Criminal Justice

signed · Tennessee · Senate May 13, 2025

SB 1400: Criminal Offenses - As enacted, revises present law concerning driving under the influence. - Amends TCA Title 39 and Title 55.

SB 1400 revises Tennessee's driving under the influence (DUI) laws by two key changes: it permits law enforcement officers to assist medical professionals in obtaining blood samples from drivers using reasonable force during DUI investigations, and it increases the minimum jail sentence for a first-time DUI conviction from one year to one year and six months. These provisions directly affect drivers charged with DUI, law enforcement officers conducting blood tests, and medical personnel involved in the sampling process. The blood sample provision took effect immediately upon the governor's signature on May 5, 2025, while the sentence increase will apply starting January 1, 2026. The bill does not alter DUI testing standards or expand penalties beyond these specific changes.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeIncreases first-time DUI jail sentence from 1 to 1.5 years and permits force for blood samples, expanding criminalization and harshening penalties.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Corrections Law Enforcement

in committee · Tennessee · House Feb 3, 2025

HB 312: Criminal Offenses - As introduced, creates a Class A misdemeanor for recklessly storing a firearm in a manner that a person knows or reasonably should know will allow a child younger than 18 years of age to access the firearm and the child brings the firearm to a school. - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 17, Part 13.

HB 312 creates a Class A misdemeanor for firearm owners who store guns in a way that allows children under 18 to access them, specifically when a child brings the firearm to school. It directly affects firearm owners in Tennessee who fail to secure guns safely, such as leaving them in unlocked vehicles or unsecured areas where minors could reach them. The law defines "school" broadly to include buildings, buses, campuses, athletic fields, and other properties operated by educational institutions. Violating this law results in a misdemeanor charge, not a felony, with no mention of enhanced penalties for the child or school. The bill takes effect July 1, 2025.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeCreates new Class A misdemeanor for firearm storage negligence, expanding criminalization of owner behavior rather than advancing reform or accountability.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Firearms

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signed · Tennessee · Senate May 15, 2025

SB 457: Criminal Offenses - As enacted, decreases from 0.20 to 0.15 percent the minimum weight of alcohol concentration in a defendant's blood or breath as an element of the offense of aggravated vehicular assault and in a defendant's blood as an element of the offense of aggravated vehicular homicide. - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 13.

SB 457 lowers the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) threshold for aggravated vehicular assault and homicide in Tennessee. It reduces the required BAC level from 0.20% to 0.15% for these offenses, making it easier to prove these crimes in court. The bill directly affects drivers charged with serious alcohol-related offenses under Tennessee Code Annotated Sections 39-13-115 (aggravated vehicular assault) and 39-13-218 (aggravated vehicular homicide). The change takes effect July 1, 2025, and applies to all cases filed on or after that date. This is a substantive policy adjustment to the legal definition of these crimes, not a procedural or commemorative measure.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeLowers BAC threshold to expand criminalization of drunk driving, making prosecution easier under criminal justice laws90% confidence

Sub-Topics Courts Violent Crime

in committee · Tennessee · Senate Feb 12, 2025

SB 404: Criminal Offenses - As introduced, expands the offense of unlawful exposure to include the distribution, with the intent to cause emotional distress, of an image of the intimate parts of another identifiable person or an image of an identifiable person engaged in sexually explicit conduct and the image was created or modified by means of a computer software program, artificial intelligence application, or other digital editing tools. - Amends TCA Title 39.

SB 404 amends Tennessee law to expand the crime of unlawful exposure to include distributing digitally altered intimate images created or modified using AI, editing software, or other digital tools - with the intent to cause emotional distress. It directly affects identifiable individuals whose private images are manipulated and shared without consent. The law specifically targets images of intimate body parts or sexually explicit conduct that were altered via technology, making such distribution a criminal offense. The bill takes effect July 1, 2025, and applies to images created or modified using digital tools, not just original photographs.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeBill expands criminalization by creating new offense for non-consensual AI-altered intimate image distribution, directly increasing criminal law scope.90% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyExpands criminal penalties for non-consensual distribution of AI-altered intimate images, strengthening privacy protections against tech-enabled harassment.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Artificial Intelligence

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in committee · Tennessee · House Apr 7, 2026

HB 625: Mental Illness - As introduced, establishes a rebuttable presumption that a person poses an imminent substantial likelihood of serious harm and needs emergency detention and examination if the person was charged with one of certain criminal offenses and ordered by the criminal, circuit, or general sessions court to undergo an evaluation to determine whether the person is incompetent to stand trial or the person's mental capacity at the time of the commission of the crime; requires clear and convincing evidence to rebut the presumption. - Amends TCA Title 33; Title 40 and Title 52.

HB 625 creates an automatic presumption requiring emergency detention and mental evaluation for defendants charged with specific serious crimes (those carrying 85% mandatory sentence time before parole eligibility) who are ordered by a court to undergo a mental evaluation for competency or mental state at the time of the crime. This presumption can only be overturned by "clear and convincing evidence" showing the person poses no immediate risk of serious harm. The bill directly affects criminal defendants in Tennessee facing certain violent or severe offenses who are undergoing court-ordered mental health assessments. It amends Tennessee law in Titles 33, 40, and 52 to establish this new standard for emergency detention.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeMandates automatic detention for specific defendants with high burden to rebut, restricting defendant rights by presuming risk without sufficient evidence.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Courts Probation & Parole

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signed · Tennessee · Senate May 2, 2025

SB 280: Tort Liability and Reform - As enacted, specifies that a law enforcement officer who causes property damage to or inflicts personal injury upon a person during the course of the law enforcement officer's official duties is immune from civil liability if at the time the damage or injury occurred, the person suffering the injury or damage was engaged in conduct that resulted in the person being convicted of the offense of resisting a stop, frisk, halt, arrest, or search of the person. - Amends TCA Title 29 and Title 39.

SB 280 provides legal immunity to Tennessee law enforcement officers who cause property damage or personal injury during official duties, if the injured person was convicted of resisting arrest (under §39-16-602) at the time of the incident. The bill directly affects individuals convicted of resisting arrest, as it prevents them from filing civil lawsuits against officers for injuries or damage sustained during the arrest. Key provisions include exceptions for gross negligence or willful misconduct by officers, and the immunity does not apply to bystanders or others not convicted of resisting arrest. This law changes civil liability standards by shielding officers from lawsuits in specific cases where the injured party was engaged in conduct leading to a resisting arrest conviction.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticePrevents civil lawsuits against officers for injuries during arrests of those convicted of resisting arrest, reducing defendant rights and weakening accountability.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Law Enforcement

in committee · Tennessee · Senate Feb 12, 2025

SB 830: Criminal Offenses - As introduced, specifies that the offense of reckless endangerment includes a person who recklessly discharges a firearm into the air while in a densely populated area; provides that a densely populated area may be proven by evidence of the population of the city or county, housing density in the immediate area of the offense, the number of persons present at the time of the offense, or any other evidence. - Amends TCA Title 39.

SB 830 amends Tennessee's reckless endangerment law (TCA Title 39) to specifically make it a crime to recklessly discharge a firearm into the air in crowded places. It directly affects individuals who point guns toward the sky in areas with many people, such as parks or city centers. The bill defines "densely populated area" using measurable evidence like local population data, housing density, or the number of people present at the time. The law takes effect July 1, 2025.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeExpands criminalization by explicitly defining reckless firearm discharge in crowded areas as a new offense under reckless endangerment.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Firearms

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in committee · Tennessee · House Apr 14, 2025

HB 856: Firearms and Ammunition - As introduced, lowers the standard for the use of deadly force to protect property; specifies that deadly force does not include the display of a weapon, the brandishing of a weapon, or the use of force in circumstances that do not result in death or serious bodily injury. - Amends TCA Title 39.

HB 856 (Tennessee House Bill 856) would amend Tennessee law to lower the standard for using deadly force in property protection cases. It allows deadly force to prevent property crimes like trespass, theft, or burglary if a person reasonably believes other methods would fail or risk death/serious injury to themselves or others. The bill specifically defines "deadly force" to exclude merely displaying or brandishing a weapon, or using force that doesn’t cause death or serious injury. These changes directly affect property owners and law enforcement responding to property-related incidents under Tennessee Code Annotated Sections 39-11-614 and 39-11-106.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeBill explicitly lowers standard for deadly force in property cases, expanding circumstances where deadly force is permitted - contradicting criminal justice reform trends focused on limiting excessive force and protecting civil rights.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Firearms Law Enforcement Policing

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in committee · Tennessee · House May 13, 2025

HB 1352: Sentencing - As enacted, provides that if the victim in an aggravated sexual battery was less than 18 or was mentally defective, mentally incapacitated, or physically helpless, then such battery remains a Class B felony, and the defendant must be punished as a Range II offender; provides that the sentence imposed upon the defendant may, if appropriate, be within Range III but in no case lower than Range II. - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 13, Part 5.

HB 1352 changes Tennessee law to classify aggravated sexual battery as a Class A felony (a more serious offense) when the victim is under 18 years old or is mentally defective, mentally incapacitated, or physically helpless - previously, it was a Class B felony. The bill mandates that defendants in these cases must be sentenced within Tennessee’s Range II sentencing range (the minimum for Class A felonies), though judges may impose a higher Range III sentence if appropriate. This affects all convictions for aggravated sexual battery meeting these victim criteria and takes effect July 1, 2025.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeUpgrades aggravated sexual battery to Class A felony with mandatory minimum Range II sentencing, increasing penalties for vulnerable victims' cases per bill language.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Sentencing

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in committee · Tennessee · Senate Apr 4, 2025

SB 429: Criminal Offenses - As enacted, creates a Class B misdemeanor for knowingly activating and pointing a laser pointer or other device utilizing a laser beam at a person driving an automobile, boat, aircraft, or any other motor vehicle. - Amends TCA Title 39.

SB 429 creates a new Class B misdemeanor offense for knowingly activating and pointing a laser pointer or similar device at someone driving a vehicle (including cars, boats, planes, or other motor vehicles). This law directly affects drivers who may be targeted by laser pointers and individuals who point such devices at them. The key provision makes this act a punishable misdemeanor, with the law taking effect July 1, 2025. It specifically targets laser beams aimed at operators of moving vehicles to address safety risks.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeCreates new Class B misdemeanor for laser pointing at drivers, expanding criminalization of minor offenses without reform focus.90% confidence ✓ TransportationSupports TransportationPrevents laser interference with drivers, enhancing road safety by criminalizing a distraction hazard targeting vehicle operators.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Vehicle Registration

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