Tennessee Senate Bill SB0371

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/28/25
• Engrossed: 2/24/25
• Enrolled: 3/13/25
• Passed: 3/25/25
• Chaptered: 4/8/25

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 40, Chapter 35, Part 3, relative to collection of biological specimens for DNA analysis.

Summary

SB0371 amends Tennessee’s DNA collection statute to tighten and clarify when biological specimens must be collected from convicted offenders for DNA analysis. For people convicted of felony offenses or applicable misdemeanors who are sentenced to incarceration, the bill requires the specimen to be collected within 30 days of sentencing, or before release if the sentence is shorter than 30 days. It also directs the commissioner of correction or local jail administrators to order collection when a specimen has not already been provided, and requires the approved collecting entity to forward the sample to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation for maintenance under existing law. The bill also expands authority for handling specimens from deceased offenders. It allows law enforcement agencies, including the Department of Correction, to submit any lawfully obtained biological specimen from a deceased offender previously convicted of a qualifying offense, regardless of when the conviction occurred. If an offender dies while incarcerated and no specimen has previously been submitted, the agency must send a specimen to the TBI. The act takes effect July 1, 2025, and operates within Tennessee’s criminal justice, corrections, and forensic DNA database framework.

Impact

The bill amends Tennessee Code Annotated § 40-35-321 to impose a clearer deadline for collecting DNA specimens from incarcerated offenders and to expand specimen submission requirements and authority for deceased offenders. It affects the Department of Correction, county jails and workhouses, local law enforcement agencies, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and convicted persons subject to DNA sampling requirements. The practical effect is to strengthen and standardize the state’s offender DNA collection and retention process, including for cases where the offender dies before a specimen has been collected or submitted.

Sentiment

The available voting history shows strong, unanimous support for the bill. It was recommended for passage in the Senate Judiciary Committee by a 9-0 vote, adopted on the Senate floor by a 33-0 vote, and passed on third consideration by an 86-0 vote. No committee transcript or recorded debate is provided, but the unanimous votes suggest broad agreement that the measure is a routine administrative and public-safety update rather than a controversial policy change.

Contention

No explicit opposition or substantive controversy appears in the provided materials. The main policy choices reflected in the bill are the shortened collection timeline, the requirement that jail and correctional officials ensure collection, and the new authority and mandate to submit specimens from deceased offenders. Any potential concern would likely center on administrative burden, privacy, or the handling of biological specimens after death, but no member or stakeholder objections are included in the record provided.