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HB0314 • 2026

Treasurer, State

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 29-13-106, relative to criminal injuries compensation.

Enacted

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

Sponsor
Littleton, Haile
Last action
2025-05-13
Official status
Comp. became Pub. Ch. 313
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not specify an effective date for the bill's provisions.

Setting Maximum Compensation for Criminal Injuries

This bill changes how Tennessee calculates and sets the maximum compensation award for victims of criminal injuries based on national averages.

What This Bill Does

  • Sets a new rule that the highest amount of money given to people hurt by crimes in Tennessee must be at least 105% of what other states give, rounded up to the nearest $100.
  • Requires the state treasurer to check this number every three years and update it if needed.
  • Limits how much the maximum award can decrease without approval from certain committees.
  • Makes sure that by June 30, 2025, the new highest amount for claims starting July 1, 2025, is published on a website.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who are victims of crimes in Tennessee and receive compensation from the state.
  • The state treasurer responsible for managing these funds.
  • Committees that oversee financial matters in the Tennessee legislature.

Terms To Know

Criminal Injuries Compensation Act
A law that provides money to people who are hurt by crimes.
State Treasurer
The person in charge of managing the state's financial resources and funds.

Limits and Unknowns

  • Does not specify what happens if a state or territory does not have a clear maximum award limit.
  • Requires approval from certain committees before reducing the compensation amount, but does not detail how this process works.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

Amendment 1-0 to HB0314

Plain English: The amendment changes how the maximum compensation award is calculated and adjusted in Tennessee's criminal injuries compensation program.

  • It sets the initial maximum award at 105% of the national average of similar awards from other states, rounded up to the nearest $100.
  • Starting January 1, 2026, the state treasurer must annually compare Tennessee's maximum award with those of other states and territories, adjusting it if necessary but only after getting approval from certain legislative committees.
  • The amendment specifies that any adjustments made by the state treasurer are not considered rules under Tennessee law.
  • Some parts of the text may be too technical for a full explanation without additional context about current laws and practices.

Bill History

  1. 2025-05-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 313

  2. 2025-05-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 05/02/2025

  3. 2025-05-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 313

  4. 2025-05-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2025-04-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for action.

  6. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  7. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  8. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled and ready for signatures

  9. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Concurred, Ayes 33, Nays 0 (Amendment 1 - HA0375)

  10. 2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Message Calendar for 4/17/2025

  11. 2025-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  12. 2025-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. SB subst.

  13. 2025-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., as am., Ayes 93, Nays 1, PNV 0

  14. 2025-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. adopted am. (Amendment 1 - HA0375)

  15. 2025-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Subst. for comp. HB.

  16. 2025-04-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/14/2025

  17. 2025-04-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  18. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/10/2025

  19. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Calendar & Rules Committee

  20. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 4/9/2025

  21. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  22. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 4/2/2025

  23. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee to 4/2/2025

  24. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 3/26/2025

  25. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee to 3/26/2025

  26. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 3/19/2025

  27. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee to 3/19/2025

  28. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 3/12/2025

  29. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee to 3/12/2025

  30. 2025-02-27 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  31. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 3/5/2025

  32. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee to 3/5/25

  33. 2025-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  34. 2025-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate, Ayes 33, Nays 0

  35. 2025-02-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Consent Calendar 2 for 2/24/2025

  36. 2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 2/26/2025

  37. 2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Meeting Canceled

  38. 2025-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee

  39. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 2/19/2025

  40. 2025-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  41. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  42. 2025-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee

  43. 2025-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Judiciary Committee

  44. 2025-01-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  45. 2025-01-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  46. 2025-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  47. 2025-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

ON APRIL 15, 2025, THE HOUSE SUBSTITUTED SENATE BILL 252 FOR HOU
SE BILL 314, ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1, AND PASSED SENATE BILL 252, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 sets the maximum award of compensation under the
Criminal Injuries Compensation Act of 1976
at
105% of the national average of the maximum compensation award provided
by the 50 states within the United States, the District of Columbia, and the United States Virgin Islands, rounded up to the nearest $100
, instead of stating the legislative intent that 105% of the national average be the minimum amount of the maximum awa
rd.

Retains the present law requirement that the state treasurer compare the maximum award limit annually, but replaces the present law deadline of October 1 of each year with a requirement that the state treasurer publish any adjustment to the limit by
May 1 of the comparison year.

If the maximum award

decreases from the immediately preceding maximum award determination, then
, instead of requiring the state treasurer to adjust the limit to 105% of the national average,

this amendment requires
the state
treasurer
to
obtain the written approval of the chair of the committee on finance, ways and means of the senate and the chair of the committee having jurisdiction over finance, ways, and means in the house of representatives prior to publishing the reduce
d maximum award. If written approval is not obtained prior to the May 1 publication date, then the maximum award must not be decreased.

This amendment requires that, b
y June 30, 2025, the state treasurer shall publish on the department of treasury web
site the maximum compensation award for claims filed for crimes occurring on or after July 1, 2025.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 252
By Haile

HOUSE BILL 314
By Littleton

HB0314
000793
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Section
29-13-106, relative to criminal injuries
compensation.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 29-13-106, is amended by deleting
subsection (h) and substituting:
(h)
(1) It is the intent of the general assembly that the maximum award
pursuant to subsection (e) equal no less than one hundred five percent (105%) of
the national average of the maximum compensation award provided by the fifty
(50) states within the United States, the District of Columbia, and the United
States Virgin Islands.
(2) Beginning January 1, 2026, and every three (3) years thereafter, the
state treasurer shall compare the maximum award limit for this program with the
average of the maximum award limits of the fifty (50) states within the United
States, the District of Columbia, and the United States Virgin Islands. If any of
the states or territories do not have a maximum award limit that is ascertainable
or set in a manner similar to that of Tennessee, then the state treasurer shall
eliminate that state or territory from comparison.
(3) If the state treasurer determines that the maximum is less than one
hundred five percent (105%) of the national average, then the state treasurer
shall adjust the maximum award to an amount equal to one hundred five percent

- 2 - 000793

(105%) of the national average; provided, however, that the maximum award
must be rounded up to the nearest one hundred dollars ($100).
(4) Notwithstanding another law to the contrary, the state treasurer shall
make an adjustment to the maximum award amount by publishing the adjusted
maximum award on the department of treasury website no later than March 1 of
the comparison year. An adjustment made pursuant to this section is effective
on July 1 of the comparison year, and applies to claims filed for crimes occurring
on or after that date. The determination and publication of the adjusted
maximum award by the state treasurer is not a rule as defined in § 4-5-102, and
such actions of the state treasurer are exempt from the Uniform Administrative
Procedures Act, compiled in title 4, chapter 5.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.