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HB1372 • 2026

Criminal Offenses

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39, Chapter 11; Title 39, Chapter 12; Title 39, Chapter 13; Title 39, Chapter 14; Title 40, Chapter 24; Title 40, Chapter 35 and Title 40, Chapter 39, relative to criminal offenses.

Crime
Active

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

Sponsor
Hulsey, Akbari
Last action
2026-04-13
Official status
Engrossed; ready for transmission to Sen.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official summary does not provide details on the exact impact on current cases or ongoing investigations, leaving this as an open question.

Changes to Criminal Offenses in Tennessee

This bill removes criminal responsibility for aiding or facilitating certain crimes and changes the definition of first-degree murder.

What This Bill Does

  • Eliminates criminal responsibility when someone aids another person commit a crime without intending to benefit from it.
  • Removes specific sections that define criminal responsibility for conduct of another person.
  • Changes the definition of first-degree murder by removing certain killings committed during other crimes from being automatically considered first-degree murder.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who might be charged with a crime because they helped someone else commit it without intending to benefit from it.
  • Those accused of first-degree murder if their actions were part of committing another crime.

Terms To Know

Criminal responsibility
The legal accountability for a criminal act, even if you did not directly commit it but helped or encouraged someone else to do so.
Felony
A serious crime that is punishable by imprisonment for more than one year or death.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how the changes will affect current cases or ongoing investigations.
  • It's unclear what specific impact this legislation will have on incarceration rates and costs in Tennessee.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB1372

Plain English: The amendment changes part of Tennessee law about helping someone else commit a crime.

  • Changes how a person can be held responsible for another's criminal actions by specifying that they must act with intent to promote, assist, or benefit from the offense.
  • The amendment text does not provide details on what specific offenses are covered under this change.
  • It is unclear how this amendment will be applied in practice without more context about existing laws and definitions.
Amendment 1-0 to SB1170

Plain English: The amendment changes part of Tennessee law about criminal offenses by altering how someone can be held responsible for helping another person commit a crime.

  • Removes and replaces subdivision (2) in Section 39-11-402 of the Tennessee Code Annotated, which deals with aiding or soliciting others to commit crimes.
  • The exact details of how this change will affect criminal cases are not explained in the amendment text.
  • It is unclear what specific behaviors were covered under the old subdivision (2) that have been altered by this amendment.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to Sen.

  2. 2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., as am., Ayes 95, Nays 0, PNV 0

  3. 2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. adopted am. (Amendment 1 - HA1058)

  4. 2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/13/2026

  5. 2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  6. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/9/2026

  7. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  8. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  9. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  10. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  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

    Refer to Senate Calendar Committee

  13. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recalled from Senate Finance, Ways & Means Committee

  14. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee Ayes 8, Nays 0 PNV 1

  15. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor change.

  16. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  17. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/25/2026

  18. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Judiciary Committee to 3/25/2026

  19. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/24/2026

  20. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Judiciary Committee to 3/24/2026

  21. 2026-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rule #83(8) Suspended, to be heard in Senate Judiciary Committee on 3/23/2026

  22. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  23. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Def. to Special Calendar to be Published with Final Calendar in Criminal Justice Subcommittee

  24. 2026-01-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 2/4/2026

  25. 2026-01-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Meeting Canceled

  26. 2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 1/28/2026

  27. 2025-07-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 8/14/2025

  28. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee to First Calendar of 2026

  29. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Deferred to Summer Study

  30. 2025-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  31. 2025-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  32. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  33. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  34. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  35. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  36. 2025-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  37. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  38. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  39. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee

  40. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Judiciary Committee

  41. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  42. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  43. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  44. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  45. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Under present law, a person is criminally responsible for an offense committed by the conduct of another, if:

(1) Acting with the culpability required for the offense, the person causes or aids an innocent or irresponsible person to engage in conduct prohibited by the definition of the offense;

(2) Acting with intent to promote or assist the commission of the offense, or to benefit in the proceeds or results of the offense, the person solicits, directs, aids, or attempts to aid another person to commit the offense; or

(3) Having a duty imposed by law or voluntarily undertaken to prevent commission of the offense and acting with intent to benefit in the proceeds or results of the offense, or to promote or assist its commission, the person fails to make a reasonable ef
fort to prevent commission of the offense.

Also under present law, a person is criminally responsible for the facilitation of a felony, if, knowing that another intends to commit a specific felony, but without the intent required for criminal responsibility, the person knowingly furnishes substan
tial assistance in the commission of the felony. The facilitation of the commission of a felony is an offense of the class next below the felony facilitated by the person so charged.

This bill eliminates criminal responsibility for the conduct of another as described in (1)
–
(3), as well as criminal responsibility for the facilitation of a felony.

This bill removes from the present law definition of first degree murder a killing of another committed in the perpetration of or attempt to perpetrate any first degree murder, arson, robbery, burglary, theft, kidnapping, aggravated abuse of an elderly o
r vulnerable adult, aggravated neglect of an elderly or vulnerable adult, aggravated child abuse, aggravated child neglect, or aircraft piracy.

ON APRIL 13, 2026, THE HOUSE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED HOUSE BILL 1372, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1
rewrites the bill to, instead, provide that a person is criminally responsible for an offense committed by the conduct of another if, acting with intent to benefit in the proceeds or results of the offense, the person solicits, directs, aids, or attempts
to aid another person to commit the offense.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 1170
By Akbari

HOUSE BILL 1372
By Hulsey
HB1372
002626
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39,
Chapter 11; Title 39, Chapter 12; Title 39, Chapter
13; Title 39, Chapter 14; Title 40, Chapter 24; Title
40, Chapter 35 and Title 40, Chapter 39, relative
to criminal offenses.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-11-402, is amended by deleting
the section.
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-11-403, is amended by deleting
the section.
SECTION 3. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-13-202(a), is amended by
deleting subdivision (a)(2).
SECTION 4. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-13-202(b), is amended by
deleting the language "(a)(2)-(5)" and substituting "(a)(3)-(5)".
SECTION 5. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-13-202(c)(1), is amended by
deleting the language "subdivisions (a)(1)-(5)" and substituting "subsection (a)".
SECTION 6. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-12-105(c), is amended by
deleting the language "or as an accomplice under § 39-11-402".
SECTION 7. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-12-301(1), is amended by
deleting the language ", § 39-11-402, or § 39-11-403".
SECTION 8. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-14-149, is amended by deleting
subdivision (a)(7).
SECTION 9. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-14-408(c)(2), is amended by
deleting the language "is a principal under § 39-11-402 and".

- 2 - 002626

SECTION 10. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 40-24-108(b)(2)(N), is amended by
deleting the language "Criminal responsibility under § 39-11-402(2) for facilitating the
commission under § 39-11-403 of, or being" and substituting instead the language "Being".

SECTION 11. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 40-35-321(e)(3), is amended by
deleting subdivisions (O) and (P).
SECTION 12. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 40-39-202, is amended by deleting
subdivisions (20)(A)(xiii), (20)(A)(xiv), (31)(S), and (31)(T).
SECTION 13. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 40-39-301(2)(C), is amended by
deleting the language "Criminal responsibility under § 39-11-402(2) for facilitating the
commission under § 39-11-403 of, or being" and substituting instead the language "Being".
SECTION 14. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 40-35-124(a)(11), is amended by
deleting the subdivision.
SECTION 15. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.