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SB1764 • 2026

Criminal Offenses

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39, relative to contraband in penal institutions.

Crime
Active

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

Sponsor
Pody
Last action
2026-01-22
Official status
Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary does not provide specific details about the new penalties that will be allowed beyond fines, leaving room for interpretation on what other types of punishment may apply.

Changing Penalties for Telecommunication Devices in Prisons

This bill removes the requirement that illegally possessing a telecommunication device in a penal institution must be punished only by a fine.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes Tennessee law to remove the limitation on punishment for having illegal telecommunication devices in prisons.
  • Updates the state's criminal code regarding contraband in penal institutions.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who break the rules about bringing telecommunication devices into prisons.

Terms To Know

Class E felony
A type of serious crime that can result in prison time, fines, or both.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what other penalties besides fines will be used.
  • It is unclear how this change will affect the number of people punished for bringing telecommunication devices into prisons.

Bill History

  1. Date Tennessee General Assembly

  2. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  3. 2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  4. 2026-01-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Abstract summarizes the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
<BillNo> <Sponsor>

SENATE BILL 1764
By Pody
SB1764
010491
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39,
relative to contraband in penal institutions.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-16-201(c)(3), is amended by
deleting the subdivision and substituting:
(3) A violation of subdivision (b)(2)(C) is a Class E felony.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.