Bill on medical examinations in mass shootings passes TN House and Senate, heads to governor

Tennessee medical examiners will be required to review the medication history of suspects of mass shootings if Gov. Bill Lee signs a bill headed to his desk.

Senate Bill 1146, sponsored by Sen. Rusty Crowe, R-Johnson City, would require medical examiners to contact the doctor or mental health provider of a person suspected of a mass shooting – defined as one that results in the deaths of four or more people. Tennessee has suffered eight such shootings since 2015, according to the bill’s fiscal note, which cites the Gun Violence Archive.

The medical examiner would record any medication or drugs, including psychotropic drugs, that a suspect was prescribed and also test the body for drug levels, 10News reported.

According to the bill, the examiner must report any information to the University of Tennessee’s Health Science Center College of Pharmacy and to the Department of Health. The bill requires the University of Tennessee to study the interaction between psychotropic drugs and other drugs. Upon request, the Department of Health also must report the deceased individual’s psychotropic drug to the public, according to the bill.

The bill passed in the Senate 27-5 on April 7 and in the House 76-20, with one abstaining on April 10. When the Senate passed the bill, it adopted an amendment to clarify the inclusion of psychotropic drugs under the general term “drug.” The amendment also required the Department of Health to report to the chief clerk of each house in the general assembly on a quarterly basis.