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HB0096 • 2026

Attorney General and Reporter

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 8, Chapter 6, relative to investigations by the attorney general and reporter.

Crime
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Davis, Gardenhire
Last action
2025-04-08
Official status
Comp. became Pub. Ch. 58
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not provide details on what happens if no evidence of wrongdoing is found.

Attorney General's Investigation Authority

This bill changes how the attorney general can investigate and prosecute certain officials in Tennessee when there is probable cause of criminal activity or potential conflicts of interest.

What This Bill Does

  • Gives the attorney general power to look into whether a judge, chancellor, or district attorney has broken state laws if there is enough evidence to start an investigation.
  • Allows the attorney general to take legal action against these officials if doing so would cause conflicts of interest for the local prosecutor.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Judges
  • Chancellors
  • District attorneys
  • The Tennessee Attorney General

Terms To Know

Conflict of interest
A situation where someone's personal interests might affect their job responsibilities.
Probable cause
Reasonable grounds to believe that a crime has been committed and an investigation is needed.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what happens if the attorney general finds no evidence of wrongdoing.
  • It's unclear how this change will affect current investigations or prosecutions.

Bill History

  1. 2025-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 58

  2. 2025-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 03/25/2025

  3. 2025-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 58

  4. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2025-03-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for action.

  6. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  7. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  8. 2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled and ready for signatures

  9. 2025-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. SB subst.

  10. 2025-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  11. 2025-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 73, Nays 22, PNV 0

  12. 2025-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Subst. for comp. HB.

  13. 2025-03-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 3/10/2025

  14. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 3/6/2025

  15. 2025-02-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rcvd. from S., held on H. desk.

  16. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee

  17. 2025-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  18. 2025-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate, Ayes 29, Nays 2

  19. 2025-02-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 2/24/2025

  20. 2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 2/26/2025

  21. 2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Judiciary Committee to 2/26/2025

  22. 2025-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee

  23. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 2/19/2025

  24. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to Judiciary Committee

  25. 2025-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 2/18/2025

  26. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 2/12/2025

  27. 2025-01-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee

  28. 2025-01-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Ref. to Judiciary Committee

  29. 2025-01-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C held on desk, pending appointment of Standing Committees

  30. 2025-01-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  31. 2025-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  32. 2025-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  33. 2025-01-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  34. 2024-12-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Present law authorizes t
he attorney general to conduct an investigation and initiate the criminal prosecution of any j
udge, chancellor
,
or judicial elected official or district attorney general
if all of the following criteria is met: (i) t
he attorney general receives information sufficient to constitute probable cause to investigate whether any official may have violated
any state criminal law
; (ii) a
decision to prosecute the official by the district attorney general of the district in which the offense occurred or in which a portion of the offense occurred may result in a personal, financial
,
or political conflict of in
terest
, and (iii) t
he attorney general receives a report of a violation of
the prohibition against direct supervision of relatives.

This bill, instead, gives the attorney general such authority to investigate and initiate such criminal prosecution if t
h
e attorney general receives information sufficient to constitute probable cause to investigate whether any
such
official may have violated any state criminal law
and the criteria described in either (ii) or (iii) above are met.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 19
By Gardenhire

HOUSE BILL 96
By Davis

HB0096
000539
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 8,
Chapter 6, relative to investigations by the
attorney general and reporter.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 8-6-112(a), is amended by deleting
the subsection and substituting:
(a) The attorney general and reporter has the authority to conduct an
investigation and has the authority to initiate the criminal prosecution of any judge,
chancellor, or judicial elected official, or district attorney general, or both, whenever:
(1) The attorney general and reporter receives information sufficient to
constitute probable cause to investigate whether any official may have violated
any state criminal law; and
(2)
(A) A decision to prosecute the official by the district attorney
general of the district in which the offense occurred or in which a portion
of the offense occurred may result in a personal, financial, or political
conflict of interest; or
(B) The attorney general and reporter receives a report of a
violation of § 8-31-103.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.