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SB2336 • 2026

Firefighters

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 8; Title 38; Title 50 and Title 68, relative to fire prevention.

Labor
Active

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

Sponsor
Gardenhire, Vital
Last action
2026-03-23
Official status
Rcvd. from S., held on H. desk.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on enforcement mechanisms for the extended background check period.

Firefighter Background Checks

This bill amends Tennessee's laws to extend the period for maintaining criminal background check results of firefighters from one year to two years after employment ends and removes fingerprint requirements.

What This Bill Does

  • Extends the period that a firefighter's criminal background check results must be kept by employers from one year to two years after employment ends.
  • Removes the requirement for fire protection personnel seeking jobs with public agencies to provide fingerprints for criminal history checks.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Firefighters and those applying for firefighter positions in Tennessee
  • Employers hiring fire protection personnel

Terms To Know

Background check
A process where a person's history, including criminal records, is reviewed by an employer before they are hired.
Fire protection personnel
People who work as firefighters or in related roles to prevent and fight fires.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how the extended background check period will be enforced.
  • It is unclear if there are any exceptions for volunteer fire protection personnel regarding reimbursement of costs.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB2521

Plain English: The amendment changes how background checks are handled for fire protection personnel in Tennessee.

  • Removes previous requirements and replaces them with new rules about providing work history and personal references for criminal background investigations.
  • Requires employers to pay for the cost of conducting these background investigations, but allows employers to ask applicants or employees to reimburse them if they choose.
  • The amendment text does not specify what happens if an applicant refuses to provide work history or personal references.
Amendment 1-0 to SB2336

Plain English: The amendment changes how background checks are handled for fire protection personnel in Tennessee by specifying what information they must provide and who pays for the background investigations.

  • Fire protection personnel must now provide past work history and personal references to their employer, which will be checked as part of a criminal background investigation.
  • Employers can require applicants or employees to pay for background investigation costs at the employer's discretion.
  • The amendment does not specify how detailed or extensive these background checks must be.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Re-ref. to Cities & Counties Subcommittee

  2. 2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  3. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/9/2026

  4. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Calendar & Rules Committee

  5. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/31/2026

  6. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 3/31/2026

  7. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  8. 2026-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  9. 2026-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 33, Nays 0

  10. 2026-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0588)

  11. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/24/2026

  12. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  13. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/19/2026

  14. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Cities & Counties Subcommittee for 3/18/2026

  15. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Cities & Counties Subcommittee to 3/18/2026

  16. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Cities & Counties Subcommittee for 3/11/2026

  17. 2026-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 9, Nays 0 PNV 0

  18. 2026-03-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Cities & Counties Subcommittee

  19. 2026-03-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Ref. to State & Local Government Committee

  20. 2026-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Commerce and Labor Committee calendar for 3/3/2026

  21. 2026-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Reset on Final calendar of Senate Commerce and Labor Committee

  22. 2026-02-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Commerce and Labor Committee calendar for 2/24/2026

  23. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Commerce and Labor Committee

  24. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, caption bill, held on desk - pending amdt.

  25. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  26. 2026-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  27. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  28. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

ON MARCH 19, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 2336, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 r
ewrites this bill to revise present law concerning background checks for fire protection personnel.

Present law requires fire protection personnel to:

(1) Provide past work history and personal references to be checked by the employer;

(2) Agree to the release of information required for a criminal background investigation by a professional background screening organization or criminal background check services or registry; and

(3) When seeking employment with a public fire agency, supply a fingerprint sample and submit to a criminal history records check to be conducted by the TBI, the FBI, another law enforcement agency, or another legally authorized entity.

Present requires that any cost incurred by the TBI, FBI, professional background screening organization, law enforcement agency, or other legally authorized entity in conducting investigations of fire protection personnel to be paid by the employer; prov
ided, that an employer may require the applicant or employee to reimburse the employer for the costs.

This amendment deletes (3) and provides that a
n employer
is required to
pay any cost incurred in conducting background investigations of fire protection personnel
; provided, that a
n employer may require an applicant or employee to reimburse the employer for such costs.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 2521
By Vital

SENATE BILL 2336
By Gardenhire
SB2336
011834
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4;
Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 8; Title 38; Title 50 and
Title 68, relative to fire prevention.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 68-102-308(b)(2), is amended by
deleting "plus one (1) year" and substituting "plus two (2) years".
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.