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SB1698 • 2026

Criminal Offenses

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 38; Title 39 and Title 40, relative to criminal impersonation.

Crime
Active

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

Sponsor
Akbari, Brooks
Last action
2026-03-30
Official status
Sponsor(s) Added.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Changing Penalties for Impersonating Law Enforcement

This bill changes the punishment for pretending to be a police officer when someone is committing or trying to commit a violent crime.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes criminal impersonation of a law enforcement officer from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class E felony if it happens while the person is doing or attempting to do a violent crime.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who commit criminal impersonation while also committing or trying to commit a violent crime will face more severe punishments.

Terms To Know

Class E felony
A serious type of crime that has stricter penalties than other types of crimes, such as fines and longer jail time.
Crime of violence
An act defined by Tennessee law that involves force or the threat of force against someone.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how it will be enforced or what additional resources might be needed.
  • It is unclear if this change will reduce incidents of criminal impersonation involving violent crimes.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  2. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Re-refer to Senate Calendar Committee

  3. 2026-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  4. 2026-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Consent Calendar 2 for 3/30/2026

  5. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee

  6. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  7. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  8. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  9. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  10. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  11. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  12. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  13. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  14. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  15. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  16. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  17. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee to 3/11/2026

  18. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 3/4/2026

  19. 2026-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee to 3/4/2026

  20. 2026-02-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  21. 2026-02-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  22. 2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 2/18/2026

  23. 2026-02-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  24. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  25. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  26. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  27. 2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  28. 2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  29. 2026-01-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) withdrawn.

  30. 2026-01-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  31. 2026-01-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  32. 2026-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  33. 2026-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee

  34. 2026-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Judiciary Committee

  35. 2026-01-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  36. 2025-06-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Abstract summarizes the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 1441
By Brooks

SENATE BILL 1698
By Akbari
SB1698
008747
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 38;
Title 39 and Title 40, relative to criminal
impersonation.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-16-301, is amended by deleting
subdivision (d)(2), substituting the following, and redesignating subdivision (d)(3) appropriately:
(2)
(A) Except as otherwise provided in this subdivision (d)(2), criminal
impersonation under subsection (b) is a Class A misdemeanor.
(B) Criminal impersonation of a law enforcement officer under subsection
(b) that occurs while the defendant is operating a motor vehicle pursuant to § 55-
9-201(d), § 55-9-402(g), or § 55-9-414(f) is a Class A misdemeanor, and,
notwithstanding § 40-35-111, the maximum fine for the offense is five thousand
dollars ($5,000).
(C) Criminal impersonation of a law enforcement officer under subsection
(b) that occurs while the defendant is committing or attempting to commit a crime
of violence is a Class E felony. As used in this subdivision (d)(2)(C), "crime of
violence" means the same as defined in § 39-17-1301.
(3) Criminal impersonation under subsection (c) is a Class A misdemeanor.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2026, the public welfare requiring it.