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SB1930 • 2026

Criminal Offenses

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-13-210 and Title 40, relative to second degree murder.

Crime
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Taylor, Atchley
Last action
2026-04-24
Official status
Comp. became Pub. Ch. 752
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Criminal Offenses

Present law provides that any of the following constitutes s econd degree murder :  The knowing killing of another .

What This Bill Does

  • Present law provides that any of the following constitutes s econd degree murder :  The knowing killing of another .
  •  The killing of another that results from the unlawful distribution of any Schedule I or Schedule II drug, when the drug is the proximate cause of the death of the user .
  •  The killing of another by unlawful distribution or unlawful delivery or unlawful dispensation of fentanyl or carfentanil, when those substances alone, or in combination with any substance scheduled as a controlled substance by the Tennessee Drug Control Act of 1989, including controlled substance analogs, is the proximate cause of the death of the user.
  • Present law classifies s econd degree murder as a Class A felony , which is generally punishable by 15 to 60 years in prison and a potential fine of up to $50,000 .

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 752

  2. 2026-04-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 07/01/2026

  3. 2026-04-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 752

  4. 2026-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for his action.

  6. 2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  7. 2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  8. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled; ready for sig. of H. Speaker.

  9. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  10. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Companion House Bill substituted

  11. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate, Ayes 27, Nays 6

  12. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate substituted House Bill for companion Senate Bill.

  13. 2026-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/30/2026

  14. 2026-03-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee

  15. 2026-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Received from House, Passed on First Consideration

  16. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  17. 2026-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to Sen.

  18. 2026-03-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  19. 2026-03-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 95, Nays 0, PNV 0

  20. 2026-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Consent Calendar for 3/9/2026

  21. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 3/5/2026

  22. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee

  23. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 3/4/2026

  24. 2026-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  25. 2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  26. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  27. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee

  28. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Judiciary Committee

  29. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  30. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  31. 2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  32. 2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Present law provides that any of the
following constitutes s
econd degree murder
:



The
knowing killing of another
.



The
killing of another that results from the unlawful distribution of any Schedule I or Schedule II drug, when the drug is the proximate cause of the death of the user
.



The
killing of another by unlawful distribution or unlawful delivery or unlawful dispensation of fentanyl or carfentanil, when those substances alone, or in combination with any substance scheduled as a controlled substance by the Tennessee Drug Control Act of 1989, including controlled substance analogs, is the proximate cause of the death of the user.

Present law classifies s
econd degree murder
as
a Class A felony
, which is generally punishable by 15 to 60 years in prison and a potential
fine
of up to
$50,000
.
However, when
the victim is a minor
, such convicted person

must
be punished from within one range higher than the sentencing range otherwise appropriate for the person.
Generally, t
he 15
-
to
-
60
-
year span
for imprisonment for a Class A felony
is divided into
the
three ranges
of
Range I, Range II
,
and Range III.

The range determination is based up
on the number of prior convictions which, in turn, determines the potential span for that particular offender.
For a Class A felony, a
Range I sentence is 15 to 25 years
, a
Range II sentence is 25 to 40 years, and a Range III sentence is 40 to 60 years.

For
acts committed on or after
July 1, 2026, this bill requires
a person convicted of
s
econd degree murder
to
be punished as a Range II offender
.

H
owever, the sentence imposed upon such person
must be at least within Range II and
may, if appropriate, be within Range III
.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 1871
By Atchley

SENATE BILL 1930
By Taylor
SB1930
010886
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Section
39-13-210 and Title 40, relative to second degree
murder.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-13-210(c), is amended by adding
the following as a new subdivision:
(3) Notwithstanding title 40, chapter 35, a person convicted of a violation of
subdivision (a)(1) shall be punished as a Range II offender; however, the sentence
imposed upon such person may, if appropriate, be within Range III but in no case shall it
be lower than Range II.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2026, the public welfare requiring it, and
applies to acts committed on or after that date.