Tennessee Senate Bill SB1319

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/6/25

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 2; Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 8 and Title 55, and to amend Chapter __ of the Public Acts of 2025 (1st Ex. Sess. -- HB 6001 / SB 6002), relative to non-United States citizens.

Summary

SB1319 requires the Tennessee Department of Safety to file an annual report by February 1 with the governor and legislative leaders. The report must state how many individuals had their statutory criminal penalties enhanced by a court under Tennessee Code Annotated § 40-35-325(b)(1) and (b)(2), both statewide and by county. The bill does not itself change the underlying sentencing enhancement law; instead, it creates a new reporting requirement tied to that law. The measure is framed as part of a broader package concerning non-United States citizens, but the operative provision is limited to data collection and reporting. It directs the Department of Safety to compile and disclose counts of cases in which courts applied enhanced penalties, which would give policymakers a clearer picture of how often the enhancement is used and where it is applied across the state.

Impact

The bill amends Title 4 of the Tennessee Code by adding a new annual reporting duty for the Department of Safety. It affects state administrative practice by requiring the department to gather and publish statewide and county-level statistics on court-imposed statutory penalty enhancements under § 40-35-325(b)(1) and (b)(2). It does not alter criminal penalties, court authority, or immigration-related substantive law, but it may influence future policy debates by increasing transparency around the use of these enhancements.

Sentiment

Based on the bill text and available context, the bill appears to be a low-conflict, informational measure rather than a controversial policy change. Because there were no recorded committee transcripts or votes provided, there is no evidence of formal opposition or support in the available materials. The bill’s reporting focus suggests it may have been viewed as a data-gathering step to inform lawmakers rather than a substantive change to criminal or immigration law.

Contention

The main point of potential contention is the bill’s connection to non-United States citizens and to statutory penalty enhancements under § 40-35-325, which may raise concerns about immigration-related enforcement, sentencing disparities, or the use of enhanced penalties in criminal cases. However, the text itself only requires reporting and does not specify any new enforcement powers or penalties. Any disagreement would likely center on how the reported data might be used in future policy decisions rather than on the reporting requirement itself.