Tennessee Senate Bill SB1422

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/6/25
• Failed: 4/1/25

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 38; Title 39; Title 40 and Title 50, relative to workplace violence.

Summary

SB1422 creates a new part of Tennessee law addressing workplace bullying in connection with violent crimes. It defines “bullying” in the workplace as conduct by an employee or former employee that interferes with another employee’s employment benefits, opportunities, or performance and either physically harms the employee or property, or places the employee in reasonable fear of such harm. It also defines “workplace” and incorporates the existing statutory definition of “crime of violence.” The bill requires law enforcement agencies investigating a workplace crime of violence to also inquire whether bullying was occurring and whether the violence was caused by or connected to that bullying. If so, the agency must report its findings to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. Beginning July 1, 2026, and annually thereafter, TBI must compile those reports into a statewide workplace bullying and violence report and submit it to the Senate Judiciary Committee and the House committee with criminal justice jurisdiction. The act would take effect July 1, 2025.

Impact

The bill would add a new reporting and investigative requirement to Tennessee Code Annotated Title 38, creating a formal state-level mechanism for tracking workplace bullying as a possible factor in workplace violence. It would not create a standalone criminal offense for bullying, but it would expand law enforcement’s inquiry obligations and require TBI to collect and publish aggregate findings for legislative oversight. Employers, employees, and law enforcement agencies involved in workplace violence cases would be the primary affected parties.

Sentiment

The available voting history suggests the bill faced significant opposition in committee, as it failed in the Senate Judiciary Committee by a 3-6 vote. No committee transcript is available, so the record does not show detailed debate, but the outcome indicates the proposal did not command broad support at that stage. Overall, the bill appears to have been viewed as a workplace safety and data-collection measure, but not one that gained enough consensus to advance.

Contention

The main point of contention is likely the bill’s requirement that law enforcement investigate workplace bullying as part of a violent-crime inquiry, which could be seen as expanding police responsibilities into workplace conduct and employment disputes. Another possible concern is the breadth and subjectivity of the bill’s bullying definition, especially the “reasonable fear” standard and the link between bullying and violence. Supporters would likely emphasize prevention, documentation, and better understanding of workplace violence, while opponents may have questioned enforceability, scope, and whether the measure duplicates existing workplace or criminal remedies.