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SB0261 • 2026

Prisons and Reformatory Institutions

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 3; Title 4; Title 40 and Title 41, relative to corrections oversight.

Crime Labor
Active

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

Sponsor
Pody, Hulsey
Last action
2026-04-14
Official status
Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 4/21/2026
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Prison Report Requirements

This bill requires Tennessee's Department of Correction to create and submit reports about inmates who earned sentence reduction credits.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires the Department of Correction to work with the inmate disciplinary oversight board.
  • Creates a report that lists how many inmates got sentence reduction credits.
  • Sends this report to legislative committees.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The Tennessee Department of Correction
  • Inmates in Tennessee prisons who earn sentence reduction credits

Terms To Know

Sentence Reduction Credits
Points or rewards that inmates can earn to reduce their time in prison.
Legislative Committees
Groups within the state government that look at specific topics and make recommendations.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how often these reports must be made.
  • It is unclear what consequences there are if the report is not submitted on time.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB0447

Plain English: The amendment creates an office within the corrections board that will oversee investigations and conduct in Tennessee's correctional facilities.

  • Establishes the Office of Investigations and Conduct under the Corrections Board with investigative powers over all state-run correctional facilities, excluding private prisons.
  • Appoints a director of investigations who must be approved by the joint government operations committee.
  • Requires the director to appoint special agents in charge for each grand division, special agents, institutional investigators, correctional sergeants and corporals, disciplinary board sergeants, and an administrative assistant.
  • Gives full law enforcement powers to the office's employees, including access to all department records.
  • The amendment text does not specify how existing employees will be transferred or what happens if there are insufficient qualified candidates among current staff.
Amendment 1-0 to SB0261

Plain English: The amendment creates an office within the corrections system to handle investigations and conduct oversight with specific roles and responsibilities.

  • Establishes the Office of Investigations and Conduct under the board, with an executive director who appoints a director of investigations.
  • Requires the director of investigations to hire special agents in charge for each grand division, special agents, institutional investigators, correctional sergeants, corporals, disciplinary board sergeants, and administrative assistants.
  • Gives full law enforcement powers to the director of investigations, special agents in charge, and special agents, including access to all department records.
  • The amendment text does not specify how existing employees will be transferred or details about their previous roles.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 4/21/2026

  2. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/14/2026

  3. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed behind the budget

  4. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  5. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  6. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  7. 2026-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  8. 2026-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  9. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee Ayes 9, Nays 0 PNV 0

  10. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/25/2026

  11. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  12. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  13. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/25/2026

  14. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate State and Local Government Committee to 3/25/2026

  15. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/24/2026

  16. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  17. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate State and Local Government Committee to 3/24/2026

  18. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  19. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/17/2026

  20. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Departments & Agencies Subcommittee for 3/17/2026

  21. 2026-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Taken off notice for cal in s/c Departments & Agencies Subcommittee of State & Local Government Committee

  22. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Departments & Agencies Subcommittee for 2/3/2026

  23. 2026-01-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Meeting Canceled

  24. 2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Departments & Agencies Subcommittee for 1/27/2026

  25. 2025-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate State and Local Government Committee to first calendar of 2026

  26. 2025-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Departments & Agencies Subcommittee to First Calendar of 2026

  27. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Departments & Agencies Subcommittee for 3/18/2025

  28. 2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/18/2025

  29. 2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Taken off notice for cal in s/c Departments & Agencies Subcommittee of State & Local Government Committee

  30. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Departments & Agencies Subcommittee for 3/11/2025

  31. 2025-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate State and Local Government Committee to 3/18/2025

  32. 2025-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Departments & Agencies Subcommittee

  33. 2025-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Ref. to State & Local Government Committee

  34. 2025-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/4/2025

  35. 2025-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  36. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate State and Local Government Committee

  37. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  38. 2025-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  39. 2025-01-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  40. 2025-01-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  41. 2025-01-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Abstract summarizes the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 447
By Hulsey

SENATE BILL 261
By Pody

SB0261
001812
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 3;
Title 4; Title 40 and Title 41, relative to corrections
oversight.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 41-21-236, is amended by adding
the following as a new subsection:
( ) The department, in consultation with the inmate disciplinary oversight board,
shall compose a report detailing the number of inmates who earned sentence reduction
credits under this section and shall submit the report to the senate judiciary committee
and the committee of the house of representatives with jurisdiction over subject matters
pertaining to criminal sentencing.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.