Criminal Offenses

Plain English Breakdown

The candidate explanation included definitions for 'communicate' and 'immediate family', which were not directly supported by the provided official summary. These definitions are present in the full bill text, but they were removed to adhere strictly to the given source material.

Law to Protect Public Officials and Their Families from Threats

This bill makes it a crime to intentionally communicate a threat of harm to a public official or their immediate family because of the official's role.

What This Bill Does

• Creates a new law that says threatening a public official or their immediate family members is illegal if the threat is made because of the person’s role as an official and if it is intended to cause harm.
• Defines 'communicate' and 'immediate family' to clarify what counts as making a threat and who qualifies as immediate family.
• Says that anyone who breaks this new law will be punished with a Class E felony.

Who It Names or Affects

• Public officials in Tennessee
• Members of public officials' immediate families

Terms To Know

Class E felony

A type of criminal offense that has penalties ranging from one to six years in prison.

Immediate family

Includes a person's spouse, parents, siblings, and children, as well as step-relatives and adopted relatives.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify what happens if someone accidentally makes a threat without meaning to harm.
• It is unclear how this law will be enforced or how many cases it might cover in the future.

Official Summary Text

Abstract summarizes the bill.

Current Bill Text

HOUSE BILL 2040
By Parkinson

SENATE BILL 2127
By Taylor
SB2127
008763
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39,
relative to threats against certain persons.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39, Chapter 16, Part 5, is amended by
adding the following as a new section:
(a) A person commits an offense who intentionally communicates a threat to a
public official, or a member of a public official's immediate family, and:
(1) The person communicating the threat knows the person threatened is
a public official or a member of the public official's immediate family;
(2) The person communicating the threat intends the communication to
be a threat of harm to the public official, or a member of the public official's
immediate family, because of the public official's official capacity; and
(3) A reasonable person would perceive the communication to be a
threat of harm.
(b) A violation of subsection (a) is a Class E felony.
(c) As used in this section:
(1) "Communicate" means the same as defined in § 39-17-308;
(2) "Immediate family" means a public official's spouse, parent, sibling, or
child and includes stepparents, stepchildren, stepsiblings, and adoptive
relationships; and
(3) "Public official" means the same as defined in § 39-16-516.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2026, the public welfare requiring it.