Criminal Offenses

Plain English Breakdown

The candidate explanation includes speculative claims about the impact of the law that are not supported by the official source material.

Law to Protect First Responders from Dangerous Drugs

This bill makes it a serious crime for someone who has dangerous drugs like fentanyl to put first responders at risk of getting seriously injured or killed while they are doing their job.

What This Bill Does

• Creates a new law that says it is a felony (a very serious crime) when someone with certain dangerous drugs puts a first responder at risk of getting seriously injured or killed on the job.
• Defines 'expose' as coming into direct contact with a drug by touching, eating, drinking, or breathing it in.
• Sets mandatory fines and jail time for people who break this new law: $15,000 fine and 90 days in jail at minimum.
• Does not allow anyone caught under this law to be let out of jail early before serving the full 90-day sentence.

Who It Names or Affects

• People who have dangerous drugs like fentanyl or similar substances
• First responders such as police officers, firefighters, and paramedics

Terms To Know

Class C felony

A very serious crime that has a long prison sentence and high fines.

Mandatory minimum sentence

The shortest amount of time someone must spend in jail as punishment for breaking the law, which cannot be reduced by judges or other officials.

Limits and Unknowns

• Does not specify what happens if a first responder is exposed but does not get seriously injured.
• Does not explain how this new law will affect existing laws about dangerous drugs.
• The bill has not yet been signed into law and needs more steps before it becomes official.

Official Summary Text

This bill creates the offense of aggravated assault against a first responder for a person who knowingly possess fentanyl, carfentanil, remifentanil, alfentanil, thiafentanil, or a fentan
yl analogue, in a manner that would be reasonably foreseen to expose a first responder to the substance while the first responder is discharging or attempting to discharge the first responder's official duties and the first responder is exposed to the sub
s
tance resulting in serious bodily injury to the first responder or the death of the first responder.

A violation of this offense is a Class C felony, punishable by a mandatory fine of $15,000 and a mandatory minimum sentence of 90 days incarceration. Ad
ditionally, a defendant is not eligible for release from confinement until the defendant has served the entire 90 day mandatory minimum sentence.

Current Bill Text

HOUSE BILL 143
By Zachary

SENATE BILL 120
By Lowe

SB0120
000541
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39,
relative to criminal offenses involving controlled
substances.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-13-116, is amended by adding
the following new subsection:
(e)
(1) A person commits aggravated assault against a first responder, who
knowingly possesses fentanyl, carfentanil, remifentanil, alfentanil, thiafentanil, or
a fentanyl analogue, in a manner that would be reasonably foreseen to expose a
first responder to the substance while the first responder is discharging or
attempting to discharge the first responder's official duties and the first responder
is exposed to the substance resulting in:
(A) Serious bodily injury to the first responder; or
(B) The death of the first responder.
(2) As used in this subsection (e), "expose" means to come into direct
contact with a substance by touch, ingestion, or inhalation.
(3) Aggravated assault under this subsection (e) is a Class C felony,
punishable by a mandatory fine of fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000) and a
mandatory minimum sentence of ninety (90) days incarceration. The defendant
is not eligible for release from confinement until the defendant has served the
entire ninety-day mandatory minimum sentence.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.