Sentencing

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 40, relative to the sentencing of criminal offenders.

Crime Education

Active

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

Sponsor: Harris
Last action: 2026-02-02
Official status: Withdrawn.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary does not provide details on what happens if community service is not completed.

Sentencing for Criminal Offenders

This bill requires convicted persons to complete community service hours in addition to other punishments.

What This Bill Does

Requires courts to order felony offenders, except those receiving a sentence of death or life without parole, to complete 80 hours of community service.
Requires courts to order misdemeanor offenders (excluding traffic offenses and those punishable by fines only) to complete 40 hours of community service.
Specifies that the community service must be done with approved organizations like nonprofits, government agencies, public schools, or community programs.
Recommends that the completion of community service is documented in writing and submitted for verification before release from probation or parole.

Who It Names or Affects

People convicted of felonies (excluding those receiving a sentence of death or life without parole)
People convicted of misdemeanors (excluding traffic offenses and those punishable by fines only)

Terms To Know

Felony: A serious crime that can result in a prison sentence.
Misdemeanor: A less serious crime than a felony, often punishable by fines or short jail time.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify what happens if the community service is not completed.
It only applies to offenses committed on or after July 1, 2026.

Bill History

Date Tennessee General Assembly
2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly
Withdrawn.
2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly
Intro., P1C.
2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly
Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Abstract summarizes the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

<BillNo> <Sponsor>

HOUSE BILL 2033
By Harris
HB2033
011508
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 40,
relative to the sentencing of criminal offenders.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 40, Chapter 35, Part 3, is amended by
adding the following as a new section:
(a) For acts committed on or after July 1, 2026, the sentencing court shall, in
addition to any other punishment authorized by this chapter or title 39, order the
convicted person to complete community service as follows:
(1) For a person convicted of a felony offense and receiving a sentence
other than a sentence of death, imprisonment for life without the possibility of
parole, or confinement required to be served at one hundred percent (100%)
under § 40-35-501, the sentencing court shall order the convicted person to
complete eighty (80) hours of community service; and
(2) For a person convicted of a misdemeanor offense, other than a
moving or nonmoving traffic offense or any misdemeanor offense punishable by
a fine only, the sentencing court shall order the convicted person to complete
forty (40) hours of community service.
(b) The community service required under subsection (a) must be:
(1) Completed with a nonprofit organization, governmental entity, public
school, or community-based program approved by the court;
(2) Documented in writing by an authorized representative of the service
location; and

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(3) Submitted to the court or the defendant's supervising authority for
verification before the defendant's release from probation or parole.
(c) If the convicted person is sentenced to a period of confinement, then the
community service required under subsection (a) must be a condition of any early
release on parole.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2026, the public welfare requiring it.