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SB1900 • 2026

Criminal Offenses

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39 and Title 40, relative to first responders.

Crime
Active

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

Sponsor
Bailey, Capley
Last action
2026-04-07
Official status
Sponsor(s) Added.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide details on how the bill will be enforced or funded.

Increasing Penalties for Assaulting First Responders

This bill increases the punishment for assaulting first responders and law enforcement officers in Tennessee by changing the offense from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class E felony with higher fines and longer mandatory minimum sentences.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes assault on a first responder or law enforcement officer from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class E felony.
  • Increases the mandatory fine for assaulting a first responder or law enforcement officer from $5,000 to $10,000.
  • Raises the minimum jail time for assaulting a first responder or law enforcement officer from 30 days to 60 days.
  • Requires that anyone convicted of assaulting a first responder or law enforcement officer must serve their full sentence without early release.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who assault first responders or law enforcement officers in Tennessee will face stricter penalties.
  • First responders and law enforcement officers in Tennessee are protected under this bill.

Terms To Know

Class E felony
A serious crime that carries a higher punishment than other types of crimes.
Mandatory minimum sentence
The shortest amount of time someone must spend in jail as decided by law, without any chance for early release.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how it will be enforced or funded.
  • It is unclear what the exact impact on local and state budgets will be beyond the initial costs mentioned.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/16/2026

  2. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/14/2026

  3. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee

  4. 2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  5. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Finance, Ways, and Means Committee for 4/14/2026

  6. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  7. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  8. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee

  9. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  10. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 4/7/2026

  11. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/8/2026

  12. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  13. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  14. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 4/1/2026

  15. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  16. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  17. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  18. 2026-03-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  19. 2026-03-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  20. 2026-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  21. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  22. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  23. 2026-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  24. 2026-03-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  25. 2026-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  26. 2026-02-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  27. 2026-02-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

  28. 2026-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  29. 2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 2/17/2026

  30. 2026-02-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  31. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee

  32. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Judiciary Committee

  33. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  34. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  35. 2026-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  36. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  37. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  38. 2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Abstract summarizes the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 2428
By Capley

SENATE BILL 1900
By Bailey
SB1900
008810
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39
and Title 40, relative to first responders.

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.