Tennessee Senate Bill SB1984

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/22/26
• Engrossed: 4/9/26

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4 and Title 8, Chapter 7, relative to assistant district attorneys general.

Summary

SB1984 directs the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (TACIR) to study pay equity for assistant district attorneys general across the state and to prepare a report with findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation. The report is due by January 31, 2027, and must be shared with the chairs of the House and Senate judiciary committees and the legislative librarian. The bill does not itself change salary levels or employment rules; instead, it creates a formal legislative study of compensation disparities in this prosecutorial job category. The bill’s practical effect is to place assistant district attorneys general and the state agencies that support them under a statewide review of pay equity, with TACIR responsible for gathering information and analyzing whether compensation is equitable. It also directs all appropriate state departments and agencies to assist TACIR, but specifies that the study must be completed using TACIR’s existing resources. Because the measure is a study bill, any direct changes to state law would depend on future legislation recommended by TACIR. The general sentiment reflected in the voting history is strongly favorable. The Senate Judiciary Committee recommended passage, and the floor vote shown in the context passed unanimously, indicating broad bipartisan support and little visible opposition at those stages. The absence of recorded committee transcript discussion suggests the bill may have been relatively noncontroversial or procedural in nature. There is little evidence of substantive contention in the available materials. The main issue implicit in the bill is whether assistant district attorneys general are paid equitably and whether any disparities warrant legislative action, but no opposing arguments are recorded in the provided context. Any debate would likely center on the need for the study, the scope of TACIR’s review, or the implications of potential future pay adjustments for prosecutors and state budgets.

Impact

SB1984 does not amend compensation statutes directly; instead, it adds a legislative study requirement under TACIR’s authority and references Title 4 and Title 8, Chapter 7 in connection with assistant district attorneys general. The bill requires state agencies to assist with the study and sets a reporting deadline of January 31, 2027. Its immediate legal impact is limited to creating an official review process, but it could lead to future legislation affecting prosecutor salaries, pay equity standards, and related personnel policies.

Sentiment

The available voting record shows strong support for the bill. The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced it unanimously, and the floor vote was also unanimous in the context provided. With no committee transcript discussion available and no recorded dissent, the overall sentiment appears positive and low-conflict, suggesting the measure was viewed as a reasonable fact-finding step rather than a controversial policy change.

Contention

No specific opposition is documented in the provided materials. The only likely points of contention are indirect: whether assistant district attorneys general are underpaid relative to comparable positions, whether TACIR should devote resources to the study, and whether any future recommendations could have budgetary consequences for the state or local prosecutorial offices. Because the bill only commissions a study, any substantive disagreement appears deferred to later legislation rather than the bill itself.