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SB0029 • 2026

Criminal Offenses

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39, relative to disorderly conduct.

Children Crime
Active

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

Sponsor
Pody
Last action
2025-01-15
Official status
Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide information on penalties for other types of disorderly conduct, so the claim about keeping other cases as a Class D felony was removed.

Increasing Penalties for Civil Rights Intimidation

This bill changes Tennessee law to increase penalties for civil rights intimidation if the victim is a minor or a religious leader.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes the penalty for civil rights intimidation from a Class D felony to a Class C felony if the victim was under 18 years old.
  • Increases the penalty for civil rights intimidation to a Class C felony if the victim was selected based on their role as a religious leader, such as a minister or rabbi.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who commit acts that intimidate others because of race, religion, or other protected status
  • Victims under the age of 18 and religious leaders targeted based on their role

Terms To Know

Class C felony
A serious crime with a higher penalty than a Class D felony.
Civil rights intimidation
Acts that threaten or harm someone because of their race, religion, or other protected status.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how the law will be enforced.
  • It is unclear what additional steps are needed before this becomes a law.

Bill History

  1. Date Tennessee General Assembly

  2. 2025-01-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  3. 2025-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  4. 2025-01-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Abstract summarizes the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
<BillNo> <Sponsor>

SENATE BILL 29
By Pody

SB0029
000133
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39,
relative to disorderly conduct.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-17-309, is amended by deleting
subsection (d) and substituting:
(1)
(A) Except as provided in subdivision (d)(1)(B), a violation of subsection
(b) is a Class D felony.
(B) A violation of subsection (b) is a Class C felony if the victim of the
offense was:
(i) A minor under eighteen (18) years of age; or
(ii) Selected by the defendant based on the victim's status as a
minister, preacher, pastor, priest, rabbi, or other spiritual leader of a
religious belief who has been ordained or otherwise designated in
conformity with the customs of a church, temple, or other religious group
or organization.
(2) A violation of subsection (c) is a Class A misdemeanor.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.