Rep. John Gillespie

Maddy summaryHB 1483 would create a new civil lawsuit for victims of crimes committed by a defendant while on bail. Specifically, it allows victims to sue the person who posted bail (excluding professional bondsmen or those with a "bailable interest," such as family members, spouses, employers, or legal guardians) for property damage, injury, or death resulting from the defendant's subsequent criminal offense. The bill amends Tennessee law to apply to cases arising on or after July 1, 2026, if enacted. This change would directly affect victims of such crimes and individuals posting bail without falling under the exempt categories.

Maddy summaryHB 1445 creates a state-funded grant program to help local law enforcement agencies recruit officers. It establishes a "law enforcement officer recruitment fund" within the state general fund, targeting cities, counties, or municipalities with 10% or more vacant officer positions. The Department of Finance and Administration will manage the fund, setting application rules, grant criteria, and reporting requirements for agencies seeking funds to cover recruitment costs only. Unspent funds will carry forward annually, but the program requires future legislative appropriations to activate, with the bill taking effect July 1, 2026.

Maddy summaryHB 34 (Tennessee) changes how juvenile court records can be used in adult criminal cases. It permits courts to include juvenile records (like case outcomes and evidence) in pretrial reports used to set bond for certain criminal offenses. The bill also requires judges to consider a defendant's prior juvenile record when assessing their risk of harming the community. This directly affects individuals with past juvenile court involvement who face adult criminal charges, altering how their history influences bond decisions.

Maddy summaryHB 515 requires Tennessee school districts and public charter schools to include state-published information about Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes when sharing health-related updates with parents of K-12 students. Starting August 1, 2025, schools must provide this specific diabetes information, which covers descriptions, risk factors, warning signs, screening processes, and treatment recommendations. The Tennessee Department of Education, working with the Department of Health, must publish this free resource on its website by July 31, 2025, for schools to access and distribute. This bill directly affects school districts, charter schools, and parents of K-12 students by standardizing diabetes health information in school communications.

Maddy summaryHB 307 clarifies that in Tennessee counties with a charter form of government, the sheriff, register, county clerk, assessor of property, and trustee are constitutional officers with defined duties. The bill specifies that the sheriff handles law enforcement and jail management, the register files property documents, the county clerk collects taxes and issues licenses, the trustee manages county funds and property taxes, and the assessor values all property except public utilities. This law directly affects county governments operating under charter systems by formally codifying each officer's responsibilities. The changes take effect immediately upon becoming law, providing clear statutory guidance for these county roles.

Maddy summaryHB 514 requires the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (TACIR) to study how Tennessee's firearm laws impact county-level firearm sales, criminal offenses involving firearms, and self-defense firearm use. The study must identify similarities and differences in these impacts across all counties. TACIR must complete the study and report findings to the legislature by January 1, 2026, with state agencies required to assist. This bill does not change existing firearm laws but mandates a data-driven analysis of their county-level effects.

Maddy summaryHB 308 would allow counties in Tennessee with over 900,000 residents (based on the 2020 census) to raise their local sales tax rate from a maximum of 2.75% to 3.75%. The revenue from this tax increase must be used exclusively for building a new county jail or paying off debt related to jail construction, including principal, interest, and expenses. The higher tax rate would apply for up to eight years or until the jail debt is paid off, whichever comes first. If the debt is paid early, the county must notify the state within 10 days. After the eight-year period or debt payoff, the tax rate would revert to 2.75%.

Maddy summaryHB 341 requires Tennessee law enforcement to collect a biological specimen for DNA analysis from certain convicted offenders within 30 days of sentencing (or before release if incarceration is shorter). It also mandates that agencies submit specimens from deceased offenders previously convicted of qualifying offenses, regardless of conviction date. The bill affects individuals convicted of felonies or specific misdemeanors sentenced to prison or jail. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation will maintain all collected specimens per existing law. The law takes effect July 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 306 requires sheriff, register, county clerk, assessor of property, and trustee offices in Tennessee counties with charter government to independently create and submit their budgets directly to the county legislative body. These offices would gain authority to approve internal budget transfers between personnel and operational-maintenance categories without county approval, while prohibiting the county body from imposing personnel or operational restrictions on them. The bill amends Tennessee Code Annotated Title 5 to establish these budget autonomy rules. It does not affect counties without charter government or other county offices.

Maddy summaryHB 305 requires Tennessee law enforcement agencies to automatically share emergency call data from rental properties (apartments/homes) with registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations. These nonprofits then distribute the data to rental property owners and managers who have signed up to receive it. The goal is to help property owners detect and address escalating crime patterns in their buildings. The bill directly affects law enforcement agencies (mandated to share data), nonprofits (authorized to receive/distribute data), and rental property owners/managers (who can opt in to receive alerts). It does not change criminal penalties or create new offenses.