Tennessee Senate Bill SB0073

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/9/25
• Engrossed: 2/20/25
• Enrolled: 2/20/25
• Passed: 3/10/25
• Chaptered: 3/21/25

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4, Chapter 29 and Title 40, Chapter 31, relative to the Interstate Compact on Detainers.

Summary

SB0073 makes a narrow administrative change to Tennessee’s statutory list of governmental entities subject to periodic termination review. The bill removes the Interstate Compact on Detainers from one existing provision in Title 4 and adds it to a new sunset section, specifying that the compact will terminate on June 30, 2033 unless it is continued, reestablished, or restructured under Tennessee’s government-entity review process. The Interstate Compact on Detainers is the interstate agreement governing the transfer and disposition of detainers involving incarcerated individuals across state lines. By placing it in the sunset statute, the bill does not change the compact’s substantive rules, but it does make the compact subject to Tennessee’s regular legislative review and reauthorization framework. The bill also preserves the General Assembly’s ability to renew or modify the entity before the termination date. The available legislative history suggests the bill was noncontroversial. It was recommended for passage by the Senate Government Operations Committee on a 9-0 vote, indicating unanimous support among committee members. No committee transcript was provided, and there is no evidence in the record of significant opposition or debate. Any contention would likely be limited to the general policy question of whether interstate compacts should be subject to automatic sunset review, rather than to the detainers compact itself. Supporters would view the measure as a routine oversight and housekeeping bill, while any critics might worry that sunset treatment could create uncertainty for criminal justice administration if reauthorization is delayed.

Impact

The bill amends Tennessee Code Annotated Title 4, Chapter 29 by deleting the Interstate Compact on Detainers from one existing termination list and adding it to a new section that sunsets the compact on June 30, 2033. It affects the statutory status of the compact under Tennessee’s governmental entity review laws, but it does not alter the underlying criminal procedure or interstate transfer provisions in Title 40, Chapter 31. The practical effect is to require future legislative action to continue the compact in Tennessee if it is to remain in force beyond the sunset date.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have been received positively and with little controversy. The only recorded vote was a unanimous 9-0 recommendation for passage in the Senate Government Operations Committee. With no committee transcript or recorded opposition, the overall sentiment suggests the measure was viewed as a routine statutory update rather than a substantive policy dispute.

Contention

There is no documented substantive opposition in the available materials. Any possible concern would center on the policy of subjecting the Interstate Compact on Detainers to a sunset date, since that could require future legislative action to avoid disruption. However, the record provided does not show any member or stakeholder explicitly raising that issue, and the committee vote indicates broad agreement.