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Tennessee · 114th Regular Session (2025-2026) · Bill

SB 944: Criminal Offenses - As enacted, requires the department of mental health and substance abuse services to establish a mental health evaluation process for a community mental health center or qualified mental health professional to evaluate a defendant convicted of domestic assault, child abuse, aggravated child abuse, cruelty to animals, aggravated cruelty to animals; requires a court in which a person is convicted of any such offense to order the offender to undergo a mental health evaluation prior to the sentencing hearing. - Amends TCA Title 33; Title 39 and Title 40.

In committee Official data

  1. Introduced
  2. In committee
  3. Passed one chamber
  4. Passed both chambers
  5. Enacted

Last official action: ·Record last updated:

Plain-language summary

SB 944 is a bill introduced in the Tennessee Senate on February 5, 2025. According to its official title, it concerns: Criminal Offenses - As enacted, requires the department of mental health and substance abuse services to establish a mental health evaluation process for a community mental health center or qualified mental health professional to evaluate a defendant convicted of domestic assault, child abuse, aggravated child abuse, cruelty to animals, aggravated cruelty to animals; requires a court in which a person is convicted of any such offense to order the offender to undergo a mental health evaluation prior to the sentencing hearing. - Amends TCA Title 33; Title 39 and Title 40. Primary sponsor: Becky Massey (Republican). Most recent recorded action (May 27, 2025): Comp. became Pub. Ch. 511.

Generated automatically from the official title, sponsor list, and status record only. It does not characterize the bill’s purpose or effects. How summaries are written

Sponsors

Sponsors by party (alphabetical): Republican 1

NameRolePartyChamberDistrict
Becky MasseyPrimary sponsorRepublicanSenate6

“Support” is shown only as formal sponsorship recorded by the legislature. Roll-call votes are available on the official bill page.

Recent official actions

  1. Comp. became Pub. Ch. 511
  2. Sponsor(s) Added.
  3. Companion House Bill substituted
  4. Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee
  5. Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/22/2025
  6. Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 4/21/2025
  7. Rule #83(8) Suspended, to be heard in Senate Finance, Ways & Means Committee on 4/15/2025
  8. Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 4/15/2025
  9. Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee Ayes 9, Nays 0 PNV 0
  10. Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/25/2025
  11. Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/24/2025
  12. Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

Showing 12 most recent of 14 actions. Full history

Sources

  1. Open States / Plural (data from the official legislature website)
  2. Official legislature source