HB 954 - SB 904
FISCAL NOTE
Fiscal Review Committee
Tennessee General Assembly
March 16, 2025
Fiscal Analyst: John Jenkins | Email: john.jenkins@capitol.tn.gov | Phone: 615-741-2564
HB 954 - SB 904
SUMMARY OF BILL: Requires, by January 1, 2026, each law enforcement agency in the
state to develop and implement an alternative crisis response unit to include a qualified mental
health professional who is employed by the agency and serves as the lead on any mental-health
related calls for service.
Requires the Post Officer Standards and Training Commission (POST) to establish uniform training
standards for alternative crisis response units, and to annually provide full-time police officers with
training on how to best support mental health professionals on a call for service with such units.
FISCAL IMPACT:
STATE GOVERNMENT
EXPENDITURES General Fund
FY25-26 $863,800
FY26-27 & Subsequent Years $584,400
Total Positions Required: 6
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
EXPENDITURES Mandatory
FY25-26 & Subsequent Years $24,519,800
Total Positions Required: 300
Article II, Section 24 of the Tennessee Constitution provides that: no law of general application shall impose increased expenditure
requirements on cities or counties unless the General Assembly shall provide that the state share in the cost.
Assumptions:
Alternative Crisis Response Units
• The legislation requires each law enforcement agency in the state to establish an alternative
crisis response unit to include the employment of at least one mental health professional.
• Per the proposed legislation, “qualified mental health professional” means a person who is
licensed in the state, if required for the profession, and who is a psychiatrist; physician with
expertise in psychiatry as determined by training, education, or experience; psychologist
with health service provider designation; psychological examiner or senior psychological
examiner; licensed master's social worker with two years of mental health experience or
licensed clinical social worker; marital and family therapist; nurse with a master's degree in
HB 954 - SB 904 2
nursing who functions as a psychiatric nurse; professional counselor; or if the person is
providing service to service recipients who are children, any of the above educational
credentials plus mental health experience with children.
• It is not known how many law enforcement agencies in the state currently employ an
individual who meets those qualifications. It is assumed that the vast majority do not.
• The Tennessee Sheriff’s Association states that they are not aware of any Sheriff’s office
who employs such an individual full-time, and that such services are sometimes contracted
out, or relevant support organizations are simply called in real-time to assist in mental
health crisis situations.
• There are an estimated 311 local law enforcement agencies in the state. The legislation
requires the mental health professional to be the lead of the unit on any mental-health
related service calls. Because such calls could come at any hour of the day or night, it is
reasonably assumed that many agencies would require the employment of more than one
mental health professional.
• The total number of mental health professionals that would need to be hired to meet the
requirements of the legislation is unknown. It is assumed that at least 300 mental health
professionals will need to be hired by local law enforcement agencies across the state.
• The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation does not respond to such calls for service generally,
and is otherwise assumed to be able to comply with the legislation within existing resources.
It as assumed that the Department of Safety (DOS) will need to hire one mental health
professional.
• Due to the range of professional qualifications authorized to satisfy the legislation’s
definition of a qualified mental health professional, and the wide disparity of local hiring
markets and standard salaries for such professionals in all the various jurisdictions across
the state, it is not known precisely what such an individual would require for compensation.
• This analysis assumes that a qualified mental health professional would receive an average
salary of $55,000 plus benefits.
• The mandatory recurring increase in local expenditures related to the salary and benefits for
the positions is estimated to be $21,519,750 as follows:
• There is assumed to be an additional recurring increase in local expenditures for the
positions related to training, supplies, equipment, and communications estimated to be
approximately $10,000 per position, or $3,000,000 (300 positions x $10,000 operations)
total.
• It is assumed that the legislation requires the alternative crisis response units to be fully
formed, trained, and operational on January 1, 2026. Therefore, it is assumed that agencies
will begin hiring, forming, and training such units at the beginning of FY25-26. All fiscal
impacts associated with the units are therefore assumed to be full fiscal year impacts
beginning in FY25-26.
• The mandatory recurring increase in local expenditures related to employing mental health
professionals is estimated to be $24,519,750 ($21,519,750 salaries + $3,000,000 operations)
in FY25-26 and subsequent years.
Title Salary Benefits Positions Total
Mental Health Professional $55,000 $16,733 300 $21,519,750
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• The increase in state expenditures for the DOS to employ one mental health professional
full-time is estimated to be $81,733 ($55,000 salary + $16,733 benefits + $10,000
operations) in FY25-26 and subsequent years.
• It is assumed that the agencies could establish and implement alternative crisis response
units with existing law enforcement officers who would receive the additional training. Any
fiscal impact to the agencies for establishing the units is estimated to be not significant.
POST Training
• The legislation requires the POST Commission to establish uniform training standards for
alternative response crisis units, and to annually provide full-time police officers with
training on how to best operate and support such units.
• The POST commission is administratively attached to the Department of Commerce and
Insurance (DCI).
• The training would be developed and provided by the Tennessee Law Enforcement
Training Academy (TLETA), which is also administratively attached to the DCI.
• It is assumed that TLETA will need to provide such training on-site or in a nearby location
to law enforcement agencies across the state on a continual basis each year.
• According to the DCI, TLETA does not have the capacity to provide this training within
existing resources. It is estimated that TLETA will require four training instructors and one
training supervisor.
• The increase in state expenditures to the DCI related to salary and benefits for the new
positions is estimated to be $476,069 in FY25-26 as follows:
• The five positions will require various equipment, education, and communications expenses.
• The one time increase in expenditures associated with such expenses are as follows:
o $14,375 electronic devices ($9,375 laptops + $5,000 tablets); and
o $265,000 vehicles, uniforms, and equipment.
• The recurring increase in expenditures associated with such expenses are as follows:
o $20,000 communications ($350 remote connection + $1,400 wireless for tablets
+ $15,500 system access and service + $2,750 cell phones); and
o $6,625 continuing education ($250 professional association membership +
$2,375 annual conference fees + $4,000 annual conference travel and per diems).
• The total increase in expenditures to the DCI for the positions is estimated to be $782,069
($476,069 + $14,375 + $265,000 + $20,000 + $6,625) in FY25-26.
• The total increase in expenditures to the DCI for the positions is estimated to be $502,694
($476,069 + $20,000 + $6,625) in FY26-27 and subsequent years.
• It is assumed that TLETA will not charge local agencies any additional fees for the training.
Therefore, any fiscal impacts related to training fees for the DCI or local agencies is
estimated to be not significant.
Title Salary Benefits Positions Total
Training Instructor $72,540 $19,642 4 $368,730
Training Supervisor $85,540 $21,799 1 $107,339
Total: $476,069
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Totals
• The total increase in state expenditures is estimated to be $863,802 ($81,733 DOS position
+ $782,069 TLETA positions) in FY25-26.
• The total increase in state expenditures is estimated to be $584,427 ($81,733 DOS position
+ $502,694 TLETA positions) in FY26-27 and subsequent years.
• The total mandatory increase in local expenditures is estimated to be $24,519,750 in FY25-
26 and subsequent years.
CERTIFICATION:
The information contained herein is true and correct to the best of my knowledge.
Bojan Savic, Executive Director