HB 2405 requires Tennessee state and local governments to provide fully paid health insurance coverage to the immediate families (spouses and dependent children) of law enforcement officers killed or suffering catastrophic injuries in the line of duty on or after January 1, 2020. The bill removes the previous two-year limit on this coverage and expands eligibility to include officers with qualifying catastrophic injuries, defined as permanent impairments meeting specific medical criteria (e.g., paralysis, severe burns, or brain/spinal cord injuries). It mandates that employers pay all premiums for these families and requires the state to reimburse local governments for the costs. This policy directly affects law enforcement officers' families and state/local government budgets, with the law taking effect July 1, 2026.
SB 2531 creates a state family advisory board within Tennessee's Department of Correction. The board, composed of nine family members of currently incarcerated individuals (appointed equally by the governor, Senate Speaker, and House Speaker), aims to improve communication between correctional facilities and families. Key provisions require the board to meet monthly, hold three annual public meetings across Tennessee's regions, and provide feedback on department activities to support family reunification and successful reentry. This bill directly affects families of incarcerated individuals by establishing a formal channel for their input on correctional programs. The board will operate without pay but receive travel reimbursement for official duties, with the bill taking effect July 1, 2026.
HB 2221 increases the required notice period for crime victims registered in Tennessee's criminal proceedings notification system from 24 to 36 hours before any hearing related to their case. This change directly affects victims who have opted into the state's notification system to receive updates about criminal cases involving them. The bill amends Tennessee Code Section 40-38-507(b)(1) to implement this longer notice period, affecting how the system communicates with registered victims. The policy change focuses solely on extending the notice window for victims' awareness, with no other provisions or impacts described in the bill text.
HB 2111 creates a state family advisory board within Tennessee's Department of Correction to directly support families of incarcerated individuals. The board will consist of nine appointed family members (including grandparents, parents, spouses, or other relatives), with three members selected by the governor and one from each of Tennessee's three grand divisions by the legislative leaders. Key provisions require the board to foster communication between families and the correctional department, strengthen family reunification efforts, support community reentry, and provide feedback on department activities through regular meetings and three annual public forums. The board will operate without pay but receive travel reimbursement, with members serving three-year terms starting in 2026.
HB 2153, known as "Katherine's Law," creates a new offense called "aggravated domestic assault" under Tennessee law. This offense applies when someone intentionally or knowingly assaults a domestic abuse victim (as defined in existing law) using a deadly weapon, strangulation, or causing serious injury or death. Aggravated domestic assault is classified as a Class B felony, making it a more serious criminal charge than standard domestic assault. The law takes effect July 1, 2026, and will apply to offenses occurring on or after that date.
This House Joint Resolution (HJR 932) is a symbolic resolution honoring Prison Fellowship's 50th anniversary and recognizing its work supporting incarcerated individuals through faith-based programs. It acknowledges the organization's role in advancing religious freedom in prisons, reducing recidivism via initiatives like its Academy program (with documented success in Texas, Minnesota, and Tennessee), and serving families through its Angel Tree program. The resolution does not create new laws or affect any specific individuals or policies - it solely expresses legislative commendation for Prison Fellowship's service.
SB 2197 allows courts to expunge certain violent offenses from a person's record after they've received a pardon, directly affecting individuals who have been pardoned for specific crimes. The bill amends Tennessee law to remove the previous requirement that expungement petitions be limited to "nonviolent" offenses, instead requiring courts to specifically consider whether the offense sought for expungement was violent (such as murder, aggravated kidnapping, or sexual offenses involving minors). Courts must weigh the best interests of justice and public safety, including factors presented by both the petitioner and the district attorney general, when deciding such petitions. This creates a rebuttable presumption in favor of expungement for non-violent offenses while adding a specific review step for violent offenses.
HB 2622 amends Tennessee law to extend the deadline for courts ordering criminal record expungements from 30 to 45 days. This change requires courts to send expunction orders to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) within 45 days instead of 30 days after issuing the order. The bill directly affects individuals seeking to clear criminal records, as it provides courts with additional time to process and notify the TBI. This is a procedural adjustment to existing expungement rules under TCA Section 8-21-401 and Title 40, with no new eligibility criteria or substantive changes to the expungement process.
HB 2439 establishes new rules for law enforcement use of oral-fluid testing in DUI cases. It requires officers to use only approved devices, document specific driving-related reasons for testing (not general suspicion), and complete quality checks before each use. The bill mandates that screening results cannot be used as evidence in court or for license suspension without a confirmatory lab test conducted by an accredited facility. It also requires agencies to preserve samples for independent retesting and disclose all relevant records to defendants. This bill directly affects police officers conducting DUI investigations, defendants in DUI cases, and laboratories performing confirmatory tests.
HJR 863 is a Tennessee resolution urging the U.S. Congress to pass H.R. 2350/S. 1137, which would allow states to use cell-phone jamming systems in prisons. The resolution highlights that federal law currently bans such jamming, leaving prisons vulnerable to smuggled phones used for drug trafficking, violence, and escape coordination - evidenced by 25,840 contraband phones found in state facilities in one year. The resolution emphasizes that the proposed federal law would permit jamming only with safeguards to avoid disrupting emergency 911 calls, and it cites bipartisan support from state attorneys general. This is a procedural resolution seeking federal legislative action, not a policy change itself.
