Tennessee House Bill HB0774

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/4/25
• Refer: 2/6/25

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 8, Chapter 36, Part 8, relative to campus police officers.

Summary

HB0774 amends Tennessee’s retirement-related statute in Title 8, Chapter 36, Part 8 to add “campus police officer” to the list of public safety positions covered by Tennessee Code Annotated § 8-36-809(a). As written, the bill expands the statute’s application beyond the existing categories, which already included sheriff’s deputies, by expressly including campus police officers. The bill also changes the sunset provision for that section, replacing the current subsection with a new repeal date of June 30, 2027. The act takes effect immediately upon becoming law, reflecting a legislative intent to make the change operative without delay.

Impact

The bill would amend state law governing retirement or service-credit treatment for certain public safety employees by extending coverage to campus police officers under TCA § 8-36-809. This could affect eligibility, benefits, or service calculations for campus police personnel depending on how the underlying section is administered. It also extends the life of the statute by setting a new repeal date of June 30, 2027, rather than allowing the prior subsection to remain as-is.

Sentiment

No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, so there is no direct evidence of debate, opposition, or support in the available materials. Based on the bill text alone, the measure appears technical and targeted, with a narrow policy change focused on including another class of law enforcement personnel in an existing statutory provision.

Contention

The only apparent point of contention from the text is whether campus police officers should be treated the same as other covered public safety employees, such as sheriff’s deputies, for purposes of the statute. Because no discussion or vote history is available, there is no record here of any specific objections, but any disagreement would likely center on the scope of the benefit or retirement treatment and whether campus police should be included in the same category as other law enforcement officers.