Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

Tennessee Senate Bill SB0804 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1
2		-	HOUSE BILL 1116
3		-	By Carringer
	2	+	<BillNo> <Sponsor>
4	3
5	4		SENATE BILL 804
6	5		By Massey
7	6
8	7
9	8		SB0804
10	9		002636
11	10		- 1 -
12	11
13	12		AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 38;
14	13		Title 39; Title 40 and Title 67, relative to crime
15	14		stoppers programs.
16	15
17	16		BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
18	17		SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 40, Chapter 35, Part 1, is amended by
19	18		adding the following new section:
20	19		(a) In addition to any fine prescribed by law for a criminal offense, an offender
21	20		convicted of a felony or misdemeanor offense shall be assessed an additional fine of ten
22	21		dollars ($10.00), which must be imposed by all courts with criminal jurisdiction and
23	22		collected by the clerks of the courts.
24	23		(b) The clerk of the court shall collect and forward, on a monthly basis, all fines
25	24		assessed under subsection (a), less three dollars ($3.00) per assessment as a service
26	25		charge to be retained by the clerk, to the state treasury for deposit in the crime stoppers
27	26		trust fund, to be used as provided in SECTION 2.
28	27		SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 40, Chapter 35, Part 1, is amended by
29	28		adding the following new section:
30	29		(a) As used in this section:
31	30		(1) "Crime stoppers organization" means a 501(c)(3) organization, as
32	31		defined by the 2000 United States Tax Code, with an overseeing board of
33	32		directors and an executive director or coordinator, that collects and expends
34	33		donations for rewards to persons who report to the organization information
35	34		concerning criminal activity, and forwards that information to appropriate law
36	35		enforcement agencies; and
37	36
38	37
39	38		- 2 - 002636
40	39
41	40		(2) "Fund" means the crime stoppers trust fund.
42	41		(b) There is created in the state treasury a fund known as the crime stoppers
43	42		trust fund. Moneys in the fund must be used for the purpose of grant administration to
44	43		fund crime stoppers programs within political subdivisions of this state.
45	44		(c) The fund must be administered as follows:
46	45		(1) The money may be invested but must be accounted for separately
47	46		with separate accounting for the fund's principal and income;
48	47		(2) The crime stoppers trust fund must contain state-appropriated
49	48		moneys and fees and fines assessed in accordance with SECTION 1;
50	49		(3) Moneys in the fund must not revert to the general fund of the state,
51	50		but must remain available to be used as provided for in this section;
52	51		(4) Interest accruing on fund deposits and investments must be credited
53	52		to the fund, must not revert to the general fund, and must be carried forward into
54	53		each subsequent fiscal year;
55	54		(5) Moneys in the fund must be invested by the state treasurer in
56	55		accordance with § 9-4-603; and
57	56		(6) The state treasurer is authorized to expend moneys from the fund to
58	57		fund costs and expenses incurred by the department of the treasury for the
59	58		administration of the fund and for the review and approval of contract service
60	59		providers pursuant to § 55-10-426.
61	60		(d) The proceeds of the fine imposed by SECTION 1 must be deposited in a
62	61		separate account in the trust fund, and within that account the funds must be designated
63	62		according to the judicial district in which they were collected. The funds in this account
64	63		must be distributed as provided in subdivision (e)(2).
65	64		(e)
66	65
67	66
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69	68
70	69		(1) The state treasurer is the disbursing authority for distribution of
71	70		funding to crime stoppers organizations, upon their application to the department
72	71		of safety for funding assistance.
73	72		(2) Funds deposited in the trust fund pursuant to subsection (d) must be
74	73		disbursed as provided in this subdivision (e)(2). A crime stoppers organization
75	74		may apply to the department for a grant from the funds collected in the county in
76	75		which the organization is located. A grant may be used only to support crime
77	76		stoppers, as provided in subsection (f). Only one (1) program is eligible for
78	77		support within a county. In order to aid the state treasurer in determining
79	78		eligibility, the department of safety shall furnish the treasurer with a schedule of
80	79		authorized crime stoppers organizations and shall update the schedule as
81	80		necessary. The state treasurer shall award grants to crime stoppers
82	81		organizations from available funds and shall distribute funds as equitably as
83	82		possible, based on amounts collected within each county, when more than one
84	83		(1) county is contained within a judicial district.
85	84		(f) A crime stoppers organization that is awarded a grant under this section may
86	85		use such funds:
87	86		(1) To purchase and distribute promotional items to increase public
88	87		awareness of and to educate the public about crime stoppers;
89	88		(2) To pay rewards for tips that result in any of the following:
90	89		(A) An arrest;
91	90		(B) The recovery of stolen property;
92	91		(C) The recovery of illegal narcotics;
93	92		(D) The recovery of the body of a homicide victim;
94	93
95	94
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97	96
98	97		(E) The recovery of a human trafficking victim or a missing person
99	98		connected to criminal activity;
100	99		(F) The recovery of an illegal firearm or an illegal weapon on a
101	100		kindergarten through grade twelve (K-12) school campus;
102	101		(G) The prevention of a terrorist act; or
103	102		(H) The solving and closing of a criminal case involving a
104	103		homicide or other violent felony offense that remains unsolved for one (1)
105	104		year or more after being reported to a law enforcement agency and that
106	105		has no viable and unexplored investigatory leads; or
107	106		(3) For the administrative or operating expenses of the crime stoppers
108	107		organization; provided, however, that no more than twenty-five percent (25%) of
109	108		the funds awarded may be used for administrative or operating expenses.
110	109		(g) The state treasurer is authorized to promulgate rules relative to:
111	110		(1) The investment of money in the fund;
112	111		(2) The administration, processing, and payment of funds to local
113	112		governments;
114	113		(3) Criteria for organizations to apply for funding from the crime stoppers
115	114		trust fund in order to aid local law enforcement as provided in this section;
116	115		(4) The limits of funding to be distributed to local government units based
117	116		on a pro rata share of grants made available through the fund pursuant to
118	117		subdivision (e)(1), and criteria for the equitable distribution of funds available
119	118		pursuant to subdivision (e)(2); and
120	119		(5) Provisions for the coordination with appropriate governmental
121	120		agencies to support and enhance efforts to train the public in crime prevention
122	121
123	122
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125	124
126	125		methods and in personal safety principles, especially for citizens who live in,
127	126		work at, or frequent locations with high crime rates.
128	127		(h) Each crime stoppers organization that receives a grant under this section
129	128		shall report annually to the chief clerks of the senate and the house of representatives,
130	129		the legislative librarian, and the office of legislative budget analysis on the use of grant
131	130		funds in the preceding fiscal year. The first report is due no later than February 1, 2027,
132	131		and by each February 1 thereafter.
133	132		(i) The fund is subject to examination and audit by the comptroller of the
134	133		treasury.
135	134		SECTION 3. This act takes effect January 1, 2026, the public welfare requiring it.