KLS Keeping Law Simple Legislation in plain English

Straight-ahead summaries built from the official bill text. We keep the source links front and center and leave the decision up to you.

Back to Tennessee

SB2212 • 2026

Firefighters

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4, Chapter 24; Title 7, Chapter 51, Part 2; Title 38, Chapter 8 and Title 68, Chapter 140, relative to compensation for emergency responder deaths in the line of duty.

Healthcare Labor
Active

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

Sponsor
Taylor, Parkinson
Last action
2026-05-05
Official status
Effective date(s) 04/13/2026
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.

Firefighters

Present law provides that the estate of any emergency responder who is killed in the line of duty is entitled to receive a $250,000 annuity, with the estate receiving an annual installment of $50,000 for five years.

What This Bill Does

  • Present law provides that the estate of any emergency responder who is killed in the line of duty is entitled to receive a $250,000 annuity, with the estate receiving an annual installment of $50,000 for five years.
  • The claim for payment of such annuity must be filed with the department of finance and administration within three years after the death of the decedent.
  • This bill, instead, requires a claim for payment of the annuity to be filed with the department of finance and administration within thre e years after either (i) the death of the decedent or (ii) the date of a final order or other determination designating the decedent's death as being in the line of duty, whichever is later.
  • DENIAL OF A CLAIM Present law provides that a denial of a claim for an annuity by an estate of a law enforcement officer is subject to review by the Tennessee peace officer standards and training commission within 90 days after the denial.

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. 2026-05-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 04/13/2026

  2. 2026-05-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 721

  3. 2026-05-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 721

  4. 2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for action.

  6. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  7. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  8. 2026-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled and ready for signatures

  9. 2026-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 90, Nays 0, PNV 0

  10. 2026-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Subst. for comp. HB.

  11. 2026-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  12. 2026-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. SB subst.

  13. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  14. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rcvd. from S., held on H. desk.

  15. 2026-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  16. 2026-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  17. 2026-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate, Ayes 33, Nays 0

  18. 2026-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 3/26/2026

  19. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 3/19/2026

  20. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  21. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Consent Calendar 2 for 3/19/2026

  22. 2026-03-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  23. 2026-03-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee

  24. 2026-03-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  25. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  26. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee

  27. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  28. 2026-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  29. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/11/2026

  30. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to State & Local Government Committee

  31. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  32. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Cities & Counties Subcommittee for 3/4/2026

  33. 2026-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  34. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  35. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Cities & Counties Subcommittee

  36. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to State & Local Government Committee

  37. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  38. 2026-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  39. 2026-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  40. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  41. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Present law provides that the estate of any emergency responder who is killed in the line of duty is entitled to receive a $250,000 annuity, with the estate receiving an annual installment of $50,000 for five years. The claim for payment of such annuity
must be filed with the department of finance and administration within three years after the death of the decedent. This bill, instead, requires a claim for payment of the annuity to be filed with the department of finance and administration within thre
e
years after either (i) the death of the decedent or (ii) the date of a final order or other determination designating the decedent's death as being in the line of duty, whichever is later.

DENIAL OF A CLAIM

Present law provides that a denial of a claim for an annuity by an estate of a law enforcement officer is subject to review by the
Tennessee
peace officer standards and training commission within 90 days after the denial. This bill extends the time frame for review of a denial to within one year after the date of the denial.

This bill provides that a denial of a claim for an annuity by the estate of a firefighter or volunteer rescue squad worker is
subject to review by the commission on firefighting personnel standards and education within one

year of the date of the denial.
The commission on firefighting personnel standards has the authority to review the claim and issue a final order or other determination that is binding upon this state.

This bill provides that a denial of a claim for an annuity by the estate of an emergency medical technician is subject to review by the Tennessee emergency medical services board within one year after the date of the denial. The
emergency medical services board
has the authority to review the claim and issue a final order or other determination that is binding upon this state.

APPLICABILITY

This bill applies retroactively to March 1, 2020, unless prohibited by the United States Constitution or the Tennessee Constitution.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 2477
By Parkinson

SENATE BILL 2212
By Taylor
SB2212
010599
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4,
Chapter 24; Title 7, Chapter 51, Part 2; Title 38,
Chapter 8 and Title 68, Chapter 140, relative to
compensation for emergency responder deaths in
the line of duty.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 7-51-210(c), is amended by deleting
the subsection and substituting:
(c) A claim for payment of an annuity pursuant to this section must be filed with
the department of finance and administration no later than three (3) years after the later
of the following:
(1) The date of death of the decedent; or
(2) The date of a final order or other determination designating the
decedent's death as being in the line of duty that is issued by a court,
administrative law judge, or other state or local government official, entity, or
body with the authority to issue such order or determination.
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 7-51-210(e), is amended by deleting
the subsection and substituting:
(e)
(1) A denial of a claim made under this section by the estate of a law
enforcement officer is subject to review by the Tennessee peace officer
standards and training commission within one (1) year of the date of the denial.
The commission has the authority to review the claim and issue a final order or
other determination which is binding upon this state. The commission shall

- 2 - 010599

cause copies of the final order or determination to be delivered to the claimant's
estate and the department of finance and administration.
(2) A denial of a claim made under this section by the estate of a
firefighter or volunteer rescue squad worker is subject to review by the
commission on firefighting personnel standards and education within one (1) year
of the date of the denial. The commission has the authority to review the claim
and issue a final order or other determination which is binding upon this state.
The commission shall cause copies of the final order or determination to be
delivered to the claimant's estate and the department of finance and
administration. The commissioner shall not participate in the commission's
review of a denied claim; except, that the commissioner may offer testimony
regarding the commissioner's reasons for denying the claim, if requested by the
commission.
(3) A denial of a claim made under this section by the estate of an
emergency medical technician is subject to review by the Tennessee emergency
medical services board within one (1) year of the date of the denial. The board
has the authority to review the claim and issue a final order or other
determination which is binding upon this state. The board shall cause copies of
the final order or determination to be delivered to the claimant's estate and the
department of finance and administration.
SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it,
and unless prohibited by the United States Constitution or Tennessee Constitution, is retroactive
to March 1, 2020.