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SB2085 • 2026

Victims' Rights

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 40-24-109, relative to the victims assistance assessment.

Crime Taxes
Active

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

Sponsor
Jackson, Martin B
Last action
2026-04-13
Official status
Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/15/2026
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The term 'diversionary sentencing' was removed as it is not directly supported by the provided official source material.

Victims' Rights Act

This bill increases the amount collected from people who are found guilty or plead guilty to certain crimes and directs more money towards victim assistance programs.

What This Bill Does

  • Increases the victims assistance assessment from $45 to $125 for individuals convicted of specific criminal offenses.
  • Requires that $15 of the new $125 fee be given to the court clerk for processing costs.
  • Directs the remaining $110 to county-designated victim assistance programs.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who are found guilty of a crime in Tennessee courts.
  • Individuals who plead guilty or nolo contendere (no contest) for specific criminal offenses.
  • Courts that collect the victims assistance assessment from convicted individuals.
  • Counties and their designated victim assistance programs.

Terms To Know

victims assistance assessment
A fee collected by courts to support programs that help crime victims.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how the funds will be used or managed by victim assistance programs.
  • It is unclear what specific crimes are excluded from this assessment increase, beyond those with fines under $500 and no imprisonment, or minor motor vehicle violations.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB2023

Plain English: The amendment changes how much money can be collected from people who are found guilty or plead guilty to certain crimes for a victims' assistance program.

  • It limits the amount of victims assistance assessment that courts can collect from individuals to $125, regardless of their plea or conviction outcome.
  • The first $15 of each assessment goes to the court clerk for processing and handling, with the rest going to the county's victims' assistance program.
  • The amendment does not specify how the remaining amount after the initial $15 is distributed or used beyond stating it goes to the county's designated victims' assistance program.
  • It is unclear from the provided text what specific offenses are described in subsection (d) of Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 40-24-109.

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

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  4. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee

  5. 2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/15/2026

  6. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  7. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  8. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  9. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  10. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  11. 2026-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee

  12. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  13. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Judiciary Committee to 4/1/2026

  14. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  15. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  16. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  17. 2026-03-16 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  18. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  19. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  20. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  21. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  22. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  23. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  24. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  25. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee

  26. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Judiciary Committee

  27. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  28. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  29. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  30. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

If a county elects
to establish a program to assist victims of crime
, present law requires the
clerks of all courts of general sessions, circuit and criminal courts, municipal courts exercising general sessions court jurisdiction and any other court exercising similar criminal jurisdiction
to
collect a victims assistance assessment
of
$45 from any person who
does or is any of the following
:



Enters a plea of guilty
.



Is found guilty by a judge or jury
.



Enters a plea of nolo contendere
.



Enters a plea

pursuant to diversionary sentencing
.



I
s found to be criminally responsible as principal for the commission of a criminal offense
,

except for c
rimes
that have a maximum fine of
less than

$500 and no imprisonment
.



I
s found to be criminally responsible as principal for the commission of a criminal offense
,

except for

v
iolations of the motor vehicle laws,
excluding

DUIs
or reckless driving, where the reckless driving was proximately caused by the use of an intoxicant.

This bill increases from $45 to $125 the
victims assistance assessment
placed on an individual as outlined above.

ALLOCATION OF ASSESSMENT

Present law requires that the
first $3
of the $45 assessment
be paid to the clerk of the court imposing the assessment for processing and handling.

The remaining $42
must
be transmitted to the county in which the offense occurred, for the exclusive use of the victims assistance program previously designated by the county legislative body.

This bill, instead, requires the
first $15 of each assessment
to
be paid to the clerk of the court imposing the assessment for processing and handling. The remaining $110 must be transmitted to the county in which the offense occurred for the exclusive use of the victims assistance program previously designated by th
e county legislative body.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 2023
By Martin B

SENATE BILL 2085
By Jackson
SB2085
010968
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Section
40-24-109, relative to the victims assistance
assessment.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 40-24-109, is amended by deleting
subsection (c) and substituting instead the following:
(c) The clerks of all courts of general sessions, circuit and criminal courts,
municipal courts exercising general sessions court jurisdiction, and any other court
exercising similar criminal jurisdiction shall collect a victims assistance assessment in
the sum of one hundred twenty-five dollars ($125) from a person who:
(1) Enters a plea of guilty;
(2) Is found guilty by a judge or jury;
(3) Enters a plea of nolo contendere;
(4) Enters a plea, pursuant to a diversionary sentencing statute, to a
criminal offense described in subsection (d);
(5) Is found guilty, or enters a plea of guilty or nolo contendere, to the
offense of attempting or conspiring to commit an offense described in subsection
(d); or
(6) Is found to be criminally responsible as principal for the commission
of an offense described in subsection (d).
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 40-24-109(g)(1), is amended by
deleting the subdivision and substituting:

- 2 - 010968

(1) The victims assistance assessment is subject to § 8-21-401 and is in addition
to all other taxes, costs, and fines. The first fifteen dollars ($15.00) of each assessment
must be paid to the clerk of the court imposing the assessment for processing and
handling. The remaining one hundred ten dollars ($110) must be transmitted to the
county in which the offense occurred for the exclusive use of the victims assistance
program previously designated by the county legislative body.
SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.