SB 391
FISCAL NOTE
Fiscal Review Committee
Tennessee General Assembly
January 31, 2025
Fiscal Analyst: Arielle Woodmore | Email: arielle.woodmore@capitol.tn.gov | Phone: 615-741-2564
SB 391
SUMMARY OF BILL: Authorizes a court to allow a certified facility dog to accompany a
victim or other witness while testifying or in other court proceedings for the purpose of reducing the
stress of the witness and to enhance the ability of the court to obtain full and accurate testimony.
FISCAL IMPACT:
NOT SIGNIFICANT
Assumptions:
• Pursuant to the proposed legislation, if a court allows a certified facility dog to accompany a
victim or other witness during court proceedings, the court must take all necessary
precautions to obscure the presence of the dog from the jury as much as possible. It is
assumed that the courts can accommodate the proposed requirement without a significant
reconfiguration of the courtroom space, or a significant increase in state or local
expenditures.
• Authorizing a court to allow a certified facility dog to accompany a victim or other witness
during court proceedings will not significantly impact courts’ caseloads or operations. Any
fiscal impact to state or local government will be not significant.
• Any impact resulting from the use of a certified facility dog will be borne by private parties.
CERTIFICATION:
The information contained herein is true and correct to the best of my knowledge.
Bojan Savic, Executive Director