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SB1035 • 2026

Criminal Offenses

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39, relative to criminal liability.

Crime Labor
Did Not Pass

The latest official action shows that this bill did not move forward in that session.

Sponsor
Bowling, Eldridge
Last action
2026-03-24
Official status
Failed in Senate Judiciary Committee
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill did not pass and its exact impact is unknown.

Reporting on Employer Punishment for Jury Duty

This bill requires Tennessee's administrative office of the courts to report the number of employers found guilty of firing employees due to jury duty service from January 1, 1990, until January 1, 2025.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires the administrative office of the courts to send a report by October 1, 2025.
  • The report must count how many employers were found guilty for firing employees who did jury duty.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Administrative office of the courts
  • Speakers of the Senate and House of Representatives

Terms To Know

Class A misdemeanor
A type of crime that is less serious than a felony but more serious than other types of misdemeanors.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill did not pass and was stopped in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
  • It does not provide details on how the report should be formatted or what additional information it must include beyond the number of cases.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to SB1035

Plain English: The amendment changes Tennessee law to clarify that threatening to use deadly force is not considered using deadly force unless certain conditions are met and defines what constitutes a violent crime.

  • Threatening to use deadly force will no longer be treated the same as actually using deadly force, except in cases where the arrest involves crimes committed or threatened against the person making the arrest or violent crimes witnessed by them.
  • The definition of 'violent crime' is expanded to include specific offenses such as arson, burglary, carjacking, homicide, kidnapping, robbery, sexual battery, rape, and human trafficking.
  • The amendment text does not specify the exact consequences or penalties for threatening deadly force under new conditions.
  • It is unclear how this change will be enforced in practice by law enforcement agencies.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  2. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Failed in Senate Judiciary Committee

  3. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  4. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  5. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  6. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  7. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  8. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  9. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  10. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  11. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  12. 2026-02-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee

  13. 2026-02-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Ref. to Judiciary Committee

  14. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  15. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  16. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  17. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  18. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  19. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Abstract summarizes the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 989
By Eldridge

SENATE BILL 1035
By Bowling

SB1035
003149
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39,
relative to criminal liability.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. By October 1, 2025, the administrative office of the courts shall report to
the speaker of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives the number of
persons found guilty of the Class A misdemeanor of, as an employer, dismissing from
employment an employee because of jury service by that employee as described in Tennessee
Code Annotated, Section 39-16-514, from January 1, 1990, until January 1, 2025.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.