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HB2521 • 2026

Firefighters

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 8; Title 38; Title 50 and Title 68, relative to fire prevention.

Labor
Active

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

Sponsor
Vital, Gardenhire
Last action
2026-04-09
Official status
Re-ref. to Cities & Counties Subcommittee
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide details on how the background check information will be used after two years and whether private fire agencies are affected differently than public ones.

Firefighter Background Checks

This bill changes the duration for which employers must keep criminal background check records of firefighters and removes fingerprinting requirements.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes the time period that employers must retain criminal background check records from one year to two years after a firefighter's employment ends or when they leave their position.
  • Removes the requirement for fire protection personnel seeking jobs with public agencies to provide fingerprints for criminal history checks.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Firefighters and volunteer fire protection personnel in Tennessee
  • Employers who hire firefighters

Terms To Know

Background check
A process where an employer checks a person's criminal history before hiring them.
Fire protection personnel
People who work as paid or volunteer firefighters.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how the background check information will be used after two years.
  • It is unclear if this change affects private fire agencies differently than public ones.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB2521

Plain English: The amendment changes how background checks are handled for fire protection personnel in Tennessee.

  • Removes previous requirements and replaces them with new rules about providing work history and personal references for criminal background investigations.
  • Requires employers to pay the costs of conducting these background investigations, but allows employers to ask applicants or employees to reimburse those costs if they choose.
  • The amendment text does not specify what happens if an applicant refuses to provide work history or personal references.
Amendment 1-0 to SB2336

Plain English: The amendment changes how background checks are handled for fire protection personnel in Tennessee.

  • Removes previous requirements and replaces them with new rules about providing work history and personal references for criminal background investigations.
  • Requires employers to pay the costs of conducting these background investigations, but allows employers to ask applicants or employees to reimburse them if they choose.
  • The amendment text does not specify what happens if an applicant refuses to provide work history or personal references.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Re-ref. to Cities & Counties Subcommittee

  2. 2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  3. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  4. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  5. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  6. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  7. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rcvd. from S., held on H. desk.

  8. 2026-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  9. 2026-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 33, Nays 0

  10. 2026-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0588)

  11. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  12. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  13. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/19/2026

  14. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Cities & Counties Subcommittee for 3/18/2026

  15. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Cities & Counties Subcommittee to 3/18/2026

  16. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Cities & Counties Subcommittee for 3/11/2026

  17. 2026-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  18. 2026-03-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Cities & Counties Subcommittee

  19. 2026-03-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Ref. to State & Local Government Committee

  20. 2026-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Commerce and Labor Committee calendar for 3/3/2026

  21. 2026-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Reset on Final calendar of Senate Commerce and Labor Committee

  22. 2026-02-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Commerce and Labor Committee calendar for 2/24/2026

  23. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, caption bill, held on desk - pending amdt.

  24. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Commerce and Labor Committee

  25. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  26. 2026-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  27. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  28. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

ON MARCH 19, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 2336, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 r
ewrites this bill to revise present law concerning background checks for fire protection personnel.

Present law requires fire protection personnel to:

(1) Provide past work history and personal references to be checked by the employer;

(2) Agree to the release of information required for a criminal background investigation by a professional background screening organization or criminal background check services or registry; and

(3) When seeking employment with a public fire agency, supply a fingerprint sample and submit to a criminal history records check to be conducted by the TBI, the FBI, another law enforcement agency, or another legally authorized entity.

Present requires that any cost incurred by the TBI, FBI, professional background screening organization, law enforcement agency, or other legally authorized entity in conducting investigations of fire protection personnel to be paid by the employer; prov
ided, that an employer may require the applicant or employee to reimburse the employer for the costs.

This amendment deletes (3) and provides that a
n employer
is required to
pay any cost incurred in conducting background investigations of fire protection personnel
; provided, that a
n employer may require an applicant or employee to reimburse the employer for such costs.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 2336
By Gardenhire

HOUSE BILL 2521
By Vital
HB2521
011834
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4;
Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 8; Title 38; Title 50 and
Title 68, relative to fire prevention.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 68-102-308(b)(2), is amended by
deleting "plus one (1) year" and substituting "plus two (2) years".
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.