LST celebrates several wins during recent legislative session
Life Science Tennessee (LST) is celebrating the passage of several important bills by the Tennessee General Assembly prior to its recent adjournment.
One of the organization’s top priorities was the successful restoration and additional funding for the program that provides matching funds for recipients of federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grants (see recent teknovation.biz article here).
The statewide association commended the legislature for that action as well as passage of the LST-supported bill to expand access for qualified employment in the state’s medical and research laboratories. The new regulations enable laboratories to comply with federal clinical laboratory regulations while also allowing Tennessee laboratories to access a broader workforce.
“Prior to passage of this bill, laws in Tennessee created unnecessary shortages of laboratory personnel,” LST noted. “With this legislation, Tennesseans with bachelor’s or advanced degrees in chemical, physical, biological or clinical laboratory science or medical technology are eligible for employment in most laboratories in the state. This new law makes Tennessee’s laboratory personnel requirements consistent with the majority of the U.S.”
The laboratory personnel bill was sponsored by Senator Becky Massey (Knoxville) and Rep. Kevin Vaughan (Memphis).
