Tennessee House Bill HB0973

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/5/25
• Refer: 2/10/25
• Refer: 3/19/25
• Refer: 4/2/25
• Engrossed: 4/8/25
• Enrolled: 4/11/25
• Passed: 4/24/25
• Chaptered: 4/28/25

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 28 and Title 40, Chapter 2, relative to commencement of proceedings.

Summary

HB0973 revises Tennessee’s statutes of limitation and related commencement rules for certain child sexual abuse prosecutions and civil actions. For criminal prosecutions involving offenses covered by Tennessee Code Annotated § 40-2-101(q)(1), the bill keeps the existing rule for offenses occurring from July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2025, but requires the prosecution, when brought more than 25 years after the victim turns 18, to present admissible and credible corroborating evidence of the allegations or similar acts by the defendant. For offenses occurring on or after July 1, 2025, that corroboration requirement applies when prosecution is commenced more than 30 years after the victim turns 18. The bill also updates the general applicability language for that criminal limitations subsection and amends the civil limitations statute for child sexual abuse claims. For abuse occurring on or after July 1, 2025, a civil action may be filed within the later of 30 years after the person turns 18 or, if the injury or illness was not discovered at the time of the abuse, 3 years from discovery. The act takes effect July 1, 2025, and applies prospectively with some continued application to prior offenses unless already time-barred under existing law.

Impact

HB0973 changes Tennessee law governing when child sexual abuse cases may be prosecuted or sued upon, extending and clarifying the time periods for both criminal and civil proceedings. It affects Tennessee Code Annotated Titles 28 and 40 by modifying the criminal commencement rule in § 40-2-101 and the civil limitations period in § 28-3-116, thereby expanding the window for survivors to seek accountability while also imposing a corroboration requirement for very late-filed criminal prosecutions.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have been broadly supported and noncontroversial in the legislative process. It advanced unanimously through the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee, the House Judiciary Committee, and floor votes, including passage on the consent calendar, indicating strong bipartisan agreement or at least no recorded opposition. The absence of committee transcript debate suggests the measure was viewed as a technical but important update to survivor-related limitation periods.

Contention

No recorded opposition appears in the available votes, and there are no committee transcripts showing substantive debate. The main policy issue implicit in the bill is the balance between expanding access to justice for survivors of child sexual abuse and preserving fairness for defendants in very old cases; the bill addresses that concern by requiring admissible and credible corroborating evidence for prosecutions brought more than 25 or 30 years after the victim reaches adulthood. The civil discovery rule and the prospective extension of filing deadlines are likely the key survivor-protection provisions, while the corroboration requirement is the principal safeguard for accused persons.