AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 38; Title 39; Title 40 and Title 67, relative to crime stoppers programs.
SB0804 creates a new state crime stoppers trust fund and finances it primarily through an additional $10 fine imposed on every felony and misdemeanor conviction. Court clerks would collect the fine, keep a $3 service charge per assessment, and remit the remainder to the state treasury for deposit in the fund. The bill also allows the fund to receive state-appropriated money and investment earnings, and it bars those monies from reverting to the general fund.
The bill directs the state treasurer to administer the fund and distribute grants to eligible crime stoppers organizations within political subdivisions of the state. A crime stoppers organization is defined as a 501(c)(3) entity with a board and executive director or coordinator that collects donations for rewards tied to tips about criminal activity and forwards information to law enforcement. Grants may be used for public awareness materials, rewards for tips leading to arrests or recovery of property, narcotics, bodies, missing persons, illegal firearms on K-12 campuses, prevention of terrorist acts, or resolution of long-unsolved violent cases, as well as limited administrative costs.
In state-law terms, the bill amends Tennessee Code Annotated Titles 38, 39, 40, and 67, but its operative changes are concentrated in Title 40 by adding new provisions governing the fine, the trust fund, grant administration, reporting, and auditing. It also authorizes the treasurer to adopt rules for fund investment, distribution criteria, and coordination with agencies on crime prevention and public safety education. The act would take effect January 1, 2026.
The overall sentiment reflected in the materials is neutral to supportive, with the bill presented as a public-safety funding measure rather than a controversial policy change. No committee debate or recorded votes are included, so there is no documented opposition or amendment activity in the provided record. The structure of the bill suggests support for local crime stoppers programs and law-enforcement assistance, while also imposing a new court-related fee on criminal offenders to finance those efforts.
The bill would add a mandatory $10 criminal fine for felony and misdemeanor convictions, creating a new revenue stream outside the general fund for the crime stoppers trust fund. It would require clerks to collect and remit the money, authorize the state treasurer to administer and invest the fund, and establish grant procedures for local crime stoppers organizations. It also adds reporting and audit requirements and gives the treasurer rulemaking authority, thereby expanding state oversight of local crime stoppers funding and operations.
The available record shows no committee transcript, vote tally, or recorded amendments, so there is no evidence of formal opposition or support beyond the bill text itself. The bill is framed as a public-safety and law-enforcement support measure, which suggests a generally favorable posture toward crime prevention and victim recovery efforts. Because no debate is provided, any contention is not documented in the supplied materials.
No specific contention is documented in the provided transcripts or voting history. Potential points of policy interest inherent in the bill include the new mandatory $10 fine on criminal defendants, the allocation of funds by county and judicial district, the limit that no more than 25% of grant funds may be used for administrative expenses, and the restriction that only one crime stoppers program may be eligible within a county. The bill also centralizes grant administration in the state treasurer and department of safety, which could raise questions about local control and equitable distribution, but no recorded objections are included here.