Bill > SB1146

This bill requires county medical examiners to conduct specific investigations and reporting procedures when performing an autopsy on a deceased individual suspected of committing a mass shooting that resulted in four or more deaths. The bill mandates that medical examiners consult the decedent's mental health professionals or primary care physicians to obtain information about psychotropic drug use, test the decedent for drugs (including therapeutic levels of psychotropic drugs), and disclose the drug information to the University of Tennessee's health science center and the department of health, while protecting the decedent's personal identifying information. The health science center is then required to study drug interactions between psychotropic drugs and other substances in the decedent's system and submit quarterly reports to the state legislature. The bill provides a comprehensive definition of "psychotropic drugs" that includes medications affecting mental health, mood, behavior, and physical characteristics, such as antidepressants, antipsychotics, anxiolytics, stimulants, and hormonal medications. All involved agencies must comply with state and federal privacy laws during this process, and the bill is set to take effect on July 1, 2025, with the stated purpose of serving the public welfare by investigating potential pharmaceutical factors in mass shooting incidents.

Health and Social Services

https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/Billinfo/default.aspx?BillNumber=SB1146&ga=114