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HB0497 • 2026

Public Employees

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 8, Chapter 7, relative to compensation of public employees.

Labor
Active

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

Sponsor
Atchley, Lowe
Last action
2025-02-05
Official status
P2C, caption bill, held on desk - pending amdt.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The exact penalties and consequences beyond disallowance of expense accounts are not specified.

Five-Day Grace Period for Public Employees' Expense Reports

This bill changes Tennessee law to provide a five-day grace period for assistant district attorneys general and criminal investigators to submit their expense reports after the end of the month.

What This Bill Does

  • Provides a five-day grace period for assistant district attorneys general and criminal investigators to submit their expense accounts without penalty, provided they include an explanation for the delay.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Assistant district attorneys general
  • Criminal investigators

Terms To Know

Expense report
A document that lists the costs a public employee has incurred while doing their job, which they need to submit for payment.
Grace period
Extra time given after a deadline to complete something without facing penalties.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill only affects assistant district attorneys general and criminal investigators.
  • It does not change the rules for other public employees who submit expense reports.

Bill History

  1. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  2. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  3. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  4. 2025-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  5. 2025-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  6. 2025-01-29 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Abstract summarizes the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 724
By Lowe

HOUSE BILL 497
By Atchley

HB0497
000389
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 8,
Chapter 7, relative to compensation of public
employees.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 8-7-202(b), is amended by deleting
the following language:
If any person fails to comply with this section, this expense account shall be
disallowed and the same shall not be paid.
and substituting instead:
If a person fails to comply with this subsection (b), the expense account must not
be paid, unless the assistant district attorney general or criminal investigator,
within five (5) days of the end of the month, submits the expense account with an
explanation for late submission.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect June 30, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.