Drugs, Prescription

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary text does not provide detailed information on how medical examiners should handle cases where next of kin cannot be identified easily, leaving this aspect uncertain.

Law on Testing for Drugs in Mass Shooting Cases

This law requires medical examiners to test and report drug use of people suspected of mass shootings involving four or more deaths, focusing on psychotropic drugs.

What This Bill Does

• Requires county medical examiners to consult the treating mental health professional or primary care physician for information about a decedent's psychotropic drug use if they are conducting an autopsy after a mass shooting with at least four victims.
• Directs medical examiners to test the decedent for all drugs, including therapeutic levels of psychotropic drugs.
• Requires medical examiners to send blood samples and drug use information to the University of Tennessee's health science center without revealing personal details like name or social security number.
• Instructs the university’s health science center to study how these drugs interact with other substances found in the decedent's system.
• Necessitates quarterly reports from the university on their findings to be sent to relevant legislative committees.

Who It Names or Affects

• County medical examiners and regional forensic centers
• University of Tennessee’s health science center
• The Department of Health

Terms To Know

Psychotropic drug

A medication prescribed for mental or behavioral health conditions that affects mood, perceptions, and behavior.

Quarterly reports

Reports submitted every three months to provide updates on the study of drug interactions.

Limits and Unknowns

• The law only applies in cases where a mass shooting results in four or more deaths.
• It does not specify how medical examiners should handle situations where next of kin cannot be identified easily.
• The effectiveness and impact of the data collected are yet to be determined.

Official Summary Text

This bill provides that 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 or more individuals, then the county medical examiner or regional forensic center must 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.

This bill requires the county medical examiner to test the decedent for the presence of any drugs, including psychotropic drugs. Further, the county medical examiner's office
or regional forensic center must disclose the drug use of the decedent to the University of Tennessee's health science center and to the department of health, without disclosing the decedent's name or social security number.

This bill requires the Unive
rsity of Tennessee's health science center to 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 this bill. The University o
f
Tennessee's health science center must submit quarterly reports of all data obtained pursuant to this bill to the committees in the general assembly having jurisdiction over health-related matters.

ON APRIL 7, 2025, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND P
ASSED SENATE BILL 1146, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 makes the following revisions:



Clarifies that "drugs," as used in the provision requiring t
he county medical examiner
to
test the decedent for the presence of any drugs
,
includ
es
therapeutic levels of psychotropic drugs.



Requires the
county medical examiner
to
send only a blood sample of the decedent to the health science center.



Requires the quarterly reports of data obtained pursuant to the bill to be submitted to the chief clerk of each house of the general assembly instead of to specific legislative committees.



Clarifies that the "health science center" referred to in the bill means the
University of Tennessee's health science center college of pharmacy
.



Clarifies that the reference to "antidepressants" in the definition for "psychotropic drug" includes
selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
.



Clarifies that the term "psychotropic drug" includes b
enzodiazepines
.

Current Bill Text

HOUSE BILL 1349
By Littleton

SENATE BILL 1146
By Crowe

SB1146
002688
- 1 -

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

- 2 - 002688

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.

- 3 - 002688

(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.