Capitol

Plain English Breakdown

The exact number of officers required and their specific training details are not provided in the official source material.

Capitol Hill Protection Zone Act

This bill establishes a protected area around Tennessee's state capitol and nearby government buildings to ensure safety through law enforcement presence.

What This Bill Does

• Establishes a protection zone around the Tennessee State Capitol, including annexes, war memorials, Legislative Plaza, Cordell Hull Building, Supreme Court Building, State Library and Archives Building, John Sevier State Office Building, James K. Polk State Office Building, William R. Snodgrass Tennessee Tower, and surrounding grounds and roads.
• Requires the commissioner of safety to staff this zone with POST-certified law enforcement officers who can arrest people and carry firearms.
• Includes specific training requirements for these officers on handling protests and large gatherings safely.
• Clarifies that sidewalks along either side of the roads immediately surrounding the buildings in the capitol hill protection zone are also part of the protection zone.

Who It Names or Affects

• State government officials, employees, and visitors near Tennessee's capitol complex.
• Law enforcement officers assigned to protect the capitol hill protection zone.

Terms To Know

POST

Peace Officers Standards and Training commission, which certifies law enforcement officers in Tennessee.

Capitol Hill Protection Zone

A designated area around the Tennessee State Capitol that requires special safety measures and law enforcement presence.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify how many officers will be assigned to the protection zone.
• It is unclear what specific training requirements are beyond POST certification for officers in this zone, other than those related to protesting on state property and handling large gatherings.
• There may be additional costs associated with staffing and maintaining the protection zone that are not detailed.

Official Summary Text

As of January 1, 2027, this bill establishes a capitol hill protection zone, which includes the following spaces:



State capitol.


Capitol annexes.


War Memorial Building.


Legislative Plaza.


Cordell Hull Building.


Supreme Court Building.


State Library and Archives Building.


John Sevier State Office Building.


James K. Polk State Office Building.


William R. Snodgrass Tennessee Tower.


Grounds and roads immediately surrounding the buildings listed above.

This bill requires the commissioner of safety to ensure that the capitol hill protection zone is adequately staffed by law enforcement officers, who will have concurrent law enforcement authority with local law enforcement agencies, including the power t
o arrest, carry a firearm, and investigate crime.

While assigned law enforcement officers may include members of the Tennessee highway patrol, division of protective services, and state facility protection officers, this bill requires officers to be certified by the peace officers standards and training
commission (POST). Along with POST-certification, this bill requires additional training, specifically on laws regulating protesting on state property and best practices for dealing with large public gatherings and the protection of government officials.

ON FEBRUARY 26, 2026, THE HOUSE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED HOUSE BILL 1504, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 makes the following changes:



Includes the World War II Memorial Building that formerly housed the state library and archives, the Rachel Jackson Building, and the Andrew Jackson Building in the capitol hill protection zone.


Clarifies that the sidewalks along either side of the roads immediately surrounding the buildings in the capitol hill protection zone are also a part of the capitol hill protection zone.


Removes the requirement that the commissioner of safety ensure that the capitol hill protection zone is adequately staffed by law enforcement officers.


Removes from the assigned law enforcement officers members of the Tennessee highway patrol and officers from the division of protective services.


Authorizes the commissioner of safety to assign state facility protection officers to the capitol hill protection zone. However, assigned state facility protection officers must have completed training specifically on the laws regulating protesting on state property and best practices for dealing with large public gatherings and the protection of government officials.

Current Bill Text

HOUSE BILL 1504
By Lamberth

SENATE BILL 1588
By Johnson
SB1588
010249
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4;
Title 38; Title 39 and Title 40, relative to the capitol
hill protection zone.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4, Chapter 8, is amended by adding the
following new part:
4-8-501.
There is established a capitol hill protection zone around the state capitol
grounds that includes the state capitol, capitol annexes, War Memorial Building,
Legislative Plaza, Cordell Hull Building, Supreme Court Building, State Library and
Archives Building, John Sevier State Office Building, James K. Polk State Office
Building, William R. Snodgrass Tennessee Tower, and the grounds and roads
immediately surrounding such buildings.
4-8-502.
(a) The commissioner of safety shall ensure that the capitol hill protection zone
is adequately staffed by law enforcement officers to ensure the safety of state
government officials, state government employees, and members of the public. Law
enforcement officers assigned by the commissioner of safety shall have concurrent law
enforcement authority with local law enforcement agencies, including the power to
arrest, carry a firearm, and investigate crime.
(b) The assigned law enforcement officers must be certified by the peace
officers standards and training commission (POST) and may include members of the

- 2 - 010249

Tennessee highway patrol, officers from the division of protective services, and state
facility protection officers.
(c) Any officer assigned to the capitol hill protection zone must have completed,
in addition to the training required for POST-certification, training specifically on the laws
regulating protesting on state property and best practices for dealing with large public
gatherings and the protection of government officials.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect January 1, 2027, the public welfare requiring it.