Bill > SB1948

This bill requires county medical examiners to report certain sudden and unexpected deaths of infants and individuals under 20 years old to the federal Sudden Unexpected Infant Death and Sudden Death in the Young Case Registry, a national system that collects data on these deaths. The bill defines terms like "Sudden arrhythmic death syndrome (SADS)," "Sudden death in the young (SDY)," "Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)," and "Sudden unexpected infant death (SUID)" to clarify the types of cases that fall under these reporting requirements. In addition to reporting, medical examiners must review the deceased child's immunization and medical records, including information from the state's vaccine registry and healthcare providers, and document any immunizations or emergency countermeasures given within 90 days of death. Violations of these reporting and documentation requirements can result in civil penalties of up to $1,000 for a first offense and $5,000 for subsequent offenses, and repeated violations may lead to disciplinary action against a medical examiner's license by their respective licensing board. The bill also clarifies that healthcare providers disclosing information for these investigations are protected under state law.

Health and Social Services

https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/Billinfo/default.aspx?BillNumber=SB1948&ga=114