(Knoxville, TN) – Starting Jan. 1, 18 new laws will take effect in Tennessee. Legislators passed laws to address opioid abuse, protect elderly people from abuse and much more.
Here’s a closer look at the laws that may impact you and your family the most:
- Tennessee gun owners will have a second option when applying for handgun permits. A “concealed only” gun permit is now available. It allows permit holders to carry a weapon if it is concealed.This new permit is in addition to what was previously the only handgun permit in Tennessee, which lets people either open-carry or concealed-carry. That permit is now called, “an enhanced gun permit.”The enhanced gun permit costs $100, an 8-hour hands on class and some other background check requirements. The concealed only permit costs $35 less and only requires a 90-minute training course with no hands-on component.
- A new law to stop opioid abuse begins in 2020. Now, any prescription for an opioid must be issued as an electronic prescription from the doctor. The deadline for pharmacists to update software to comply with the new law is Jan. 1, 2021.
- People now have the “Right to Shop” around when it comes to health care. This new law requires health insurance companies to show the prices of services before treatment, so patients know what their out-of-pocket costs are upfront.Companies must now list prices for services ranging from x-rays and MRI’s to physical therapy.
- Prosecutors are now able to do more to protect the elderly in Tennessee. Starting today, prosecutors will soon be able to charge someone with felony murder if a person dies as the result of aggravated neglect of an elderly person.Lawmakers say it is a small but significant change that could bring more abusers to justice.
- A new law allows state employees’ proton therapy to be covered by state insurance. Proton therapy is a form of cancer treatment that claims to be more accurate and efficient, with less risk. It is used for cancers of the brain, lung, breast and neck.
