The Tennessee House has passed a bill explaining the Tennessee ‘Duty to Warn’ law.

Currently, mental health professionals are required to sound the alarm if they have a patient who is a threat, specifically if they have made threatening statements.

This amendment expands that to all healthcare professionals.

The bill states, “As introduced, expands the duty to warn of an actual threat of bodily harm to include all healthcare providers, not just mental health professionals and behavior analysts.”

It is hoped this measure will help prevent tragedies like the three children and three staff members killed by a gunman who had a history of mental illness at the Covenant School in Nashville last spring.

To become law, this bill still has to pass the state Senate and be signed by the governor, but House leaders are optimistic.