AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 40 and Title 41, relative to the "Parole Relief and Opportunity Act."
Summary
SB1218, titled the “Parole Relief and Opportunity Act,” would amend Tennessee’s parole and release-related statutes to create a new hardship-based exemption for certain people under supervision. The bill adds a new category of parolee hardship based on income and employment status, covering individuals whose income is insufficient to meet basic household necessities or who, despite reasonable efforts, have not been able to obtain gainful employment sufficient to meet those necessities.
The measure also requires the Department of Correction to waive certain fees and contributions when a person qualifies as a hardship case. It changes existing law so that, in hardship cases, required payments under the parole/probation contribution system must be waived, and it allows a person who is more than two months behind on contributions to notify the department and request a financial reevaluation. If hardship is found, past-due contributions are waived and future contributions are suspended until the hardship ends. The act would take effect July 1, 2025.
Impact
The bill would amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 40, by expanding the statutory hardship framework used in parole and related release programs. It would affect the department’s authority to collect supervision-related fees and contributions, and it would limit revocation based solely on nonpayment when the person has been determined to be experiencing hardship. In practice, the bill would provide relief to parolees, probationers, and other individuals in release programs who cannot afford required payments because of low income, unemployment, or household financial obligations.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee debate or votes in the provided materials, the bill appears to be framed as a relief measure aimed at reducing financial barriers for people reentering the community after incarceration. The title and structure suggest a generally sympathetic policy approach toward indigent or underemployed supervisees. No opposing arguments, amendments, or recorded vote outcomes are provided here, so the available context does not show formal controversy in the supplied record.
Contention
The main policy tension in the bill is between providing financial relief to parolees and preserving enforcement tools for supervision compliance. Supporters would likely emphasize fairness, reentry stability, and the practical inability of some supervisees to pay fees without jeopardizing basic household needs. Potential critics could focus on reduced fee collections, administrative burden on the department to determine hardship, and the possibility that waiving contributions may weaken accountability or supervision funding. However, no committee transcript or vote record is included to identify specific legislators or stakeholder groups taking those positions.