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HB0679 • 2026

Sexual Offenses

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 29; Title 38 and Title 39, relative to sexual assault.

Children Crime Healthcare Parental Rights
Active

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

Sponsor
Freeman, Roberts
Last action
2026-03-23
Official status
Effective date(s) 03/18/2026
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide details about how increased compensation will be funded beyond FY25-26 and subsequent years.

Sexual Assault Forensic Examinations and TBI Reporting

This bill increases compensation for forensic medical examinations in sexual assault cases and sets new requirements for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) to process evidence kits.

What This Bill Does

  • Increases the maximum amount of compensation from $1,000 to $2,500 for forensic medical examinations performed on or after July 1, 2025.
  • Requires the TBI to perform serology or DNA analysis on sexual assault evidence collection kits within 120 days of receiving them from law enforcement agencies.
  • If the TBI cannot complete analysis within 120 days, it must flag the kit and provide a written explanation for the delay.
  • Removes the requirement for parental consent when minors are victims needing forensic medical examinations.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Victims of sexually oriented crimes
  • Healthcare providers who perform forensic medical exams
  • The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI)
  • Law enforcement agencies

Terms To Know

Serology
A branch of biology that deals with the study of blood serum and body fluids.
DNA analysis
The process of examining DNA to identify genetic patterns or variations.

Limits and Unknowns

  • It is unclear how the increased compensation will be funded beyond FY25-26 and subsequent years.
  • The bill does not specify what constitutes a 'reasonable time' for analyzing flagged evidence kits.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB0679

Plain English: This amendment changes Tennessee laws to allow minor victims of sexual crimes to get medical exams without needing their parent's or guardian's permission and requires a report on how long it takes for forensic analysis in certain crime cases.

  • Allows minors who are victims of sexual crimes to receive forensic medical examinations without the consent of a parent or guardian.
  • Requires the bureau to submit an annual report by January 1, 2026, detailing the time taken for forensic analysis of evidence in specific criminal cases.
  • The exact details on how the new reporting requirements will be implemented are not provided.
Amendment 1-0 to SB0920

Plain English: This amendment changes Tennessee laws to allow minor victims of sexual crimes to get medical exams without needing their parent's or guardian's permission and requires a report on how long it takes for forensic analysis in certain cases.

  • Allows minors who are victims of sexual crimes to receive forensic medical examinations without the consent of a parent or guardian.
  • Requires the bureau to submit an annual report by January 1, 2026, detailing processing times for forensic analysis of evidence in specific criminal cases.
  • The amendment text does not specify which 'bureau' is required to provide the report or how it will be used.
  • It's unclear what specific offenses under Title 39, Chapter 13, Part 5 are covered by the forensic analysis requirement.
Amendment 2-0 to SB0920

Plain English: This amendment changes Tennessee law so that minors who are victims of sexual crimes do not need their parent's or guardian's permission to get a medical exam.

  • Adds new subdivision (b)(2) to Section 39-13-519 of the Tennessee Code Annotated, which removes the requirement for parental or guardian consent when a minor victim needs a forensic medical examination after a sexually oriented crime.
  • The amendment text does not specify what happens if there is no parent or guardian available to give consent.
  • It's unclear how this change will be implemented and enforced in practice.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 03/18/2026

  2. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 597

  3. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 597

  4. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for his action.

  6. 2026-03-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  7. 2026-03-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  8. 2026-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled; ready for sig. of H. Speaker.

  9. 2026-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. concurred in S. am. no. 2 Ayes 91, Nays 0 PNV 0 HB0679

  10. 2026-03-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Message Calendar for 3/5/2026

  11. 2026-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  12. 2026-02-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 30, Nays 1

  13. 2026-02-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 2 - SA 0484)

  14. 2026-02-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  15. 2026-02-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 2/23/2026

  16. 2026-02-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 9, Nays 0 PNV 0

  17. 2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 2/17/2026

  18. 2026-01-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor change.

  19. 2025-04-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  20. 2025-04-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Re-refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  21. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Amendment withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - SA0348)

  22. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate substituted House Bill for companion Senate Bill.

  23. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Companion House Bill substituted

  24. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/21/2025

  25. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Received from House, Passed on First Consideration

  26. 2025-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to Sen.

  27. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., as am., Ayes 94, Nays 0, PNV 0

  28. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. adopted am. (Amendment 1 - HA0272)

  29. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  30. 2025-04-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/7/2025

  31. 2025-04-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  32. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/3/2025

  33. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  34. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 8, Nays 0 PNV 0

  35. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 4/2/2025

  36. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Judiciary Committee to 4/2/2025

  37. 2025-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 4/1/2025

  38. 2025-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Judiciary Committee to 4/1/2025

  39. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 4/2/2025

  40. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  41. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  42. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/31/2025

  43. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Judiciary Committee to 4/1/2025

  44. 2025-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/25/2025

  45. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  46. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  47. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/24/2025

  48. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  49. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  50. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee

  51. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  52. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Judiciary Committee

  53. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  54. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  55. 2025-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Present law provides that a victim of a sexually-oriented crime is entitled to forensic medical examinations without charge to the victim. No bill for the examination must be submitted to the victim, nor must the medical facility hold the victim respons
ible for payment. All claims for forensic medical examinations are eligible for payment from the criminal injuries compensation fund. The amount of compensation that may be awarded must not exceed $1,000 and must constitute full compensation to the heal
th
care provider that provided service. This bill increases the maximum amount of compensation to $2,500 for claims for compensation for forensic medical examinations performed on or after July 1, 2025.

TENNESSEE BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION

Until January 1, 2025, present law requires the Tennessee bureau of investigation ("TBI") to provide quarterly updates on the bureau's efforts to hire and train employees within the forensic services division and the average amount of time taken to perfo
rm forensic analysis on evidence in cases involving sexual offenses, to the judiciary committee of the senate and the criminal justice committee of the house of representatives.

This bill removes this provision and, instead, requires the TBI to perform serology or DNA analysis on a sexual assault evidence collection kit within 120 days of the bureau's receipt of the sexual assault evidence collection kit from a law enforcement a
gency. If the TBI is unable to perform serology or DNA analysis on a sexual assault evidence collection kit within such 120-day period, then the TBI must flag the sexual assault evidence collection kit in the electronic tracking system and provide the su
bm
itting law enforcement agency with a written explanation for the delay in analysis. Additionally, a sexual assault evidence collection kit that has been flagged pursuant to this bill must be analyzed within a reasonable time thereafter.

This bill provides that the TBI's inability to perform serology or DNA analysis on a sexual assault evidence collection kit within the timeframe required by this bill does not limit the admissibility of evidence obtained from the sexual assault evidence
collection kit and is not a ground for challenging the validity of any analysis performed by the bureau of evidence obtained from the sexual assault evidence collection kit.

The provisions above apply to sexual assault evidence collection kits received by the TBI on or after July 1, 2025.

ON APRIL 7, 2025, THE HOUSE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED HOUSE BILL 679, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 rewrites this bill to specify that, notwithstanding present law requiring parental consent for the treatment of minors, when the victim of a sexually oriented crime is a minor, the consent of a parent or guardian is not required for the vict
im to receive a forensic medical examination.

By January 1, 2026, this amendment requires the TBI to submit a report to the judiciary and finance, ways and means committees of the senate and the committees of the house of representatives having jurisdiction over criminal justice matters and finance,
ways, and means matters detailing the processing times over the previous 12 months for the bureau's forensic analysis of evidence in cases involving sexual offenses.

ON APRIL 21, 2025, THE SENATE SUBSTITUTED HOUSE BILL 679 FOR SENATE BILL 920 AND REFERRED HOUSE BILL 679 TO THE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE.

ON FEBRUARY 23, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #2 AND PASSED HOUSE BILL 679, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #2 removes the requirement that the bureau submit a report to legislative committees detailing the processing times over the previous 12 months for the bureau's forensic analysis of evidence in cases involving sexual offenses.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 920
By Roberts

HOUSE BILL 679
By Freeman
HB0679
002697
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 29;
Title 38 and Title 39, relative to sexual assault.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 29-13-118(d), is amended by
deleting "one thousand dollars ($1,000)" and substituting "two thousand five hundred dollars
($2,500)".
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 38-6-113, is amended by deleting
subsection (e) and substituting:
(e)
(1) The bureau shall perform serology or DNA analysis on a sexual
assault evidence collection kit within one hundred twenty (120) days of the
bureau's receipt of the sexual assault evidence collection kit from a law
enforcement agency.
(2)
(A) If the bureau is unable to perform serology or DNA analysis
on a sexual assault evidence collection kit within one hundred twenty
(120) days pursuant to subdivision (e)(1), then the bureau shall flag the
sexual assault evidence collection kit in the electronic tracking system
and provide the submitting law enforcement agency with a written
explanation for the delay in analysis.
(B) A sexual assault evidence collection kit that has been flagged
pursuant to subdivision (e)(2)(A) must be analyzed within a reasonable
time thereafter.

- 2 - 002697

(3) As used in this section, "sexual assault evidence collection kit" has
the same meaning as defined in § 39-13-519.
(4) The bureau's inability to perform serology or DNA analysis on a
sexual assault evidence collection kit within the timeframe required by
subdivision (e)(1) does not limit the admissibility of evidence obtained from the
sexual assault evidence collection kit and is not a ground for challenging the
validity of any analysis performed by the bureau of evidence obtained from the
sexual assault evidence collection kit.
SECTION 3. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it. Section 1
of this act applies to claims for compensation for forensic medical examinations performed on or
after July 1, 2025. Section 2 of this act applies to sexual assault evidence collection kits
received by the Tennessee bureau of investigation on or after July 1, 2025.