AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 55-10-419, relative to the electronic monitoring indigency fund.
HB1343 amends Tennessee’s electronic monitoring indigency fund statute to update how costs for ignition interlock devices and alternative devices are defined, paid, and reimbursed. The bill expands the definition of “eligible costs” to include lease, purchase, installation, removal, maintenance, monitoring, and other fees tied to these devices when they are required by court order or other applicable law for an indigent person.
The bill also revises the indigency process. A person ordered to use one of these devices generally must pay the costs unless found indigent, in which case the person must pay at least $30 per month and the fund covers the rest up to $170 per month. For alternative devices, the court must hold a full hearing and consider specified financial factors, and false statements in the affidavit of indigency are treated as perjury. The state treasurer must deem a person indigent for ignition interlock purposes if they receive SNAP, TANF, or Medicaid on the date the device is ordered.
HB1343 changes Tennessee Code Annotated § 55-10-419, affecting the electronic monitoring indigency fund, ignition interlock device reimbursement, and reimbursement for alternative monitoring devices. It clarifies who qualifies as indigent, sets a minimum monthly contribution for indigent users, establishes a reimbursement cap, and adds documentation and timing requirements for providers, clerks, and local governments. The bill directly affects indigent defendants, device providers, courts, clerks, the state treasurer, and local governments responsible for alternative device accounts.
The bill appears to have been broadly supported and noncontroversial in the legislative process. It passed the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee 9-0, the House Judiciary Committee 17-0, and the House floor 94-0 on consent calendar passage, indicating strong bipartisan agreement and little visible opposition. The available record does not include committee debate, but the unanimous votes suggest the measure was viewed as a technical or administrative update rather than a contentious policy change.
No major points of contention are reflected in the available record. The main policy choices embedded in the bill are the $30 monthly minimum payment for indigent persons, the $170 monthly reimbursement cap, and the expanded court-based indigency determination for alternative devices. The bill also creates a bright-line indigency presumption for people receiving SNAP, TANF, or Medicaid, which may have been intended to simplify administration and reduce disputes over eligibility.