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HB0920 • 2026

Criminal Procedure

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 40, relative to criminal justice.

Crime
Active

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

Sponsor
Scarbrough, Harshbarger
Last action
2026-04-08
Official status
Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/14/2026
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary does not provide details on report formatting or consequences for late submissions.

Changing Report Submission Date for Criminal Justice Evaluation

This bill changes the deadline from April 1 to April 15 each year for county legislative bodies to submit reports on judicial commissioners' performance to criminal court judges and relevant committees.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes the date by which county legislative bodies must send a report on how judicial commissioners are doing their job.
  • Moves the submission deadline from April 1 to April 15 each year.

Who It Names or Affects

  • County legislative bodies
  • Judges of general sessions criminal courts
  • Legislative committees with authority over criminal matters

Terms To Know

judicial commissioners
People appointed to help judges handle certain tasks in the court system.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what happens if a report is submitted late.
  • It only changes one specific date and does not affect other parts of criminal justice procedures.
  • There are no details on how the reports should be formatted or what information they must contain.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB0920

Plain English: The amendment changes Tennessee law by setting a minimum bail amount and restricting certain types of release for defendants charged with specific serious crimes.

  • Removes personal recognizance or unsecured bond options for defendants charged with Class A felonies, Class B felonies, aggravated assault, aggravated assault against a law enforcement officer or first responder, and felony domestic assault.
  • Establishes a rebuttable presumption that bail must be set at $10,000 or more for these offenses to ensure the defendant's appearance in court and community safety.
  • The amendment text does not specify all possible scenarios where bail might be adjusted below $10,000, only that it requires specific findings by a judge to do so.
Amendment 1-0 to SB0900

Plain English: The amendment changes Tennessee law by setting a minimum bail amount and restricting certain types of release for defendants charged with specific serious crimes.

  • Removes personal recognizance or unsecured bond options for defendants charged with Class A felonies, Class B felonies, aggravated assault, aggravated assault against a law enforcement officer or first responder, and felony domestic assault.
  • Establishes a rebuttable presumption that bail must be set at $10,000 or more for these offenses to ensure the defendant's appearance in court and community safety.
  • The amendment does not specify all details about how courts will handle cases where the $10,000 minimum is challenged.
  • It is unclear what specific conditions of release other than bail might be imposed by magistrates.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/14/2026

  2. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed behind the budget

  3. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee Ayes 7, Nays 2 PNV 0

  4. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/8/2026

  5. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  6. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  7. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 4/7/2026

  8. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  9. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 4/7/2026

  10. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 4/8/2026

  11. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 4/1/2026

  12. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee to 4/1/2026

  13. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 3/25/2026

  14. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee to 3/25/2026

  15. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 3/18/2026

  16. 2026-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor change.

  17. 2026-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) withdrawn.

  18. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee

  19. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Ref. to Judiciary Committee

  20. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  21. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  22. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  23. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  24. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  25. 2025-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Abstract summarizes the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 900
By Harshbarger

HOUSE BILL 920
By Scarbrough
HB0920
002651
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 40,
relative to criminal justice.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 40-1-111(a)(1)(D)(iii), is amended by
deleting "April 1" and substituting "April 15".
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.