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SB0271 • 2026

Bonding, Surety and Professional

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 40, relative to bondsmen.

Crime
Active

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

Sponsor
Gardenhire
Last action
2025-02-10
Official status
Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill retains the existing restriction on peace officers, deputies, and county officials from acting as professional bondsmen.

Amending Rules for Professional Bondsmen in Tennessee

This bill changes Tennessee law to add new restrictions on who can be a professional bondsman.

What This Bill Does

  • Adds rules that stop people from being professional bondsmen if they own, operate, or work for certain service providers.
  • Defines these service providers as those with agreements to monitor released defendants using GPS systems.
  • Keeps a special exception for members of the county legislative body.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who want to be professional bondsmen
  • Service providers that monitor released defendants with GPS

Terms To Know

Professional bondsman
A person or company that posts bail for people in court and gets paid if the defendant doesn't show up.
Qualified contract service provider
A business with a special agreement to monitor defendants who are out of jail before their trial using GPS devices.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not explain how the new rules will be enforced.
  • It is unclear what happens if someone breaks these new rules.

Bill History

  1. Date Tennessee General Assembly

  2. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  3. 2025-01-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  4. 2025-01-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Present law provides that i
t is unlawful for a person while serving as a constitutionally elected peace officer, or as such officer's deputy, or
any duly elected or appointed county official to act as a professional bondsman, directly or indirectly.
This bill revises such provision to add that it
is
also
unlawful for a person to act as a professional bondsman, directly or indirectly, while
o
wning
, operating, or being an employee of a qualified contract service provider
that h
as a written agreement with the issuing court that designates specific persons to receive notifications and alerts
by global positioning monitoring systems.

Current Bill Text

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

SENATE BILL 271
By Gardenhire

SB0271
001785
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 40,
relative to bondsmen.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 40-11-313, is amended by deleting
the section and substituting:
(a) It is unlawful for a person to act as a professional bondsman, directly or
indirectly, while:
(1) Serving as a constitutionally elected peace officer, or as such officer's
deputy, or any duly elected or appointed county official; or
(2) Owning, operating, or being an employee of a qualified contract
service provider, as defined in § 40-11-152(a).
(b) Subdivision (a)(1) does not apply to any duly elected member of the county
legislative body.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.