SB 1203 - HB 1251
FISCAL NOTE
Fiscal Review Committee
Tennessee General Assembly
March 20, 2025
Fiscal Analyst: Natalie Dusek | Email: natalie.dusek@capitol.tn.gov | Phone: 615-741-2564
SB 1203 - HB 1251
SUMMARY OF BILL: Exempts a person seeking to restore the person’s rights of
citizenship from having to pay the costs of the application if a court orders otherwise.
FISCAL IMPACT:
NOT SIGNIFICANT
Assumptions:
• Pursuant to Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-29-101, persons rendered infamous or deprived of the
rights of citizenship by the judgment of any state or federal court may have their full rights
of citizenship restored by the circuit court. Those pardoned, if the pardon does restore full
rights of citizenship, may petition for restoration immediately after the pardon; provided,
that a court shall not have jurisdiction to alter, delete or render void special conditions of a
pardon pertaining to the right of suffrage. Those convicted of an infamous crime may
petition for restoration upon the expiration of the maximum sentence imposed for the
infamous crime.
• Pursuant to Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-29-104, the petitioner is required to pay the costs of the
application.
• The proposed legislation provides that a petitioner is required to pay such application costs,
unless the court orders otherwise.
• The precise cost for such applications is assumed to vary among jurisdictions. The average
cost is not known.
• It is not known how many times in a given year a court may issue an order relieving the
petitioner of the responsibility to pay the application costs of a petition.
• It is assumed, however, that such orders will be rare, and that the proposed legislation will
not result in a significant decrease in local revenue related to such application costs.
• Any fiscal impact to state or local government is therefore estimated to be not significant.
CERTIFICATION:
The information contained herein is true and correct to the best of my knowledge.
Bojan Savic, Executive Director