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SB0846 • 2026

Tennessee Bureau of Investigation

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 8; Title 10; Title 16; Title 37; Title 38; Title 39; Title 40; Title 41 and Title 55, relative to criminal justice.

Crime Elections
Active

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

Sponsor
Taylor, Scarbrough
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

The official source material does not specify whether the assistant director must be included in submitting the report, so this claim was removed.

Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Reporting Requirements

This bill changes the deadline for submitting annual written reports about narcotics investigations to February 15th each year and updates the name of the committee receiving these reports.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes the deadline for submitting annual written reports about narcotics investigations from 'each year' to February 15th each year.
  • Updates the name of the committee receiving these reports from the 'criminal justice committee of the house of representatives' to the 'committee of the house of representatives with jurisdiction over criminal justice matters'.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
  • Committees in the state legislature responsible for criminal justice matters.

Terms To Know

Narcotics investigations
Investigations into illegal drug activities and related crimes.
Assistant director
A high-ranking official who helps manage a department or division within an organization.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what happens if the report is submitted late.
  • It's unclear how this change will affect other parts of criminal justice reporting requirements in Tennessee.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB1268

Plain English: The amendment adds two new violent criminal courts in the thirtieth judicial district of Tennessee starting September 1, 2026.

  • Adds two additional criminal courts to handle violent crime cases in the thirtieth judicial district starting from September 1, 2026.
  • Establishes a process for appointing judges to these new courts until August 2028 when voters will elect permanent judges.
  • The exact details of how cases will be transferred and managed by the new courts are not fully explained in this amendment text.
Amendment 1-0 to SB0846

Plain English: The amendment adds two new violent criminal courts in the thirtieth judicial district of Tennessee starting September 1, 2026.

  • Adds two additional criminal courts to handle violent crime cases in the thirtieth judicial district starting from September 1, 2026.
  • Establishes a process for appointing judges for these new courts until August 2028 when voters will elect permanent judges.
  • Directs the presiding judge to transfer certain types of criminal cases involving violent offenses to the newly created violent criminal courts.
  • The amendment does not specify all details about how the additional court positions and resources will be managed beyond September 1, 2030.
Amendment 2-0 to SB0846

Plain English: The amendment creates an additional violent criminal court and chancery court in the thirtieth judicial district of Tennessee, with specific terms for appointed judges until elections are held in 2028.

  • Creates one additional violent criminal court and one additional chancery court in the thirtieth judicial district starting September 1, 2026.
  • Appoints a person to serve as judge of each new court from September 1, 2026, until August 2028 general election.
  • Holds elections for judges and chancellors in the thirtieth judicial district at the August 2028 general election.
  • The amendment text does not specify how cases will be transferred to the violent criminal court after September 1, 2026.
  • Details about qualifications and responsibilities of judges are not provided in this amendment.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  2. 2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  3. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  4. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed behind the budget

  5. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  6. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  7. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  8. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 4/7/2026

  9. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  10. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 4/7/2026

  11. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 4/1/2026

  12. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee to 4/1/2026

  13. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee Ayes 8, Nays 1 PNV 0

  14. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor change.

  15. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/24/2026

  16. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Judiciary Committee to 3/24/2026

  17. 2026-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor change.

  18. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/23/2026

  19. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 3/25/2026

  20. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee to 3/25/2026

  21. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 3/18/2026

  22. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee to 3/18/2026

  23. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 3/11/2026

  24. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee to 3/11/2026

  25. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 3/4/2026

  26. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Taken off notice for cal in s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee of Judiciary Committee

  27. 2025-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to General Subcommittee of Senate Judiciary Committee

  28. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/31/2025

  29. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 4/2/2025

  30. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee to 4/2/2025

  31. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 3/26/2025

  32. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee

  33. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Ref. to Judiciary Committee

  34. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  35. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  36. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  37. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  38. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  39. 2025-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Abstract summarizes the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 1268
By Scarbrough

SENATE BILL 846
By Taylor
SB0846
002848
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 8;
Title 10; Title 16; Title 37; Title 38; Title 39; Title
40; Title 41 and Title 55, relative to criminal justice.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 38-6-207, is amended by deleting
"each year" and substituting "by February 15 of each year" and by deleting "criminal justice
committee of the house of representatives" and substituting "committee of the house of
representatives with jurisdiction over criminal justice matters".
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.