Haslam issues executive order to aid disaster victims

Gov. Bill Haslam issued an executive order Thursday suspending some state laws to ensure wildfire victims can obtain health care services, consumer rights protections and other state services in the wake of the wildfires and tornadoes that wreaked havoc in Sevier and other counties.

"The citizens affected by the wildfires and severe storms have already been through so much," Haslam said in a statement. "We want to make it easier for them to receive the care and services they need as they begin to pick up the pieces and rebuild their lives. The state is doing and will continue to do everything we can to support the victims and survivors of these devastating disasters."

The order:

• Enables the state commissioner of health to allow health care professionals licensed in other states to practice in Tennessee if they assist disaster survivors or evacuees.
• Allows pharmacists to dispense 14-day supplies of prescription drugs without proper authorization to victims and evacuees in the following counties: Bedford, Bledsoe, Blount, Bradley, Cannon, Cocke, Coffee, Franklin, Grundy, Hamilton, Jefferson, Knox, Lincoln, Loudon, Marion, Marshall, McMinn, Meigs, Monroe, Moore, Polk, Rhea, Roane, Rutherford, Sequatchie, Sevier, Van Buren and Warren.
• Suspends residency rules for enrollment in state Department of Health programs for victims, including the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children; the Renal Disease Program; the Hemophilia Program; Children's Special Services; and the Child Safety Fund.
• Allows the state Department of Commerce and Insurance to direct Tennessee-licensed insurance companies to assist policyholders who have experienced losses in the disasters, specifically when a delayed payment results from mail disruption or the policyholder's displacement.
• Allows the Board for Licensing Contractors to temporarily license contractors without examination if contractors provide proof they are experienced and aim to assist victims or evacuees.
• Authorizes the state Department of Safety and Homeland Security to waive fees for duplicate driver licenses or photo IDs.
• Encourages state agencies to work with those negatively affected by mail disruption or displacement.

The order also enacts a state of emergency from Nov. 28 through Jan. 30 preventing individuals and businesses from charging excessive prices for essential goods and services including repair or construction, building materials, gas, food, medical supplies, housing, storage and other necessities.

Residents can report price gouging at the Department of Commerce and Insurance's Division of Consumer Affairs' website.