HB 1295 Tennessee House · 114th Regular Session (2025-2026)

Criminal Offenses - As introduced, enacts the "Shielding Tennesseans from Oligarchic Power and Eliminating Lawless Obstruction of Necessities Act (STOP ELON Act)," which creates a new offense of interfering with an individual's or entity's receipt of a loan, grant, or financial assistance that the individual or entity is lawfully entitled to receive from the federal, state, or local government, with intent to deprive the individual of the loan, grant, or financial assistance, which is punished as theft; authorizes a victim of an offense to bring a civil action to recover the funds that the victim did not receive because of the offense. - Amends TCA Title 29 and Title 39.

HB 1295, known as the "STOP ELON Act," creates a new criminal offense for intentionally blocking someone from receiving government financial aid (like loans or grants they're eligible for) with the intent to deny them the funds. It treats this interference as theft under existing law, with penalties including criminal charges and combined value calculations for multiple offenses. Victims can also file civil lawsuits to recover funds they lost due to the interference. The bill directly affects individuals or organizations denied federal, state, or local aid and those who obstruct such aid, with provisions taking effect July 1, 2025.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2025
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Feb 10, 2025 Last action Feb 4, 2026
Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
13
Key actions
7
Committee
9
Feb 4, 2026
Lower · Passed
Taken off notice for cal in s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee of Judiciary Committee
lower
Jan 28, 2026
Lower · Passed
Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 2/4/2026
lower
Jan 21, 2026
Lower · Passed
Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 1/28/2026
lower
Apr 1, 2025
Lower · Passed
Action Def. in s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee to First Calendar of 2026
lower
Mar 26, 2025
Lower · Passed
Action Def. in s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee to 4/2/2025
lower
Mar 26, 2025
Lower · Passed
Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 4/2/2025
lower
Mar 19, 2025
Lower · Passed
Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 3/26/2025
lower
Feb 12, 2025
Committee
P2C, ref. to Judiciary Committee
lower
Feb 12, 2025
Committee
Assigned to s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee
lower
Feb 10, 2025
Introduced
Intro., P1C.
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Jason Powell
Jason Powell
DDemocratic
TN
53