Tennessee Senate Bill SB1716

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/15/26

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49 and Title 68, Chapter 140, Part 5, relative to epinephrine.

Summary

SB1716 revises Tennessee law governing epinephrine in schools and related public health provisions. The bill states a legislative intent that both public and nonpublic schools be prepared to respond to allergic reactions when a student’s own epinephrine is unavailable or when the student is experiencing a first-time reaction. It authorizes each school in an LEA and each nonpublic school to maintain epinephrine on site, and recommends that it be stored in at least two unlocked, secure locations such as the administrative office and cafeteria. The bill also allows a physician to prescribe epinephrine in the name of an LEA or nonpublic school for school use, notwithstanding conflicting provisions in Title 63. If a student lacks a personal prescription or supply, a school nurse or other trained school personnel may use the school’s stock epinephrine under a standing physician protocol to respond to anaphylaxis. The bill includes liability protections for the prescribing physician and for school nurses or employees, shielding them from responsibility for injury unless they acted with intentional disregard for safety. It also amends a separate health code provision to replace the term “epinephrine auto-injector” with “epinephrine,” broadening the terminology used in state law.

Impact

SB1716 would expand and clarify the authority of Tennessee schools to stock and administer epinephrine for emergency allergic reactions, affecting both public schools and nonpublic schools. It updates education and health statutes to permit school-based possession and use of epinephrine, authorizes prescriptions in the name of a school system or private school, and creates liability protections for physicians and trained school personnel acting under a protocol. The bill also broadens a related definition in Title 68 by substituting the more general term “epinephrine” for “epinephrine auto-injector.”

Sentiment

The available committee votes indicate strong support for the bill, with unanimous or near-unanimous recommendations in both the Senate Education Committee and the Senate Finance, Ways and Means Committee. The bill appears to have been viewed as a practical school safety and emergency preparedness measure, with no recorded opposition in the provided voting history.

Contention

The main policy issues embedded in the bill are how broadly schools should be allowed to stock epinephrine, where it should be stored, and how liability should be allocated when it is administered. The bill addresses these concerns by recommending multiple secure storage locations, allowing prescriptions in a school’s name, and limiting liability for physicians and school staff absent intentional disregard for safety. No specific opposition is shown in the provided record, but the liability protections and the use of standing protocols are the most likely areas of legal and operational concern.