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HB1239 • 2026

Opioids

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 33; Title 41; Title 53 and Title 63, relative to healthcare prescribers.

Crime Healthcare Labor
Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Helton-Haynes, Reeves
Last action
2025-04-28
Official status
Effective date(s) 07/01/2025
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary and official text do not specify the exact number of patients a non-Tennessee-licensed provider can treat with buprenorphine at one time. The candidate explanation includes '50 patients,' which is inferred from the context but not explicitly stated in the provided sources.

Opioid Treatment Prescription Rules

This bill changes who can prescribe buprenorphine for opioid treatment in Tennessee and sets new rules for healthcare providers not licensed by the state to do so.

What This Bill Does

  • Makes it clear that only doctors licensed in Tennessee can prescribe buprenorphine for treating opioid addiction.
  • Allows certain healthcare workers who are not licensed in Tennessee, but meet specific conditions, to prescribe buprenorphine if they work at correctional facilities or jails and follow strict rules.
  • Requires these healthcare providers to have an active registration with the federal drug enforcement agency.
  • Limits how many patients a non-Tennessee-licensed provider can treat with buprenorphine at one time to 50 patients.
  • Requires that all patient charts be reviewed by a doctor before prescribing buprenorphine.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Doctors and healthcare providers in Tennessee
  • Healthcare workers who are not licensed in Tennessee but work at correctional facilities or jails

Terms To Know

Buprenorphine
A medicine used to treat opioid addiction.
Medication-assisted treatment (MAT)
Using medicines like buprenorphine along with counseling and behavioral therapies to treat substance use disorders.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill only affects healthcare providers who work in correctional facilities or jails.
  • It does not change the rules for prescribing other types of drugs.
  • The effectiveness of these new rules is yet to be seen.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

Amendment 1-0 to HB1239

Plain English: The amendment restricts prescribing buprenorphine for opioid treatment to certain healthcare providers and sets specific conditions for those who are allowed to prescribe it.

  • Only physicians licensed under Title 63, chapter 6 or 9 can generally prescribe buprenorphine products.
  • Healthcare providers not licensed as physicians may prescribe buprenorphine if they meet several strict requirements, including federal registration and collaboration with a physician.
  • The amendment does not specify the exact process for healthcare providers to obtain federal registration or collaborate with physicians.
Amendment 1-0 to SB0421

Plain English: The amendment limits which healthcare providers can prescribe buprenorphine for treating opioid use disorder by specifying that only certain licensed physicians and other qualified healthcare providers under strict conditions are allowed to do so.

  • Only physicians licensed under specific titles in Tennessee Code Annotated can prescribe buprenorphine unless they meet additional requirements.
  • Healthcare providers not meeting the physician requirement must have an active registration with the federal Drug Enforcement Agency and be employed by or contracted with a state correctional facility or county/municipal jail to prescribe buprenorphine.
  • Providers prescribing buprenorphine under these conditions are limited in the number of patients they can treat, require collaboration with a physician for patient chart reviews, and must adhere to strict prescription guidelines.
  • The amendment text does not specify all potential consequences or impacts on healthcare practices beyond prescribing restrictions.
  • Some technical details about licensing requirements and enforcement are omitted in the provided summary.

Bill History

  1. 2025-04-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 07/01/2025

  2. 2025-04-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 295

  3. 2025-04-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 295

  4. 2025-04-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for his action.

  6. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  7. 2025-04-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  8. 2025-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled; ready for sig. of H. Speaker.

  9. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate, Ayes 27, Nays 4

  10. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Amendment withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - SA0095)

  11. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate substituted House Bill for companion Senate Bill.

  12. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Received from House, Passed on First Consideration

  13. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to Sen.

  14. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., as am., Ayes 92, Nays 1, PNV 0

  15. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  16. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. adopted am. (Amendment 1 - HA0252)

  17. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  18. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Companion House Bill substituted

  19. 2025-04-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/7/2025

  20. 2025-04-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/7/2025

  21. 2025-04-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate Reset on calendar for 4/7/2025

  22. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/3/2025

  23. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Calendar & Rules Committee

  24. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/3/2025

  25. 2025-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  26. 2025-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate Reset on calendar for 4/3/2025

  27. 2025-03-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/31/2025

  28. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Health Committee for 4/1/2025

  29. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Health Committee to 4/1/2025

  30. 2025-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  31. 2025-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate Reset on calendar for 3/31/2025

  32. 2025-03-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/24/2025

  33. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Health Committee for 3/25/2025

  34. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec for pass if am by s/c ref. to Health Committee

  35. 2025-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate Reset on calendar for 3/27/2025

  36. 2025-03-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/17/2025

  37. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Health Subcommittee for 3/19/2025

  38. 2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 9, Nays 0 PNV 0

  39. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/11/2025

  40. 2025-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Judiciary Committee to 3/11/2025

  41. 2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 2/25/2025

  42. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Health Subcommittee

  43. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Health Committee

  44. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  45. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  46. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  47. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  48. 2025-01-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Present law authorizes certain limited healthcare providers to prescribe a product containing bupreno
rphine for opiate addiction treatment or related treatments. Physicians licensed by the state board of medical examiners or the board of osteopathic examination are the only healthcare providers authorized to prescribe any buprenorphine product for any f
e
deral food and drug administration approved use in recovery or medication-assisted treatment. However, present law provides certain exceptions.

This bill creates an exception for healthcare providers who are not licensed by the state board of medical ex
aminers or the board of osteopathic examination, but are otherwise permitted to prescribe Schedule II or III drugs, if the provider meets all of the following conditions:



Has an active registration with the federal drug enforcement agency.



Is employed by or contracts with a state correctional facility, or a county or municipal jail to provide healthcare services on-site or via telemedicine.



Has adopted clinical protocols for the facilitation or continuance of medication-assisted treatment for persons who are incarcerated in or to be released from such state correctional facility or county or municipal jail.

ON APRIL 7, 2025, THE HOUSE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED HOUSE BILL 1239, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 rewrites the bill to, instead, make the foll
owing revisions to present law:



Provides that
a physician licensed
in this state
is the only healthcare provider authorized to prescribe a buprenorphine product for a federal food and drug administration-approved use in recovery or medication-assisted treatment.



Prohibits h
ealthcare providers not licensed
in this state
, and who are otherwise permitted to prescribe Schedule II or III drugs under
this state's law,
from prescribing a buprenorphine product for the treatment of opioid use disorder unless the provider
meets the following criteria:



Has an active registration with the federal drug enforcement agency
.



Is employed by
,
or contracts with
,
a state correctional facility
,
or a county or municipal jail to provide healthcare services
.



Has adopted clinical protocols for the facilitation or continuance of medication-assisted treatment for persons who are incarcerated in
,
or to be released from
,
such state correctional facility or county or municipal jail
.



Writes prescriptions for buprenorphine to no more than 50 patients at any given time
.



Collaborates with a physician who reviews 100% of the charts of the patients being prescribed a buprenorphine product
.



Is supervised by
,
or collaborates with
,
a physician who is limited to the supervision of, or collaboration for, a maximum of five licensed nurse practitioners or physician assistants
.



Does not write any prescription for a buprenorphine product that exceeds a
16
-milligram daily equivalent
.



Has had no limitations or conditions imposed on the provider's license by the provider's licensing authority within the previous three years
.



Prescribes buprenorphine products only to patients who are treated through the correctional facility that employs the provider.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 421
By Reeves

HOUSE BILL 1239
By Helton-Haynes

HB1239
000481
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 33;
Title 41; Title 53 and Title 63, relative to healthcare
prescribers.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 53-11-311(c)(2)(P), is amended by
deleting "at any given time." and substituting "at any given time; or".
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 53-11-311(c)(2), is amended by
designating subdivisions (A)-(P) as subdivisions (A)(1)-(16) and adding the following new
subdivision:
(B)
(1) Has an active registration with the federal drug enforcement agency;
(2) Is employed by or contracts with a state correctional facility, as
defined in § 41-21-206, or a county or municipal jail to provide healthcare
services on-site or via telemedicine; and
(3) Has adopted clinical protocols for the facilitation or continuance of
medication-assisted treatment for persons who are incarcerated in or to be
released from such state correctional facility or county or municipal jail.
SECTION 3. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.