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SB1726 • 2026

Domestic Violence

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 18; Section 38-6-103; Title 39 and Title 40, relative to domestic violence.

Active

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

Sponsor
Massey, Kumar
Last action
2026-04-14
Official status
Companion House Bill substituted
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The candidate explanation included some speculative elements that were removed because they are not explicitly stated in the official source material.

Changes to Domestic Violence Offender Registry

This bill updates Tennessee's persistent domestic violence offender registry by changing what information is required and how quickly courts must send final judgments to authorities.

What This Bill Does

  • Updates the registry for persistent domestic violence offenders to include a photograph and other identifying data as determined necessary by the TBI.
  • Removes the requirement for court clerks to provide copies of an offender's driver license or other identification documents to the TBI.
  • Requires court clerks to send final judgment copies to the TBI within seven days after conviction if ordered by the court.
  • Specifies that offenders must pay a $150 registration fee to the court clerk who imposes their sentence.
  • Clarifies that courts must state how many previous domestic violence convictions were used to put someone on the registry.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People convicted of persistent domestic violence in Tennessee
  • Courts and court clerks in Tennessee

Terms To Know

Persistent Domestic Violence Offender Registry
A list kept by the state to track people who have repeatedly committed domestic violence.
TBI
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, a state agency that investigates crimes and maintains criminal records.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what additional identifying data the TBI can require.
  • It is unclear how this change will affect innocent people who might be confused with offenders in the registry.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB2567

Plain English: The amendment changes how persistent domestic violence offenders are registered and fined.

  • Removes certain sections of Tennessee Code Annotated related to persistent domestic violence offender registration and replaces them with new requirements for court orders, TBI reporting, and a $150 registration fee.
  • Adds new subsections that specify the number of prior convictions needed for registry and defines what constitutes an 'offense committed against a domestic abuse victim'.
  • The exact impact on current persistent domestic violence offenders is not clear from the provided text.
Amendment 1-0 to SB1726

Plain English: The amendment changes how persistent domestic violence offenders are registered and fined by adding new requirements for court orders and registration fees.

  • Adds a requirement that courts specify the number of prior convictions when ordering someone to register as a persistent domestic violence offender, defaulting to one conviction if not specified.
  • Establishes a $150 registration fee for offenders required to register, with specific allocations: $50 for court administration and $100 for family violence prevention grants.
  • The amendment text does not specify the exact penalties or consequences if an offender fails to comply with the new registration requirements.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Companion House Bill substituted

  2. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate, Ayes 31, Nays 0

  3. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Amendment withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - SA0720)

  4. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate substituted House Bill for companion Senate Bill.

  5. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Received from House, Passed on First Consideration

  6. 2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to Sen.

  7. 2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  8. 2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., as am., Ayes 93, Nays 0, PNV 0

  9. 2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. adopted am. (Amendment 1 - HA0863)

  10. 2026-04-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/14/2026

  11. 2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  12. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  13. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee

  14. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Finance, Ways, and Means Committee for 4/7/2026

  15. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

  16. 2026-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Refer to Senate Calendar Committee

  17. 2026-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recalled from Senate Finance, Ways and Means Committee

  18. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/1/2026

  19. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee

  20. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

  21. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 3/31/2026

  22. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 3/23/2026

  23. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  24. 2026-03-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee Ayes 9, Nays 0 PNV 0

  25. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/16/2026

  26. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  27. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee

  28. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Ref. to Judiciary Committee

  29. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, caption bill, held on desk - pending amdt.

  30. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  31. 2026-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  32. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  33. 2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  34. 2026-01-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

ON APRIL 13, 2026, THE HOUSE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED HOUSE BILL 2567, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 rewrites the bill to, instead, make the following changes to the present law pertaining to the persistent domestic violence offender registry:



Changing the registry from being required to consist of a current photograph of the persistent domestic violence offender, to a photograph and other such identifying data as the TBI determines is necessary to properly identify the persistent domestic violence offender and exclude innocent persons.


Removes the requirement for the court clerk to provide the TBI with a copy of the persistent domestic violence offender's driver license, or other state or federal identification, and such other identifying data as the TBI determines is necessary to properly identify the persistent domestic violence offender and exclude innocent persons if it is available after reasonable inquiry.


Provide
s that if a court orders a defendant to register, then the court clerk must forward to the TBI a copy of the final judgment. The court clerk
must
forward the information within seven days of the date of conviction.


Clarifies that the defendant required to register must pay the $150 registration fee to the clerk of the court imposing the sentence.


Provides that upon ordering the defendant to register as a persistent domestic violence offender, the court
must
specifically set out the number of prior convictions against a domestic abuse victim relied upon to qualify for the registry. If the court does not specify the number of prior convictions in the order, then the registration period must default to the time period for one prior conviction.


Defines what an offense committed against a domestic abuse victim means
.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
HOUSE BILL 2567
By Kumar

SENATE BILL 1726
By Massey
SB1726
011425
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 18;
Section 38-6-103; Title 39 and Title 40, relative to
domestic violence.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 40-39-402(d)(2), is amended by
deleting "seven (7) days" and substituting "seven (7) business days".
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.