AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 29 and Title 39, relative to interference with property.
Summary
SB1128 would create a new criminal offense for intentionally interfering with another person’s receipt of a loan, grant, or other financial assistance that the person or entity is lawfully entitled to receive from federal, state, or local government. The bill is framed as the “STOP ELON Act” and is intended to address conduct that blocks or obstructs access to public funds or benefits.
Under the bill, a violation would be punished as theft under Tennessee’s existing theft penalty statute. It also allows aggregation of the value of multiple acts charged in a single case to determine the offense level. In addition to criminal penalties, the bill gives the affected victim a private right of action to recover the funds they were prevented from receiving.
Impact
The bill would add a new provision to Tennessee Code Annotated Title 39, Chapter 14, Part 1, expanding the state’s theft-related offenses to include interference with government-backed financial assistance. It would also create a civil remedy for victims, allowing them to sue to recover lost funds, and would apply to loans, grants, and financial assistance from federal, state, or local government sources. The act would take effect July 1, 2025.
Sentiment
There is no committee transcript or recorded vote history available in the provided materials, so there is no direct evidence of support or opposition from legislative debate. Based on the text alone, the bill appears to be a targeted enforcement measure aimed at protecting access to public funds, with a strong punitive and deterrent posture.
Contention
The main potential point of contention is the breadth of the phrase “interferes with the receipt” of government financial assistance, which could raise questions about what conduct is covered and whether the law could reach speech, advocacy, administrative actions, or other forms of obstruction. Another likely issue is the bill’s framing as the “STOP ELON Act,” which suggests a politically charged motivation and may draw debate over whether the measure is narrowly tailored or aimed at a specific individual or entity. No specific objections or supporters are documented in the provided record.