Back to Tennessee

SB1790 • 2026

Correction, Dept. of

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 8; Title 41; Title 53; Title 56; Title 63; Title 68 and Title 71, relative to the use of drugs for the treatment of pain.

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Reeves, Davis
Last action
2026-04-23
Official status
Comp. became Pub. Ch. 749
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Correction, Dept. of

For purposes of offering an insurance policy covering inmates, as of January 1, 2027, this bill generally authorizes an insurer to adopt or amend a preferred drug list (PDL).

What This Bill Does

  • For purposes of offering an insurance policy covering inmates, as of January 1, 2027, this bill generally authorizes an insurer to adopt or amend a preferred drug list (PDL).
  • In establishing and maintaining the PDL, the insurer must ensure that a non-op ioid drug approved by the United States food and drug administration for the treatment or management of pain is not disadvantaged or discouraged with respect to coverage relative to an opioid or narcotic drug for the treatment or management of pain on the P DL.
  • However, these provisions do not prohibit an opioid medication from being preferred over other opioid medications, or a non-opioid medication from being preferred over other non-opioid medications.
  • This bill applies to a non-opioid drug after it has been approved by the United States food and drug administration for a period of nine months or longer for the treatment or management of pain, regardless of whether the drug has been reviewed by the ins urer for inclusion on the PDL.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB1741

Plain English: House Insurance 1 Amendment No.

  • House Insurance 1 Amendment No.
  • 1 to HB1741 Kumar Signature of Sponsor AMEND Senate Bill No.
  • 1790 House Bill No.
  • 1741* HA0556 013455 - 1 - by deleting all language after the enacting clause and substituting: SECTION 1.
Amendment 1-0 to SB1790

Plain English: Senate Commerce and Labor 1 Amendment No.

  • Senate Commerce and Labor 1 Amendment No.
  • 1 to SB1790 Bailey Signature of Sponsor AMEND Senate Bill No.
  • 1790 House Bill No.
  • 1741* SA0506 013455 - 1 - by deleting all language after the enacting clause and substituting: SECTION 1.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 749

  2. 2026-04-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 01/01/2027

  3. 2026-04-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 749

  4. 2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for his action.

  6. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  7. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  8. 2026-03-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled; ready for sig. of H. Speaker.

  9. 2026-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  10. 2026-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Companion House Bill substituted

  11. 2026-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate, Ayes 31, Nays 0

  12. 2026-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Amendment withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - SA0506)

  13. 2026-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate substituted House Bill for companion Senate Bill.

  14. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/19/2026

  15. 2026-03-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee

  16. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/9/2026

  17. 2026-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Received from House, Passed on First Consideration

  18. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  19. 2026-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  20. 2026-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to Sen.

  21. 2026-02-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  22. 2026-02-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., as am., Ayes 88, Nays 0, PNV 4

  23. 2026-02-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. adopted am. (Amendment 1 - HA0556)

  24. 2026-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 2/23/2026

  25. 2026-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 2/19/2026

  26. 2026-02-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Commerce and Labor Committee calendar for 2/24/2026

  27. 2026-02-17 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  28. 2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Insurance Committee for 2/17/2026

  29. 2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to Insurance Committee

  30. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  31. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Insurance Subcommittee for 2/11/2026

  32. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Commerce and Labor Committee

  33. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Insurance Subcommittee

  34. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Insurance Committee

  35. 2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  36. 2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  37. 2026-01-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  38. 2026-01-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

For purposes of offering an insurance policy covering inmates, as of January 1, 2027, this bill generally authorizes an insurer to adopt or amend a preferred drug list (PDL). In establishing and maintaining the PDL, the insurer must ensure that a non-op
ioid drug approved by the United States food and drug administration for the treatment or management of pain is not disadvantaged or discouraged with respect to coverage relative to an opioid or narcotic drug for the treatment or management of pain on the
P
DL. However, these provisions do not prohibit an opioid medication from being preferred over other opioid medications, or a non-opioid medication from being preferred over other non-opioid medications.

This bill applies to a non-opioid drug after it has been approved by the United States food and drug administration for a period of nine months or longer for the treatment or management of pain, regardless of whether the drug has been reviewed by the ins
urer for inclusion on the PDL. This bill also applies to drugs being provided under a contract between the insurer and a pharmacy benefits manager for purposes of an insurance policy.

ON FEBRUARY 23, 2026, THE HOUSE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED HOUSE BILL 1741, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1, rewrites the bill to, instead, authorize the department of correction ("department") to adopt or amend a formulary for use in the correctional facilities operated by or on behalf of the department. However, in establishing and maintaining
such a formulary, the department must ensure that a non-opioid medication is not disadvantaged or discouraged with respect to coverage relative to an opioid or narcotic drug for the treatment or management of pain on the formulary. As used in this amendm
en
t, a "formulary" means a list of prescription drugs approved for use within correctional facilities operated by or on behalf of the department.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
HOUSE BILL 1741
By Davis

SENATE BILL 1790
By Reeves
SB1790
011195
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 8;
Title 41; Title 53; Title 56; Title 63; Title 68 and
Title 71, relative to the use of drugs for the
treatment of pain.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 41, Chapter 21, Part 2, is amended by
adding the following as a new section:
(a) As used in this section:
(1) "Healthcare prescriber" means a prescriber as defined in § 53-10-
203;
(2) "Insurance policy" means a group or individual insurance plan or
policy offered through this state or a local government, a private insurance
company, a healthcare corporation, a health management organization,
TennCare, or other plan or policy that provides medical or pharmaceutical
coverage to inmates incarcerated in this state;
(3) "Insurer" means an entity that offers an insurance policy; and
(4) "Non-opioid medication" means a drug or biological product that is
indicated to produce analgesia without acting on the body's opioid receptors.
(b) Except as otherwise provided in this section, an insurer, for purposes of
offering an insurance policy, may adopt or amend a preferred drug list (PDL).
(c)
(1) In establishing and maintaining the PDL, the insurer shall ensure that
a non-opioid medication approved by the United States food and drug
administration for the treatment or management of pain is not disadvantaged or

- 2 - 011195

discouraged with respect to coverage relative to an opioid or narcotic drug for the
treatment or management of pain on the PDL.
(2) Subdivision (c)(1) does not prohibit an opioid medication from being
preferred over other opioid medications, or a non-opioid medication from being
preferred over other non-opioid medications.
(d) This section applies to a non-opioid medication after it has been approved by
the United States food and drug administration for a period of nine (9) months or longer
for the treatment or management of pain, regardless of whether the drug has been
reviewed by the insurer for inclusion on the PDL. This section also applies to drugs
being provided under a contract between the insurer and a pharmacy benefits manager
for purposes of an insurance policy.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect January 1, 2027, the public welfare requiring it.