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HB1986 • 2026

State Inmates

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 40 and Title 41, relative to inmates.

Active

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

Sponsor
Grills, Jackson
Last action
2026-04-02
Official status
Received from House, Passed on First Consideration
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary text does not provide information about inmate furlough notifications, only county expense reimbursement and payment requirements. The official digest text mentions inmate furlough notification but lacks details on county expenses.

Inmate Furlough Notification

This bill requires Tennessee's Department of Correction to notify local police chiefs when an inmate is granted a furlough.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires the department of correction to notify the chief law enforcement officer and the police chief of the city, if any, in which the inmate resides when an inmate is granted a furlough.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Inmates in Tennessee state prisons
  • Local police departments and chiefs

Terms To Know

Furlough
A temporary leave of absence granted to an inmate, usually for a short period.
Department of Correction
The state agency responsible for managing prisons and overseeing inmates.

Limits and Unknowns

  • Does not address county expense reimbursement or how the department will fund these payments.
  • It is unclear if all counties incur significant expenses from criminal prosecutions.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB1986

Plain English: The amendment requires counties to send invoices for criminal prosecution costs to the Department of Correction, which must then pay those costs within sixty days.

  • Counties must provide an invoice to the Department of Correction detailing expenses incurred from a criminal prosecution.
  • The Department of Correction is required to pay these invoiced expenses to the county within sixty days.
  • The amendment does not specify what happens if the Department of Correction fails to pay the invoice within sixty days.
Amendment 1-0 to SB1804

Plain English: The amendment requires counties to send invoices for criminal prosecution costs to the Department of Correction, which must then pay those costs within sixty days.

  • Counties must provide an invoice to the Department of Correction detailing expenses incurred from a criminal prosecution.
  • The Department of Correction is required to pay these invoiced expenses within sixty days.
  • The amendment does not specify what happens if the Department of Correction fails to pay within sixty days.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/14/2026

  2. 2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Received from House, Passed on First Consideration

  3. 2026-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to Sen.

  4. 2026-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  5. 2026-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  6. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., as am., Ayes 96, Nays 0, PNV 0

  7. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. adopted am. (Amendment 1 - HA0790)

  8. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/31/2026

  9. 2026-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 3/30/2026

  10. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 3/26/2026

  11. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/31/2026

  12. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate State and Local Government Committee to 3/31/2026

  13. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/25/2026

  14. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  15. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/25/2026

  16. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate State and Local Government Committee to 3/25/2026

  17. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  18. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/24/2026

  19. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  20. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate State and Local Government Committee to 3/24/2026

  21. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Departments & Agencies Subcommittee for 3/17/2026

  22. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  23. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Departments & Agencies Subcommittee

  24. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to State & Local Government Committee

  25. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  26. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  27. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  28. 2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  29. 2026-01-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

ON MARCH 30, 2026, THE HOUSE
ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED HOUSE BILL 1986, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 rewrites the bill to, instead, provide that a
county incurring expenses pursuant to a criminal prosecution
must
provide an invoice of the expenses imposed on the county to the department of correction. Within 60 days of receiving an invoice, the department
must
pay the amount of the invoiced expenses permitted by law to the county.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 1804
By Jackson

HOUSE BILL 1986
By Grills
HB1986
011422
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 40
and Title 41, relative to inmates.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 41-21-227(e), is amended by
deleting the subsection and substituting instead:
(e) Whenever a furlough is granted to an inmate under the authority of this
section, the department shall notify the chief law enforcement officer of the county and
the police chief of the city, if any, in which the inmate resides that the inmate has been
granted a furlough.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.