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HB1718 • 2026

Correctional Programs

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4; Title 10 and Title 41, relative to body cameras.

Crime Labor
Active

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

Sponsor
Atchley, Hatcher
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 official source material does not provide details about specific costs covered in the study or how it will be conducted.

Body Camera Study for Trousdale Turner Correctional Facility

This bill requires the Tennessee Department of Correction to study and report on the costs of equipping correctional officers and prison contractor employees with body cameras at Trousdale Turner Correctional Facility.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires the department of correction to study the cost of giving body cameras to correctional officers and prison contractor employees who work at Trousdale Turner Correctional Facility.
  • Specifies that the report must be submitted by July 1, 2026.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The Tennessee Department of Correction
  • Correctional officers at Trousdale Turner Correctional Facility
  • Prison contractor employees working at Trousdale Turner Correctional Facility

Terms To Know

Trousdale Turner Correctional Facility
A specific prison in Tennessee where the study will focus on equipping staff with body cameras.
Prison contractors
Private companies that provide correction services to inmates housed at Trousdale Turner Correctional Facility.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how the study will be conducted or what specific costs are included.
  • It is unclear if the findings of the report will lead to any further action beyond reporting.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB1718

Plain English: The amendment requires correctional officers at specific types of correctional facilities to wear body cameras while on duty, with exceptions for breaks, and mandates that footage be reviewed and stored by the department.

  • Correctional officers must use body cameras during their shifts except during breaks when they are not expected to interact with inmates.
  • Prison contractors must cover costs related to body camera procurement, maintenance, and data storage.
  • The department is responsible for reviewing footage within 72 hours of recording and transmitting relevant recordings to the district attorney general or other prosecuting authorities as needed.
  • The amendment text was truncated at the end, so some details about when the act takes effect are missing.
  • Specific training requirements for supervisory officers reviewing body camera footage were not detailed in the provided text.
Amendment 1-0 to SB1820

Plain English: The amendment requires correctional officers at specific facilities to wear body cameras while on duty and mandates that footage be reviewed, stored, and transmitted according to specified guidelines.

  • Correctional officers must use body cameras during their shifts except for breaks when they may interact with inmates.
  • Prison contractors are responsible for providing the necessary body cameras and maintaining them.
  • The department of correction must review footage within 72 hours and transmit relevant recordings to district attorneys or other authorities as needed.
  • The amendment text is truncated, so some details about implementation timelines and full responsibilities are not provided.

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

    Action Def. in s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee to 4/15/2026

  3. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  4. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  5. 2026-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  6. 2026-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  7. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/31/2026

  8. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 3/31/2026

  9. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  10. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  11. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  12. 2026-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  13. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/24/2026

  14. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  15. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  16. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  17. 2026-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Public Service Subcommittee for 3/18/2026

  18. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/17/2026

  19. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  20. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  21. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Public Service Subcommittee

  22. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to State & Local Government Committee

  23. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  24. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  25. 2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  26. 2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  27. 2026-01-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  28. 2026-01-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Abstract summarizes the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 1820
By Hatcher

HOUSE BILL 1718
By Atchley
HB1718
010985
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4;
Title 10 and Title 41, relative to body cameras.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 41, Chapter 24, is amended by adding
the following new section:
(a) The department shall study the cost of equipping correctional officers and
employees of prison contractors with body cameras who work in an adult correctional
facility located:
(1) On public property that houses, in whole or in part, inmates under the
custody of the department for which correction services are provided to such
inmates by a prison contractor; and
(2) In a county that has a metropolitan form of government with a
population of not less than eleven thousand six hundred (11,600) and not more
than eleven thousand six hundred sixteen (11,616), according to the 2020 federal
census or a subsequent federal census.
(b) The department shall report its findings to the chair of the senate state and
local government committee and the chair of the committee of the house of
representatives with jurisdiction over corrections not later than July 1, 2026. The report
may be submitted electronically.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.