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Back to HB 973
Tennessee General Assembly· HB 973Transmitted to Governor for his action.

Statutes of Limitations and Repose - As enacted, extends the statute of limitations for criminal prosecution of certain child sexual abuse felonies from 25 years from the child's eighteenth birthday to 30 years from the , the official text

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~tate of \!Cennessee

PUBLIC CHAPTER NO. 291

                                                   HOUSE BILL NO. 973

                              By Representatives McCalmon, Todd, Hardaway

                                       Substituted for: Senate Bill No. 1070

                By Senators Johnson, Jackson, Lowe, Massey, Rose, Taylor, Yager

         AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 28 and Title 40, Chapter 2, relative
to commencement of proceedings.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:

          SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 40-2-101 (q)(3)(8), is amended by
deleting the subdivision and substituting:

                    (8)

                              (i) For offenses occurring on or after July 1, 2019, but before July 1, 2025,
                    in order to commence prosecution for an offense listed in subdivision (q)(1) under
                    the circumstances described in subdivision (q)(3)(A), at a date that is more than
                    twenty-five (25) years from the date the victim becomes eighteen (18) years of
                    age, the prosecution is required to offer admissible and credible evidence
                    corroborating the allegations or similar acts by the defendant.

                              (ii) For offenses occurring on or after July 1, 2025, in order to commence
                    prosecution for an offense listed in subdivision (q)(1) under the circumstances
                    described in subdivision (q)(3)(A), at a date that is more than thirty (30) years
                    from the date the victim becomes eighteen (18) years of age, the prosecution is
                    required to offer admissible and credible evidence corroborating the allegations
                    or similar acts by the defendant.

          SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 40-2-101 (q)(4), is amended by
deleting the subdivision and substituting:

                    (4) This subsection (q) applies to offenses:

                              (A) Committed on or after July 1, 2019, except as provided in subdivision
                    (q)(3)(8); or

                               (B) Committed prior to July 1, 2019, unless prosecution for the offense is
                     barred because the applicable time limitation set out in this section for
                     prosecution of the offense expired prior to July 1, 2019.

           SECTION 3. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 28-3-116(b)(2), is amended by
deleting the language "on or after July 1, 2019" and substituting "on or after July 1, 2019, but
 before July 1, 2025".

           SECTION 4. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 28-3-116(b), is amended by adding
 the following new subdivision:

                     (3) For child sexual abuse that occurred on or after July 1, 2025, within the later
           of:

                               (A) Thirty (30) years from the date the person becomes eighteen (18)
                     years of age; or

                               (8) If the injury or illness was not discovered at the time of the abuse,
                     within three (3) years from the time of discovery of the abuse by the injured
                     person.
HB973
          SECTION 5. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.

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         HOUSE BILL NO. 973

PASSED:  April 10, 2025

                                        CAMEROl'fSEXTON,SPEAKER
                                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

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                                           • --       RAND CNALLY

                                               SPEAKER OF TH SENATE

/'Jrprr APPROVED this Jl{l:J,.. day of  I             2025

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BILL LEE, GOVERNOR
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