AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 68, relative to Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease.
SB2349 directs the Tennessee Department of Health to create and run an outreach campaign focused on Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a rare inherited neurological disorder. The campaign may use print, radio, social media, television public service announcements, advertisements, posters, and other materials to publicize ongoing research in Tennessee. The department must also establish and promote a toll-free phone line or web-based hotline where individuals can report a diagnosis of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease or donate to research related to the disease.
The bill also specifies broad program components for the outreach effort, including data portal development and security, community outreach and public service announcements, honoraria, strategy and travel, materials and toolkits, media, and program evaluation and contingency planning. The outreach campaign is set to end on July 1, 2027, and the act would take effect on July 1, 2026.
The bill would add a new public-health outreach and awareness program within Title 68 of the Tennessee Code, assigning the Department of Health responsibility for disease education, reporting, and research promotion related to Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. It does not create a treatment mandate or insurance requirement, but it does require the state to build communication infrastructure, maintain a hotline or web portal, and support data collection and public engagement efforts for a defined period.
The available voting history suggests the bill was received favorably in committee, passing the Senate Health and Welfare Committee 9-0 and being recommended for passage. No committee transcript is available, but the unanimous vote indicates broad support and little visible opposition at that stage. The bill appears framed as a public-health and research-awareness measure rather than a controversial regulatory change.
There is little evidence of substantive contention in the available record. The main practical questions likely concern the cost and administration of the outreach campaign, including data portal security, staffing, travel, materials, and evaluation, which are explicitly listed in the bill. Any debate would likely center on whether state resources should be used for a disease-specific awareness campaign and hotline versus other public-health priorities, but no recorded objections are provided.