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SB0019 • 2026

Attorney General and Reporter

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 8, Chapter 6, relative to investigations by the attorney general and reporter.

Crime
Active

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

Sponsor
Gardenhire, Davis
Last action
2025-04-08
Official status
Effective date(s) 03/25/2025
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide details on enforcement or monitoring mechanisms.

Attorney General's Investigation Authority

This bill changes how the attorney general can investigate and prosecute certain officials in Tennessee.

What This Bill Does

  • Gives the attorney general power to look into whether a judge, chancellor, judicial elected official, or district attorney has broken state laws if there is enough evidence (probable cause).
  • Allows the attorney general to start criminal cases against these officials if doing so would cause conflicts of interest for other prosecutors.
  • Also allows the attorney general to act on reports that show violations of rules about nepotism in government jobs.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Judges, chancellors, judicial elected officials, and district attorneys in Tennessee.

Terms To Know

probable cause
Enough evidence to believe a crime might have happened.
conflict of interest
A situation where someone's personal interests could affect their job duties.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not explain how the changes will be enforced or monitored.
  • It is unclear if this change will lead to more investigations and prosecutions by the attorney general.

Bill History

  1. 2025-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 03/25/2025

  2. 2025-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 58

  3. 2025-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 58

  4. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2025-03-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for action.

  6. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  7. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  8. 2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled and ready for signatures

  9. 2025-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 73, Nays 22, PNV 0

  10. 2025-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Subst. for comp. HB.

  11. 2025-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. SB subst.

  12. 2025-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  13. 2025-03-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 3/10/2025

  14. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 3/6/2025

  15. 2025-02-27 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  16. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee

  17. 2025-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  18. 2025-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate, Ayes 29, Nays 2

  19. 2025-02-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 2/24/2025

  20. 2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 2/26/2025

  21. 2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Judiciary Committee to 2/26/2025

  22. 2025-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee

  23. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 2/19/2025

  24. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  25. 2025-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 2/18/2025

  26. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 2/12/2025

  27. 2025-01-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee

  28. 2025-01-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Ref. to Judiciary Committee

  29. 2025-01-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  30. 2025-01-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C held on desk, pending appointment of Standing Committees

  31. 2025-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  32. 2025-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  33. 2025-01-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  34. 2024-12-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Present law authorizes t
he attorney general to conduct an investigation and initiate the criminal prosecution of any j
udge, chancellor
,
or judicial elected official or district attorney general
if all of the following criteria is met: (i) t
he attorney general receives information sufficient to constitute probable cause to investigate whether any official may have violated
any state criminal law
; (ii) a
decision to prosecute the official by the district attorney general of the district in which the offense occurred or in which a portion of the offense occurred may result in a personal, financial
,
or political conflict of in
terest
, and (iii) t
he attorney general receives a report of a violation of
the prohibition against direct supervision of relatives.

This bill, instead, gives the attorney general such authority to investigate and initiate such criminal prosecution if t
h
e attorney general receives information sufficient to constitute probable cause to investigate whether any
such
official may have violated any state criminal law
and the criteria described in either (ii) or (iii) above are met.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 96
By Davis

SENATE BILL 19
By Gardenhire

SB0019
000539
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 8,
Chapter 6, relative to investigations by the
attorney general and reporter.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 8-6-112(a), is amended by deleting
the subsection and substituting:
(a) The attorney general and reporter has the authority to conduct an
investigation and has the authority to initiate the criminal prosecution of any judge,
chancellor, or judicial elected official, or district attorney general, or both, whenever:
(1) The attorney general and reporter receives information sufficient to
constitute probable cause to investigate whether any official may have violated
any state criminal law; and
(2)
(A) A decision to prosecute the official by the district attorney
general of the district in which the offense occurred or in which a portion
of the offense occurred may result in a personal, financial, or political
conflict of interest; or
(B) The attorney general and reporter receives a report of a
violation of § 8-31-103.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.