AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 20 and Title 33, relative to opioids.
Summary
HB1968 is a narrow opioid-related bill that updates two sections of Tennessee law to expand the list of pharmaceutical companies named in existing statutory language. In Section 20-13-203 and Section 33-11-103(p), the bill replaces references that previously named only Purdue Pharma L.P. with language that also includes Alvogen, Inc., Apotex Corp., and Zydus Pharmaceuticals (USA) Inc. The bill does not create a new regulatory program or criminal penalty; instead, it amends existing code provisions tied to opioids and related legal treatment of specified manufacturers.
The practical effect is to broaden the reach of Tennessee statutes that already singled out Purdue Pharma by adding three additional opioid manufacturers to those provisions. Because the bill amends Title 20 and Title 33, it affects how those statutes apply to the listed companies and any persons or circumstances covered by the referenced sections. The act takes effect immediately upon becoming law and includes a severability clause, preserving the rest of the law if any part is later found invalid.
Impact
HB1968 amends Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 20 and Title 33, by revising statutory references to opioid manufacturers in Sections 20-13-203 and 33-11-103(p). The bill expands the named entities from Purdue Pharma L.P. alone to include Alvogen, Inc., Apotex Corp., and Zydus Pharmaceuticals (USA) Inc., thereby changing the scope of the existing provisions that reference those companies. It takes effect upon becoming law and includes standard severability language.
Sentiment
The available voting history shows strong, unanimous support at each recorded committee stage, with no recorded dissenting votes. The bill advanced 8-0 in the House Civil Justice Subcommittee, 16-0 in the House Judiciary Committee, 13-0 in the House Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee, and 27-0 in the House Finance, Ways, and Means Committee. No committee transcript is available, but the vote pattern suggests the measure was viewed as noncontroversial or technical in nature.
Contention
No specific objections are documented in the provided materials, and the recorded votes were unanimous. The only apparent point of policy significance is the decision to expand statutory references beyond Purdue Pharma to include Alvogen, Apotex, and Zydus, which could affect how the underlying opioid-related provisions apply to those manufacturers. However, there is no evidence in the available record of organized opposition or substantive debate over that expansion.