Tennessee Senate Bill SB1447

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 3/6/25
• Chaptered: 6/4/25
• Passed: 6/4/25

Caption

AN ACT to amend Chapter 125 of the Private Acts of 1949; as amended by Chapter 291 of the Private Acts of 1957; Chapter 134 of the Private Acts of 1994; and any other acts amendatory thereto, relative to compensation for Putnam County General Sessions Court Judges.

Summary

SB1447 is a local private act affecting Putnam County, Tennessee, and specifically the compensation structure for the county’s general sessions court judges. The bill amends prior private acts governing those judges’ salaries and provides that, beginning September 1, 2030, the annual salary of all Putnam County general sessions judges will be set equal to the annual salary received by the county’s circuit court judges and chancellors. It also requires future annual adjustments on September 1 of each year in accordance with the referenced Tennessee Code provisions governing judicial compensation adjustments, and it specifies that the salary will be paid in twelve equal installments. The bill includes a standard non-impairment clause stating that it cannot alter the salary of any incumbent judge before the end of the term for which that official was elected, consistent with the Tennessee Constitution. It also repeals any conflicting private acts or portions of acts applicable to Putnam County. Because this is a private act, it does not take effect unless approved by a two-thirds vote of the Putnam County legislative body, and the act’s effectiveness for approval purposes begins upon becoming law while its substantive provisions depend on local approval.

Impact

The bill changes the governing private law for Putnam County by tying general sessions judges’ compensation to the salary of circuit court judges and chancellors, rather than leaving it under the prior local salary provisions. It affects the county’s judicial compensation framework and incorporates state-law salary adjustment mechanisms from Tennessee Code Annotated sections 8-23-103(2) and 16-15-5003. The measure also preserves constitutional protections against mid-term salary changes for incumbent elected officials and requires local ratification before the new compensation rules become operative.

Sentiment

The available voting history suggests the bill was noncontroversial and broadly supported, passing the floor motion to adopt by a 32-0 vote. No committee transcripts are available, but the unanimous vote indicates little or no opposition in the recorded legislative action. The bill’s local, administrative nature and delayed effective date likely contributed to the lack of recorded dissent.

Contention

The main point of potential contention is the salary increase mechanism itself, since the bill effectively raises or standardizes compensation for Putnam County general sessions judges by aligning it with higher-paid circuit court judges and chancellors. Any concern would likely come from local officials or taxpayers who might object to the fiscal impact, although no specific opposition is recorded in the available materials. Another procedural point is that the act depends on approval by a two-thirds vote of the Putnam County legislative body, meaning local consent is required before the change takes effect.