Montgomery County - As enacted, permits a court to transfer, upon motion by the defendant, a criminal case to the veterans treatment court program in Montgomery County if the veterans treatment court program would have jurisdiction over the case if the offense had been committed in Montgomery County, the defendant files with the court a written waiver of the right to be tried by an impartial jury of the county in which the crime was committed, and the district attorney general for Montgomery County agrees to accept transfer of the case. - Amends TCA Title 16 and Title 40.
HB 524 allows eligible veterans facing criminal charges in Tennessee to request transferring their case to Montgomery County's veterans treatment court program under specific conditions. The bill affects veterans who meet the program's jurisdictional criteria (as if the crime occurred in Montgomery County), require a written waiver of their right to a jury trial in their home county, and have the Montgomery County District Attorney General agree to the transfer. Key provisions amend Tennessee law to permit this transfer process for contiguous counties with populations between 220,000-220,100 (based on 2020 census data), which Montgomery County satisfies. This creates a new procedural pathway for veterans to access specialized treatment courts instead of standard criminal proceedings. The bill became effective May 21, 2025, after Governor's approval.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2025
Committee Review
Apr 2025
House Passage
Apr 2025
Senate Passage
May 2025
Signed into Law
May 2025
Introduced Feb 3, 2025
Signed May 21, 2025
Floor votes · Senate Apr 22, 2025 · House Apr 21, 2025
How they voted
38–0
Passed
Total votes 38
Apr 22, 2025
D
Democratic7
100% Yea
R
Republican31
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
31
Key actions
17
Committee
15
May 21, 2025
Signed into law
Signed by Governor.
lower
May 8, 2025
Upper · Passed
Signed by Senate Speaker
upper
Apr 30, 2025
Lower · Passed
Signed by H. Speaker
lower
Apr 22, 2025
Introduced
Received from House, Passed on First Consideration
lower
Apr 22, 2025
Upper · Passed
Passed Senate, Ayes 33, Nays 0
upper
Apr 21, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed H., Ayes 86, Nays 0, PNV 1
lower
Apr 17, 2025
Lower · Passed
Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee
lower
Apr 17, 2025
Lower · Passed
Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee
lower
Apr 17, 2025
Lower · Passed
Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/17/2025
lower
Apr 16, 2025
Lower · Passed
Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/17/2025
lower
Apr 9, 2025
Lower · Passed
Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/14/2025
lower
Apr 2, 2025
Lower · Passed
Rec. for pass; ref to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee
lower
Apr 2, 2025
Committee
Assigned to s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee
lower
Apr 2, 2025
Lower · Passed
Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/9/2025
lower
Mar 26, 2025
Lower · Passed
Action def. in Judiciary Committee to 4/02/2025
lower
Mar 26, 2025
Lower · Passed
Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 4/2/2025
lower
Mar 19, 2025
Lower · Passed
Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to Judiciary Committee
lower
Mar 19, 2025
Lower · Passed
Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 3/26/2025
lower
Mar 12, 2025
Lower · Passed
Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 3/19/2025
lower
Feb 5, 2025
Committee
P2C, ref. to Judiciary Committee
lower
Feb 5, 2025
Committee
Assigned to s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee
lower
Feb 3, 2025
Introduced
Intro., P1C.
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Aron Maberry
RRepublican
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