KLS Keeping Law Simple Legislation in plain English

Straight-ahead summaries built from the official bill text. We keep the source links front and center and leave the decision up to you.

Back to Tennessee

SB1170 • 2026

Criminal Offenses

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39, Chapter 11; Title 39, Chapter 12; Title 39, Chapter 13; Title 39, Chapter 14; Title 40, Chapter 24; Title 40, Chapter 35 and Title 40, Chapter 39, relative to criminal offenses.

Crime
Active

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

Sponsor
Akbari, Hulsey
Last action
2026-04-14
Official status
Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/16/2026
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary and text do not provide specific details on how the removals will impact existing laws or court rulings.

Changes to Criminal Offenses in Tennessee

This bill removes certain provisions related to criminal responsibility for aiding or facilitating another person's crime and modifies the definition of first-degree murder.

What This Bill Does

  • Eliminates criminal responsibility when someone aids, directs, solicits, or attempts to aid another person in committing a felony without having the intent required for full criminal responsibility.
  • Removes certain killings from being automatically considered as first-degree murder if they occur during specific felonies.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who might be charged with crimes because they helped someone else commit a crime.
  • Law enforcement and courts dealing with criminal cases in Tennessee.

Terms To Know

Felony
A serious crime that is usually punished by imprisonment for more than one year or sometimes by death.
First-degree murder
The most severe type of murder, often involving premeditation or special circumstances like killing during another felony.

Limits and Unknowns

  • It is unclear how these changes will affect specific cases and court rulings.
  • The bill does not specify all the details about how it will be implemented in practice.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB1372

Plain English: The amendment changes part of Tennessee law about helping someone else commit a crime.

  • Removes and replaces subdivision (2) in Section 39-11-402 of the Tennessee Code Annotated, which deals with how people can be held responsible for crimes if they help others commit them.
  • The exact details of what is removed from the current law and what new language is added are not provided in the amendment text.
  • It's unclear how this change will affect existing laws or enforcement practices without seeing the full context of Section 39-11-402.
Amendment 1-0 to SB1170

Plain English: The amendment changes part of Tennessee law about when someone can be held responsible for helping another person commit a crime.

  • Removes and replaces subdivision (2) in Section 39-11-402 of the Tennessee Code Annotated, which now includes specific conditions under which a person can be considered to have aided or attempted to aid someone else in committing a criminal offense.
  • The exact scope and implications of the change are not fully explained in the provided amendment text.
  • It is unclear how this amendment will affect current interpretations of aiding and abetting laws in Tennessee.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/16/2026

  2. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Received from House, Passed on First Consideration

  3. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  4. 2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to Sen.

  5. 2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., as am., Ayes 95, Nays 0, PNV 0

  6. 2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. adopted am. (Amendment 1 - HA1058)

  7. 2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  8. 2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/13/2026

  9. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/9/2026

  10. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Calendar & Rules Committee

  11. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  12. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  13. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  14. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Refer to Senate Calendar Committee

  15. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recalled from Senate Finance, Ways & Means Committee

  16. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  17. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  18. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/25/2026

  19. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Judiciary Committee to 3/25/2026

  20. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor change.

  21. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  22. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  23. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  24. 2026-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rule #83(8) Suspended, to be heard in Senate Judiciary Committee on 3/23/2026

  25. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  26. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Def. to Special Calendar to be Published with Final Calendar in Criminal Justice Subcommittee

  27. 2026-01-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 2/4/2026

  28. 2026-01-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Meeting Canceled

  29. 2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 1/28/2026

  30. 2025-07-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 8/14/2025

  31. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Deferred to Summer Study

  32. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee to First Calendar of 2026

  33. 2025-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 4/1/2025

  34. 2025-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Judiciary Committee to 4/1/2025

  35. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  36. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  37. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  38. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Judiciary Committee to 4/1/2025

  39. 2025-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/25/2025

  40. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/24/2025

  41. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  42. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  43. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee

  44. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Judiciary Committee

  45. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  46. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  47. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  48. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Under present law, a person is criminally responsible for an offense committed by the conduct of another, if:

(1) Acting with the culpability required for the offense, the person causes or aids an innocent or irresponsible person to engage in conduct prohibited by the definition of the offense;

(2) Acting with intent to promote or assist the commission of the offense, or to benefit in the proceeds or results of the offense, the person solicits, directs, aids, or attempts to aid another person to commit the offense; or

(3) Having a duty imposed by law or voluntarily undertaken to prevent commission of the offense and acting with intent to benefit in the proceeds or results of the offense, or to promote or assist its commission, the person fails to make a reasonable ef
fort to prevent commission of the offense.

Also under present law, a person is criminally responsible for the facilitation of a felony, if, knowing that another intends to commit a specific felony, but without the intent required for criminal responsibility, the person knowingly furnishes substan
tial assistance in the commission of the felony. The facilitation of the commission of a felony is an offense of the class next below the felony facilitated by the person so charged.

This bill eliminates criminal responsibility for the conduct of another as described in (1)
–
(3), as well as criminal responsibility for the facilitation of a felony.

This bill removes from the present law definition of first degree murder a killing of another committed in the perpetration of or attempt to perpetrate any first degree murder, arson, robbery, burglary, theft, kidnapping, aggravated abuse of an elderly o
r vulnerable adult, aggravated neglect of an elderly or vulnerable adult, aggravated child abuse, aggravated child neglect, or aircraft piracy.

ON APRIL 13, 2026, THE HOUSE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED HOUSE BILL 1372, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1
rewrites the bill to, instead, provide that a person is criminally responsible for an offense committed by the conduct of another if, acting with intent to benefit in the proceeds or results of the offense, the person solicits, directs, aids, or attempts
to aid another person to commit the offense.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 1372
By Hulsey

SENATE BILL 1170
By Akbari
SB1170
002626
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39,
Chapter 11; Title 39, Chapter 12; Title 39, Chapter
13; Title 39, Chapter 14; Title 40, Chapter 24; Title
40, Chapter 35 and Title 40, Chapter 39, relative
to criminal offenses.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-11-402, is amended by deleting
the section.
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-11-403, is amended by deleting
the section.
SECTION 3. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-13-202(a), is amended by
deleting subdivision (a)(2).
SECTION 4. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-13-202(b), is amended by
deleting the language "(a)(2)-(5)" and substituting "(a)(3)-(5)".
SECTION 5. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-13-202(c)(1), is amended by
deleting the language "subdivisions (a)(1)-(5)" and substituting "subsection (a)".
SECTION 6. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-12-105(c), is amended by
deleting the language "or as an accomplice under § 39-11-402".
SECTION 7. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-12-301(1), is amended by
deleting the language ", § 39-11-402, or § 39-11-403".
SECTION 8. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-14-149, is amended by deleting
subdivision (a)(7).
SECTION 9. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-14-408(c)(2), is amended by
deleting the language "is a principal under § 39-11-402 and".

- 2 - 002626

SECTION 10. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 40-24-108(b)(2)(N), is amended by
deleting the language "Criminal responsibility under § 39-11-402(2) for facilitating the
commission under § 39-11-403 of, or being" and substituting instead the language "Being".

SECTION 11. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 40-35-321(e)(3), is amended by
deleting subdivisions (O) and (P).
SECTION 12. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 40-39-202, is amended by deleting
subdivisions (20)(A)(xiii), (20)(A)(xiv), (31)(S), and (31)(T).
SECTION 13. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 40-39-301(2)(C), is amended by
deleting the language "Criminal responsibility under § 39-11-402(2) for facilitating the
commission under § 39-11-403 of, or being" and substituting instead the language "Being".
SECTION 14. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 40-35-124(a)(11), is amended by
deleting the subdivision.
SECTION 15. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.