forensic center shall
disclose the drug use of the decedent to the University of Tennessee's health
science center and to the department of health.
(B) The county medical examiner's office or regional forensic center shall
not disclose any identifying information including the decedent's name or social
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security number when disclosing the drug use of the decedent to the University
of Tennessee's health science center and to the department of health.
(3) The University of Tennessee's health science center shall study the drug
interactions between the psychotropic drugs and any other drugs that were present in
the decedent's system as provided by the county medical examiner as described in
subdivision (c)(2)(A).
(4) The University of Tennessee's health science center shall submit quarterly
reports of all data obtained pursuant to this section to the chair of the health and welfare
committee of the senate and the chair of the house of representatives committee having
jurisdiction over health-related matters.
(5) As used in this subsection (c), "psychotropic drug" means a medication
prescribed for the treatment of mental or behavioral health conditions or a drug
prescribed for any condition that exercises a direct effect upon the central nervous
system and that is capable of influencing and modifying mood, perceptions, and
behavior, including:
(A) Agents for control of mania and depression;
(B) Antidepressants;
(C) Antipsychotics;
(D) Anxiolytics;
(E) Hypnotics;
(F) Mood stabilizers;
(G) Hormonal medication with the primary goal of altering a person's
physical appearance and sexual characteristics existing at the person's birth;
(H) Psychomotor stimulants; and
(I) Stimulants.
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(6) The county medical examiner, regional forensic center, department of health,
and the University of Tennessee's health science center must follow all relevant state
and federal privacy laws related to the implementation of this section.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.