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HB2369 • 2026

Criminal Procedure

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 38; Title 39 and Title 40, relative to criminal justice.

Crime
Active

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

Sponsor
Doggett, Hensley
Last action
2026-04-14
Official status
Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/14/2026
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary does not provide specific details about how much local revenue will increase or when cities might have to pay for autopsies, leaving these points uncertain.

Changes to Criminal Justice Fees and Penalties

This bill increases monthly fees for defendants under supervision and updates penalties for possessing telecommunication devices in prisons.

What This Bill Does

  • Increases the monthly fee a defendant must pay from $10 to $15 as part of their expenses while under supervision by an agency, department, program, or association.
  • Removes the requirement that illegally possessing a telecommunication device in prison is punished only with a fine and can now include other penalties for this Class E felony.
  • Specifies that when a city or its police request an autopsy, the cost must be paid by the city unless the state pays it.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Defendants who are under supervision after being convicted of a crime.
  • Cities and their law enforcement agencies requesting autopsies.
  • Prison officials dealing with telecommunication devices in prisons.

Terms To Know

Class E felony
A serious criminal offense, but the least severe of five categories of felonies.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how much local revenue will increase for counties where defendants pay less than $15 monthly fees.
  • It is unclear when and how much additional money cities might have to spend on autopsies if they request them.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB2369

Plain English: The amendment changes who pays for autopsies requested by municipalities or municipal law enforcement agencies and increases certain fees.

  • If a municipality or its law enforcement agency requests an autopsy, the cost must be paid by that municipality unless the state covers it.
  • Increases a fee from $45 to $60 in one section of the code.
  • Increases another fee from $35 to $60 in a different section of the code.
  • The amendment text does not specify when or how the state might pay for an autopsy, leaving this detail unclear.
Amendment 1-0 to SB2388

Plain English: This amendment changes the fees for certain criminal justice procedures in Tennessee from $45 to $60 and from $35 to $60.

  • Changes the fee from forty-five dollars ($45.00) to sixty dollars ($60.00) under Section 40-35-303(i)(1).
  • Changes the fee from thirty-five dollars ($35.00) to sixty dollars ($60.00) under Section 40-35-313(a)(1)(A).
  • The amendment does not provide details on which specific criminal justice procedures these fees apply to.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/14/2026

  2. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee

  3. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  4. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Finance, Ways, and Means Committee for 4/14/2026

  5. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

  6. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  7. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  8. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  9. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 4/1/2026

  10. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  11. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  12. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  13. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  14. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  15. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  16. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/23/2026

  17. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  18. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee

  19. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Judiciary Committee

  20. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  21. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  22. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  23. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  24. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Abstract summarizes the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 2388
By Hensley

HOUSE BILL 2369
By Doggett
HB2369
012240
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 38;
Title 39 and Title 40, relative to criminal justice.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 38-7-106, is amended by adding the
following as a new subsection:
(c) In any case where an autopsy is requested by a municipality or municipal law
enforcement agency, the cost of the autopsy must be paid by the municipality, unless
the cost is paid by the state.
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 38-7-109, is amended by adding the
following as a new subsection:
(d) In any case where an autopsy is requested by a municipality or municipal law
enforcement agency, the cost of the autopsy must be paid by the municipality, unless
the cost is paid by the state.
SECTION 3. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 40-35-303(i)(1), is amended by
deleting "ten dollars ($10.00)" and substituting "fifteen dollars ($15.00)".
SECTION 4. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 40-35-313(a)(1)(A), is amended by
deleting "ten dollars ($10.00)" and substituting "fifteen dollars ($15.00)".
SECTION 5. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-16-201, is amended by deleting
subdivision (c)(3) and substituting:
(3) A violation of subdivision (b)(2)(C) is a Class E felony.
SECTION 6. This act takes effect July 1, 2026, the public welfare requiring it.