House OKs bill directing medical examiners to test mass-shooting decedents for psychotropic drugs and require a study

The Tennessee House voted to approve Senate Bill 1146 (considered on the floor as House Bill 1349), which requires county medical examiner offices or regional forensic centers conducting autopsies on decedents suspected of committing mass shootings resulting in four or more deaths to test for the presence of drugs, including psychotropic medications. The measure also requires the medical examiner’s office to disclose drug-use data (limited to the decedent) to the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Pharmacy and to the Department of Health; the university is directed to study drug interactions between psychotropic drugs and other substances present in the decedent’s system. The bill passed on the floor with a recorded tally of 76 ayes, 20 nays and 1 present/not voting.

Sponsor remarks described the bill as a step to better understand whether certain medications or drug interactions were present in decedents who committed mass killings; the sponsor said the intent is to produce quarterly reports to the legislature. Supporters argued it could produce data to examine correlations and potential causal links; opponents cautioned the distinction between correlation and causation and warned against diverting attention from firearms policy as the proximate cause of mass shootings.

The sponsor clarified that the bill applies to deceased alleged shooters only and does not require consent from family members for testing of the decedent in these circumstances; the sponsor said quarterly reports will be filed with the House and Senate chief clerks. Some members voiced concern about family privacy and religious objections to autopsies, and asked whether families could refuse testing. The sponsor replied the bill did not include family consent provisions for the decedent and that the measure applies to deceased shooters.

Floor debate included arguments that the study could help public policy by identifying drug interactions of concern, while opponents maintained the primary policy focus should remain on firearms. The bill includes a requirement for the medical examiner to send only a blood sample to the UT Health Science Center for analysis and to require that the Center report findings; it does not change criminal prosecution or criminal standards.

Representative Littleton renewed the motion and the House voted; the Clerk recorded the vote as 76 ayes, 20 nays, 1 present/not voting. The bill was declared passed on third reading.