House passes nursing home alarm, insurance bills

The bill, which still needs Senate approval, applies to nursing homes that do not have full sprinkler systems. It was prompted by two fatal nursing home fires in recent months, one in Nashville and one in Maryville.

In a related measure, the House voted 93-0 to require nursing homes and other homes for the elderly to maintain liability insurance. That bill also goes to the Senate.

The bill requiring smoke alarms gives nursing homes 90 days after the bill becomes law to install an alarm in each patient’s room.

It also requires that all multistory nursing homes submit a plan for installing full sprinkler systems within six months; single story facilities have 11 months to submit the plan to the Department of Health.

Rep. Charles Curtiss, D-Sparta, sponsored the smoke alarm bill. He also has a bill that would require full sprinkler systems in all nursing homes; that bill is awaiting a resolution of its funding.

The liability insurance bill was sponsored by Rep. Doug Overbey, R-Maryville.
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On the Net:
Read HB3415/SB3294 and HB2949/SB3010 at: http://www.legislature.state.tn