Tennessee House Bill HB0264

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/21/25
• Refer: 2/3/25
• Refer: 2/10/25
• Engrossed: 2/20/25
• Enrolled: 3/21/25
• Passed: 4/3/25
• Chaptered: 4/4/25

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4, Chapter 29 and Title 17, Chapter 5, relative to the Tennessee board of judicial conduct.

Summary

HB0264 makes a narrow administrative change to Tennessee law concerning the Tennessee Board of Judicial Conduct. The bill removes the board from one of the state’s statutory lists of entities subject to the Tennessee Code Annotated Title 4, Chapter 29 review provisions, and then adds the board to another related list in the same chapter. In practical terms, the measure updates how the board is treated within Tennessee’s statutory framework for state boards and commissions. The bill also references the board’s creation statute in Title 17, Chapter 5, which governs the Tennessee Board of Judicial Conduct. Because the bill does not create new powers, duties, penalties, or funding changes, its effect is primarily organizational and technical rather than substantive. It appears intended to align the board’s statutory placement with current law and ensure the board is properly listed in the state’s board-review and sunset-related provisions.

Impact

HB0264 amends Tennessee Code Annotated Title 4, Chapter 29 and Title 17, Chapter 5 by deleting the Tennessee Board of Judicial Conduct from one statutory subdivision and adding it to another. The practical impact is to update the board’s status within the state’s list of governmental entities subject to general administrative oversight provisions, while leaving the board’s core authority and functions unchanged. The bill affects the Tennessee Board of Judicial Conduct and the statutes governing state boards and commissions.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have been received positively and without controversy. It passed the House Government Operations Committee unanimously, passed the House on consent calendar with 89 yeas and 0 nays, and later received a unanimous 30-0 vote on the Senate floor motion to adopt. The voting pattern suggests broad bipartisan agreement that the measure was a routine technical update rather than a policy dispute.

Contention

There is little evidence of substantive contention in the available record. No committee transcript is provided, and the unanimous committee and floor votes indicate no recorded opposition. Any discussion likely centered on the technical need to correct or update the statutory listing for the Tennessee Board of Judicial Conduct, rather than on the board’s powers, independence, or policy role.