Finance and Administration, Dept. of

Plain English Breakdown

The bill was withdrawn on January 15, 2026, which means it is no longer active or awaiting another formal step.

Law Enforcement Officer Recruitment Fund Act

This bill establishes a special fund within the state general fund to assist law enforcement agencies with officer recruitment when they have at least 10% of their funded positions vacant.

What This Bill Does

• Creates a new fund called the Law Enforcement Officer Recruitment Fund within the state general fund.
• Requires the Department of Finance and Administration's Office of Criminal Justice Programs to manage this fund and set rules for how agencies can apply for grants from it.
• Sets up requirements for law enforcement agencies to apply for grants, including application requirements, criteria for determining grant amounts, and reporting requirements.
• Specifies that grant funds must be used only for recruiting new officers.
• Allows the department to accept additional public or private donations for this fund.

Who It Names or Affects

• City, municipal, and county law enforcement agencies with at least 10% of their funded officer positions vacant.
• The Department of Finance and Administration's Office of Criminal Justice Programs

Terms To Know

eligible law enforcement agency

A city, municipal, or county law enforcement agency that has vacancies in ten percent (10%) or more of the agency's funded law enforcement officer positions.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify how much money will be in the fund.
• Funds can only be used if they are specifically appropriated by the general appropriations act, which means additional steps are needed before any grants can be given out.
• The bill was withdrawn on January 15, 2026.

Official Summary Text

This bill creates
within the state general fund a special account to be known as the law enforcement officer recruitment fund. The purpose of this fund is to assist a city, municipal, or county law enforcement agency that has vacancies in 10% or more of the agency's funde
d law enforcement officer positions
("
eligible law enforcement agency"
) in officer recruitment.

This bill requires t
he department of finance and administration, office of criminal justice programs,
to
administer the fund and establish procedures for eligible law enforcement agencies to apply for grants. The procedures must include
a
pplication requirements
, c
riteria for determining the amount of each grant awarded and eligible grant expenditures
,
and
r
eporting requirements for law enforcement agencies receiving grants to ensure accountability and measure program effectiveness.

Subject to available funds,
this bill requires
the office of criminal justice programs
to
allocate and disburse grants from the fund to eligible law enforcement agencies pursuant to the
established
procedures. Grant funds must be expended only for the purposes of officer recruitment by eligible law enforcement agencies.

This bill requires

m
oneys deposited into the fund
to
be used only to implement and administer the purposes set forth in this
bill
. In addition to appropriations made to the fund, the department may accept other funds, public or private, by way of gift or grant to the fund. A gift or grant must be deposited into the fund to be expended in accordance with this
bill
.

This bill requires the
department
to
promulgate rules necessary to effectuate this
bill.

Current Bill Text

HOUSE BILL 1445
By Gillespie

SENATE BILL 1476
By Taylor

SB1476
008720
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4;
Title 8; Title 9 and Title 38, relative to law
enforcement agencies.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 38, Chapter 8, Part 1, is amended by
adding the following as a new section:
(a) As used in this section, "eligible law enforcement agency" means a city,
municipal, or county law enforcement agency that has vacancies in ten percent (10%) or
more of the agency's funded law enforcement officer positions.
(b) There is created within the state general fund a special account to be known
as the law enforcement officer recruitment fund. The purpose of this fund is to assist
eligible law enforcement agencies in officer recruitment.
(c) The department of finance and administration, office of criminal justice
programs, shall administer the fund and establish procedures for eligible law
enforcement agencies to apply for grants awarded pursuant to this section. The
procedures must include, but are not limited to:
(1) Application requirements;
(2) Criteria for determining the amount of each grant awarded and
eligible grant expenditures; and
(3) Reporting requirements for law enforcement agencies receiving
grants to ensure accountability and measure program effectiveness.
(d) Subject to available funds, the office of criminal justice programs shall
allocate and disburse grants from the fund to eligible law enforcement agencies pursuant

- 2 - 008720

to the procedures established in subsection (c). Grant funds must be expended only for
the purposes of officer recruitment by eligible law enforcement agencies.
(e) Moneys deposited into the fund must be used only to implement and
administer the purposes set forth in this section. In addition to appropriations made to
the fund, the department may accept other funds, public or private, by way of gift or
grant to the fund. A gift or grant must be deposited into the fund to be expended in
accordance with this section.
(f) The state treasurer shall invest moneys in the fund for the benefit of the fund
in accordance with § 9-4-603. Interest accruing on investments and deposits of the fund
must be credited to and remain part of the fund.
(g) Any balance remaining unexpended at the end of a fiscal year in the fund
must be carried forward into the subsequent fiscal year.
(h) The department shall promulgate rules necessary to effectuate this section.
The rules must be promulgated in accordance with the Uniform Administrative
Procedures Act, compiled in title 4, chapter 5.
SECTION 2. This act is not an appropriation of funds, and funds must not be obligated
or expended pursuant to this act unless the funds are specifically appropriated by the general
appropriations act.
SECTION 3. This act takes effect July 1, 2026, the public welfare requiring it.