Tennessee House Bill HB2491

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/3/26
• Refer: 2/5/26
• Refer: 2/18/26
• Refer: 3/4/26
• Refer: 4/15/26
• Engrossed: 4/20/26
• Enrolled: 4/28/26
• Passed: 5/21/26
• Chaptered: 5/27/26

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 40, Chapter 3, relative to criminal offenses.

Summary

HB2491 amends Tennessee law governing fees and assessments for fraud and economic crimes prosecutions in Title 40, Chapter 3. The bill provides that once the cost authorized by Tennessee Code Annotated § 40-3-106 is enacted in a county, the fees and assessments established in this part for fraud and economic crimes are no longer to be enforced in that county. The bill also addresses how money already collected is to be handled. Any existing funds in the possession, custody, or control of a district attorney general must be held until the balance of funds collected under § 40-3-106 equals or exceeds the balance of fraud and economic crimes prosecution funds deposited under § 40-3-207. At that point, the funds in the § 40-3-207 account are to be returned to the county government where they were originally assessed and collected. The act takes effect immediately upon becoming law.

Impact

HB2491 changes the collection and distribution of certain criminal justice-related fees and assessments tied to fraud and economic crimes prosecutions. It limits enforcement of those fees in counties where the § 40-3-106 cost has been enacted and creates a mechanism for holding and then remitting collected funds back to the county government once the statutory funding balance condition is met. The bill affects county governments, district attorney generals, and the administration of prosecution-related funding accounts under Tennessee Code Annotated Title 40, Chapter 3.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have had strong and unanimous support throughout the legislative process. It received favorable recommendations at each committee stage and passed the House floor on consent calendar passage with no recorded opposition, followed by final adoption without any recorded nays. The voting history suggests the measure was viewed as a noncontroversial administrative or fiscal adjustment to criminal justice funding procedures.

Contention

No significant contention is evident in the available record. The bill moved through subcommittee, Judiciary, and Finance, Ways, and Means with unanimous votes, and there are no committee transcripts indicating debate or objections. The only potentially sensitive issue is the reallocation and eventual return of collected fraud and economic crimes prosecution funds, which could affect county revenue and district attorney fund balances, but no member opposition is reflected in the voting history.