MARYVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam will hold a bill signing ceremony Friday, June 29 for the TN Together legislation at Blount Memorial Hospital in Maryville.

The legislation supports Haslam’s comprehensive plan to end the opioid crisis in Tennessee.

TN Together is a multi-faceted initiative that addresses the issue of opioid addiction through legislation, proposed funding in the governor’s 2018-19 budget and executive actions.

The TN Together legislation is in the form of two bills. The first bill, sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris (R-Collierville), Sen. Ferrell Haile (R-Gallatin) and Rep. Hawk, limits the duration and dosage of opioid prescriptions for new patients, with reasonable exceptions for major surgical procedures and exemptions that include cancer and hospice treatment, sickle cell disease as well as treatment in certain licensed facilities.

With initial opioid prescriptions limited to a 3-day supply, Tennessee will have one of the most strict and aggressive opioid policies in the nation.

The second bill, sponsored by Leader Norris, Sen. Yager and Rep. Bill Dunn (R-Knoxville), creates incentives for offenders to complete intensive substance use treatment programs while incarcerated and updates the schedule of controlled substances to better track, monitor and penalize the use and unlawful distribution of opioids. Notably, it adds synthetic versions of the drug fentanyl, linked to an alarming number of overdose deaths, to the controlled substance schedules.

During the signing, the governor will be joined by Sen. Ken Yager (R-Kingston) and Rep. David Hawk (R-Greeneville) and leadership from Blount Memorial Hospital and Cherokee Health Systems.