Summary of SB 2050 / HB 2153 (Tennessee)
Title: Katherine's Law
Jurisdiction: Tennessee
Session: 114
Purpose
- Create a new offense, “aggravated domestic assault,” specifically focused on domestic violence victims.
- The bill is named “Katherine's Law.”
What the bill would do (key provisions)
- Adds a new offense to Tennessee Code Annotated Title 39, Chapter 13, Part 1:
- Aggravated domestic assault
- Elements:
- The defendant intentionally or knowingly commits an assault against a domestic abuse victim (as defined in Tenn. Code Ann. § 36-3-601).
- The assault either:
- Involves the use or display of a deadly weapon; or
- Involves strangulation.
- And results in:
- Serious bodily injury to another; or
- The death of another.
- Classification: Class B felony.
- Scope: Applies to offenses occurring on or after July 1, 2026.
Affected parties and objects
- Primary victims: Domestic abuse victims (per § 36-3-601).
- Offenders: Individuals who commit assault against domestic abuse victims under the specified circumstances (deadly weapon or strangulation plus serious injury or death).
Procedural and timeline details
- Effective date: July 1, 2026.
- Applies to offenses occurring on or after that date.
- Legislative history:
- Introduced 2026; assigned to Senate Judiciary Committee; has a House companion measure (HB 2153, Davis) and Senate sponsor (Sen. Seal) with a co-sponsor.
- Several committee and review steps in 2026.
Fiscal impact (as reviewed by Fiscal Review Committee)
- The fiscal note states “Not significant.”
- Rationale:
- Uses existing aggravated assault frameworks as benchmarks (Class C aggravated assault and related penalties) and adjusts for new aggravator tied to domestic violence victims.
- Historical context indicates a relatively small subset of cases would meet the enhanced criteria (deadly weapon/strangulation plus serious injury or death among domestic violence cases).
- Estimated impact on state costs for admissions is limited; the document notes that offenders convicted of related offenses typically serve around 3.94 years if sentenced to 85% before release (for planning of incarceration costs).
- The analysis suggests that any additional time under the new statute would not substantially affect three-year cost projections used in the fiscal model.
Key details to note
- Classification difference: The new offense is a Class B felony, whereas current aggravated domestic violence provisions (under other statutes) have different classifications (and many aggravated domestic violence cases historically align with Class C aggravated assault criteria).
- The law emphasizes the most severe domestic violence scenarios: use/display of a deadly weapon or strangulation resulting in serious bodily injury or death.
Overall impact
- The bill expands the set of domestic violence offenses to include an aggravated domestic assault tier (Class B felony) when the assault against a domestic abuse victim involves a deadly weapon or strangulation and results in serious injury or death.
- Aims to provide greater accountability and sentencing for particularly dangerous domestic violence scenarios, while maintaining a focus on protection of domestic abuse victims.
