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HB0454 • 2026

Correction, Dept. of

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 3; Title 4; Title 8; Title 9; Title 27; Title 29; Title 38; Title 39; Title 40 and Title 41, relative to corrections.

Labor
Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Hurt, Jackson
Last action
2025-04-09
Official status
Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/14/2025
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not provide details on how often the reports must be sent or if it affects existing members of the General Assembly receiving these reports.

Adding Legislative Librarian to Correction Reports

This bill amends Tennessee's laws by adding the legislative librarian as an additional recipient of reports about state correctional facilities submitted to the general assembly.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes a law so that the legislative librarian gets copies of reports about state correctional facilities.
  • Requires this change to take effect immediately after it becomes a law.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The Department of Correction, which prepares the reports.
  • The legislative librarian who will now receive these reports.

Terms To Know

legislative librarian
A person in charge of a library that serves the Tennessee General Assembly, helping lawmakers find information they need.
correctional facilities
Prisons and other places where people who break laws are kept or given punishment by the state.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how often these reports must be sent to the legislative librarian.
  • It is unclear if this change will affect the content of the reports.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB0454

Plain English: The amendment creates a new chapter in Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 3, establishing an Office of Corrections Ombudsman with specific duties and powers.

  • Adds definitions for key terms such as 'agent', 'contractor', 'correctional employee', 'department', 'facilities', 'office', and 'ombudsman'.
  • Establishes the creation of an Office of Corrections Ombudsman with specific duties including investigating complaints, advising the general assembly on correctional system matters, and recommending personnel for office operations.
  • Specifies that the ombudsman must have relevant training or experience in criminal justice, law, corrections, behavioral science, or mental health.
  • The text is truncated at the end, so some details about confidentiality of communications to the office are not fully provided.
  • Further specifics on how the ombudsman's duties will be carried out and enforced are not detailed in this amendment excerpt.
Amendment 1-0 to SB0330

Plain English: The amendment creates an office of corrections ombudsman to investigate complaints about Tennessee's correctional system and provide advice to legislative offices.

  • Establishes the Office of Corrections Ombudsman with authority to investigate complaints from inmates, employees, or their representatives regarding violations of laws, rules, policies, or contractual agreements.
  • Gives the ombudsman the power to advise the Tennessee General Assembly on matters related to corrections and recommend personnel for office operations up to a maximum of ten individuals.
  • Requires the Office of Corrections Ombudsman to maintain public records except for intraoffice memoranda and correspondence with persons receiving services from the office.
  • The amendment text is truncated, so some details about reporting requirements or other duties may be incomplete.

Bill History

  1. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 4/21/2025

  2. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 4/15/2025

  3. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rule #83(8) Suspended, to be heard in Senate Finance, Ways & Means Committee on 4/15/2025

  4. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/14/2025

  5. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed behind the budget

  6. 2025-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  7. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) withdrawn.

  8. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  9. 2025-04-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  10. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/9/2025

  11. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee

  12. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

  13. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Finance, Ways & Means Committee Ayes 9, Nays 0 PNV 0

  14. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 4/2/2025

  15. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate State and Local Government Committee to 4/2/2025

  16. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 4/2/2025

  17. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 4/2/2025

  18. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 4/1/2025

  19. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  20. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate State and Local Government Committee to 4/1/2025

  21. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/26/2025

  22. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/25/2025

  23. 2025-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  24. 2025-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec for pass if am by s/c ref. to State & Local Government Committee

  25. 2025-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  26. 2025-03-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  27. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Departments & Agencies Subcommittee for 3/18/2025

  28. 2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Departments & Agencies Subcommittee

  29. 2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Ref. to State & Local Government Committee

  30. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate State and Local Government Committee

  31. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  32. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, caption bill, held on desk - pending amdt.

  33. 2025-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  34. 2025-01-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  35. 2025-01-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Abstract summarizes the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 330
By Jackson

HOUSE BILL 454
By Hurt

HB0454
002236
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 3;
Title 4; Title 8; Title 9; Title 27; Title 29; Title 38;
Title 39; Title 40 and Title 41, relative to
corrections.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 41-1-114, is amended by removing
the comma after "the general assembly" and inserting "and legislative librarian," immediately
following "the general assembly".
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.