Tennessee Senate Bill SB0019

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 12/18/24
• Engrossed: 2/24/25
• Enrolled: 3/11/25
• Passed: 3/25/25
• Chaptered: 4/8/25

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 8, Chapter 6, relative to investigations by the attorney general and reporter.

Summary

SB0019 expands the Tennessee attorney general and reporter’s authority to investigate and, in some cases, initiate criminal prosecutions involving judges, chancellors, judicial elected officials, and district attorneys general. Under the bill, the attorney general may act when there is probable cause to investigate a possible violation of state criminal law and when the local district attorney general has a personal, financial, or political conflict of interest, or when the attorney general receives a report of a violation of Tennessee Code Annotated § 8-31-103. The bill is aimed at creating a mechanism for independent review in cases where local prosecution could be compromised by a conflict of interest. It amends Title 8, Chapter 6 of the Tennessee Code Annotated and takes effect immediately upon becoming law, reflecting the legislature’s view that the change is needed without delay.

Impact

The bill changes Tennessee law by revising T.C.A. § 8-6-112(a) to broaden the attorney general and reporter’s investigative and prosecutorial role in certain cases involving high-level judicial and prosecutorial officials. It affects the allocation of criminal enforcement authority by allowing state-level intervention where local district attorneys may be conflicted, and it may alter how allegations against judges, chancellors, elected judicial officers, and district attorneys general are handled.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have received generally favorable treatment in the legislative process. It passed the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously and advanced on the floor with substantial support, though not without some opposition, as shown by the 29-2 third consideration vote and the 73-21 final passage vote. The overall pattern suggests broad agreement on the need for a conflict-of-interest safeguard, alongside some reservations about expanding the attorney general’s authority.

Contention

The main point of contention is the expansion of the attorney general and reporter’s power to investigate and potentially prosecute other constitutional or elected legal officers, which can raise separation-of-powers and local-control concerns. Supporters appear to favor the bill as a way to ensure impartial prosecution when a district attorney general has a conflict of interest, while opponents likely object to centralizing prosecutorial authority at the state level or to the breadth of circumstances triggering AG involvement. The inclusion of reports under § 8-31-103 also suggests concern about how broadly the new authority may be invoked.