Tennessee House Bill HB0576

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/29/25
• Refer: 3/19/25
• Refer: 3/26/25
• Refer: 4/9/25
• Refer: 4/16/25
• Refer: 4/17/25
• Engrossed: 4/21/25
• Enrolled: 4/24/25
• Passed: 5/21/25
• Chaptered: 5/27/25

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4, Chapter 3, Part 13; Title 39; Title 40; Title 41; Title 56; Title 62 and Title 67, Chapter 4, Part 8, relative to bond.

Summary

HB0576 overhauls Tennessee’s regulation of professional bail bondsmen by creating a new state Board of Professional Bondsmen and shifting much of the oversight, licensing, discipline, and registry functions from the courts to that board. Beginning in 2026, a person may not operate as a professional bondsman unless licensed by the board, and the board is authorized to set licensure standards, renewal requirements, fees, continuing education rules, background-check procedures, and disciplinary processes. The bill also requires the board to maintain a public registry of licensed and disciplined bondsmen and to serve as the centralized place for complaints. The bill also changes how bondsmen interact with courts and other officials. Courts retain authority to approve or deny a bondsman’s ability to write bonds in a particular court, but the bill requires courts and clerks to use approved lists, report disciplinary actions to the board, and provide written reasons when denying a licensed bondsman access. It adds or updates rules on arrest notification, bankruptcy-related forfeitures, proof of licensure, and restrictions on who may act as a bondsman, including certain public officials and people connected to qualified electronic monitoring providers. The act takes effect immediately for board creation and rulemaking, with most other provisions effective January 1, 2026.

Impact

The bill amends multiple sections of Tennessee law in Title 40 governing bail bonding and related provisions in Titles 4, 39, 41, 56, 62, and 67. It creates a new Board of Professional Bondsmen within the Department of Commerce and Insurance, establishes a statewide licensure system, and changes disciplinary authority so the board becomes the primary regulator while courts retain local approval authority over whether a bondsman may operate in a particular court. It also requires criminal background checks, public reporting, and coordination between the board, courts, clerks, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and district attorneys.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have broad support overall, passing several committees with comfortable margins and clearing the House floor by a wide vote. The final floor vote was 83-5 on regular calendar amended passage, suggesting general agreement with the move toward a more formal statewide licensing and oversight structure for professional bondsmen. The earlier committee votes were also favorable, though not unanimous, indicating some reservations but no major organized opposition in the available record.

Contention

The main points of contention likely centered on the shift of regulatory power from courts to a new state board and the added licensing, reporting, and disciplinary requirements for bondsmen. The bill preserves judicial discretion to deny a bondsman access to a particular court, but it also creates a centralized board with authority to license, discipline, and publish sanctions, which may have raised concerns about administrative burden, due process, and the balance between statewide regulation and local court control. Another likely issue is the new restriction on bondsmen who own or work for qualified electronic monitoring providers, along with the bankruptcy and background-check provisions that could limit who may participate in the industry.