Criminal Offenses

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not provide specific details on how this change will affect state and local government expenditures beyond what is already mentioned.

Changing Penalties for Assaulting First Responders

This bill changes assault on a first responder from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class E felony with higher fines and longer jail time.

What This Bill Does

• Makes assault on a first responder a Class E felony instead of a Class A misdemeanor.
• Requires a mandatory fine of $10,000 for assaulting a first responder.
• Sets a minimum jail sentence of 60 days for assaulting a first responder.

Who It Names or Affects

• People who assault law enforcement officers or nurses remain unaffected by this bill.
• First responders and their employers.
• Courts that handle criminal cases involving assaults on first responders.

Terms To Know

Class E felony

A serious crime with severe penalties.

Mandatory minimum sentence

The shortest amount of time a person must spend in jail for a specific crime.

Limits and Unknowns

• It is not clear how much this will cost the state and local governments.
• This bill has not yet been signed into law, so it may change before becoming official.

Official Summary Text

Present law provides that

a
person commits assault against a law enforcement officer, first responder, or nurse, who is discharging or attempting to discharge the law enforcement officer's, first responder's, or nurse's official duties, who
does either of the following:



Knowingly causes bodily injury to a law enforcement officer, first responder, or nurse
.


Knowingly causes physical contact with a law enforcement officer, first responder, or nurse and a reasonable person would regard the contact as extremely offensive or provocative, including, but not limited to, spitting, throwing, or otherwise transferring bodily fluids, bodily pathogens, or human waste onto the person of a law enforcement officer, first responder, or nurse.

Under present law,

a
ssault against a law enforcement officer
as described above
is a Class E felony, and
must
be punished by a mandatory fine of $10,000

and a mandatory minimum sentence of 60 days incarceration.

The defendant is not eligible for release from confinement until the defendant has served the entire
60
-day mandatory minimum sentence.
Further, a
ssault against a first responder or nurse is a Class A misdemeanor, and
must
be punished by a mandatory fine of $5,000 and a mandatory minimum sentence
of 30 days incarceration.

The defendant is not eligible for release from confinement until the defendant has served the entire
30
-day mandatory minimum sentence.

This bill revises the provisions above concerning the offense classification and penalty for assaulting a first responder to match the offense classification and penalty given under present law for assaulting a law enforcement officer. As used in this b
ill, a "first responder" means
a firefighter, emergency services personnel, or other person who responds to calls for emergency assistance from a 911 call
.

Current Bill Text

HOUSE BILL 2618
By Gant

SENATE BILL 1607
By Bailey
SB1607
008468
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39,
Chapter 13, relative to assault.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-13-116(c)(1), is amended by
deleting the subdivision and substituting:
(A) Assault against a law enforcement officer or first responder under subsection
(a) is a Class E felony and shall be punished by a mandatory fine of ten thousand dollars
($10,000) and a mandatory minimum sentence of sixty (60) days incarceration. The
defendant is not eligible for release from confinement until the defendant has served the
entire sixty-day mandatory minimum sentence.
(B) Assault against a nurse under subsection (a) is a Class A misdemeanor and
shall be punished by a mandatory fine of five thousand dollars ($5,000) and a mandatory
minimum sentence of thirty (30) days incarceration. The defendant is not eligible for
release from confinement until the defendant has served the entire thirty-day mandatory
minimum sentence.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2026, the public welfare requiring it.