Tennessee House Bill HB1064

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/5/25
• Refer: 2/10/25

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 10; Title 38; Title 39; Title 40; Chapter 969 of the Public Acts of 2024 and Chapter 1033 of the Public Acts of 2024, relative to criminal law.

Summary

HB1064 is a criminal justice bill that makes a series of changes to Tennessee’s bail, victim-protection, traffic-stop, and property-crime laws. The bill would require courts or magistrates to order GPS monitoring as a condition of bail for defendants arrested for certain violent or high-risk offenses, including offenses involving firearms or dangerous weapons, serious bodily injury, domestic assault, burglary of vehicles, reckless driving, drag racing, and repeat property or violent offenses, unless the court finds the person no longer poses a threat. It also expands reporting requirements so courts and the Administrative Office of the Courts must track and report the use of GPS monitoring orders.

Impact

The bill would amend multiple sections of Tennessee Code Annotated to broaden pretrial release conditions, increase documentation of bail decisions, and strengthen victim privacy and support provisions. It requires magistrates to make a written record of the factors considered when deciding release, seals victim address information when location restrictions are imposed at the victim’s request, and adds notice requirements about sanctions, victim procedures, and available support services. It also delays release until GPS monitoring is installed and active when ordered, changes the definition of aggravated assault involving transmission of a sexually transmitted disease, increases penalties for certain property offenses committed against first responders or law enforcement officers, and adds traffic-stop procedure requirements for marked police vehicles.

Sentiment

Because no committee transcripts or votes are provided, the overall sentiment can only be inferred from the bill’s structure. The bill appears to reflect a tough-on-crime and victim-safety approach, emphasizing monitoring, reporting, and enhanced penalties while also adding procedural protections and support information for victims. The absence of recorded debate or vote history means there is no documented public opposition or support in the provided materials.

Contention

The most likely points of contention are the expanded mandatory GPS monitoring provisions, which would apply to a broad set of offenses and limit judicial discretion unless the court makes a specific no-threat finding. Another potential issue is the added administrative burden on courts, clerks, sheriffs, and monitoring providers, including monthly reporting and delaying release until equipment is installed. The traffic-stop requirements and the enhanced penalty for offenses against first responders may also draw scrutiny from law enforcement, civil liberties, and criminal justice stakeholders depending on how the provisions are implemented.