---
type: "Bill"
title: "Sentencing - As enacted, revises and clarifies release eligibility for certain persons sentenced to life imprisonment for first degree murder. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 37; Title 38; Title 39; Title 40 and Title 41."
description: "Sentencing - As enacted, revises and clarifies release eligibility for certain persons sentenced to life imprisonment for first degree murder. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 37; Title 38; Title 39; Title 40 and Title 41."
jurisdiction: "us/states/tn"
legislature: "Tennessee General Assembly"
session: "111"
identifier: "SB 453"
citation: "Tennessee SB 453 (111)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Sentencing"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Bell", "Garrett"]
version_count: 6
action_count: 68
vote_count: 12
first_action: "2019-01-31"
last_action: "2020-07-22"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/248281d9-b76a-4ccb-b6e9-3b3dad46af8c"
source_url: "http://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/default.aspx?BillNumber=SB0453&GA=111"
source_hash: "04254d1b841eb461f6504fe496cfe6853c9384e1b27667c47cf2832716bf2a9d"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-tn"]
---

# Tennessee SB 453 (111) — Sentencing - As enacted, revises and clarifies release eligibility for certain persons sentenced to life imprisonment for first degree murder. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 37; Title 38; Title 39; Title 40 and Title 41.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Amendment HA0350** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.capitol.tn.gov/Bills/111/Amend/HA0350.pdf)
2. **Amendment HA0494** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.capitol.tn.gov/Bills/111/Amend/HA0494.pdf)
3. **Amendment SA0468** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.capitol.tn.gov/Bills/111/Amend/SA0468.pdf)
4. **Amendment SA0469** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.capitol.tn.gov/Bills/111/Amend/SA0469.pdf)
5. **Amendment SA0470** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.capitol.tn.gov/Bills/111/Amend/SA0470.pdf)
6. **Current Version** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.capitol.tn.gov/Bills/111/Bill/SB0453.pdf)

## Votes

- FLOOR VOTE: as Amended Third Consideration 2/6/2020 Passed — **30–2** (pass) · upper
- HOUSE FINANCE, WAYS, AND MEANS SUBCOMMITTEE: Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee 4/24/2019 (4) — **0–0** (pass) · lower
- SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: Recommend for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee 4/23/2019 Passed — **8–0** (pass) · upper
- HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee 4/10/2019 (5) — **0–0** (pass) · lower
- SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee Ayes 8, Nays 0 PNV 1 1/14/2020 Passed — **8–0** (pass) · upper
- FLOOR VOTE: MESSAGE CALENDAR MOTION TO ADOPT CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REPORT 6/11/2020 Passed — **84–0** (pass) · lower
- HOUSE FINANCE, WAYS, AND MEANS COMMITTEE: Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee 4/24/2019 (3) — **0–0** (pass) · lower
- HOUSE CALENDAR & RULES COMMITTEE: H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/30/2019 4/29/2019 (2) — **0–0** (fail) · lower
- FLOOR VOTE: REGULAR CALENDAR AS AMENDED PASSAGE ON THIRD CONSIDERATION 4/30/2019 Passed (1) — **86–7** (pass) · lower
- SENATE FINANCE, WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE: Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 9, Nays 0 PNV 1 1/28/2020 Passed — **9–0** (pass) · upper
- FLOOR VOTE: Motion to Adopt Conference Committee Report 6/17/2020 Passed — **30–1** (pass) · upper
- HOUSE CONSTITUTIONAL PROTECTIONS & SENTENCING SUBCOMMITTEE: Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to Judiciary 4/3/2019 — **0–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Bell — primary (person)
- Garrett — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2019-01-31** Filed for introduction `reading-1, introduction`
- **2019-01-31** Filed for introduction `reading-1, introduction`
- **2019-02-04** Introduced, Passed on First Consideration `introduction`
- **2019-02-04** Intro., P1C. `introduction`
- **2019-02-06** Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee
- **2019-02-06** P2C, caption bill, held on desk - pending amdt.
- **2019-03-26** Assigned to s/c Constitutional Protections & Sentencing Subcommittee `referral-committee`
- **2019-03-26** Ref. to Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2019-03-27** Placed on s/c cal Constitutional Protections & Sentencing Subcommittee for 4/3/2019
- **2019-04-03** Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 4/9/2019
- **2019-04-03** Placed on cal. Judiciary for 4/10/2019
- **2019-04-03** Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to Judiciary `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2019-04-09** Action deferred in Senate Judiciary Committee to 4/16/2019
- **2019-04-10** Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 4/16/2019
- **2019-04-10** Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2019-04-16** Action deferred in Senate Judiciary Committee to 4/23/2019
- **2019-04-17** Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 4/23/2019
- **2019-04-17** Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/24/2019
- **2019-04-17** Placed behind the budget
- **2019-04-17** Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/17/2019
- **2019-04-17** Assigned to s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee `referral-committee`
- **2019-04-23** Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee
- **2019-04-24** Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/29/2019
- **2019-04-24** Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2019-04-24** Placed on cal. Finance, Ways, and Means Committee for 4/24/2019
- **2019-04-24** Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2019-04-25** Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/30/2019
- **2019-04-29** H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/30/2019
- **2019-04-30** Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 5/1/2019
- **2019-04-30** Senate Reset on calendar for 5/1/2019
- **2019-04-30** Received from House, Passed on First Consideration `introduction`
- **2019-04-30** Engrossed; ready for transmission to Sen.
- **2019-04-30** Passed H., as am., Ayes 86, Nays 7, PNV 1 `passage`
- **2019-04-30** H. adopted am. (Amendment 1 - HA0350) `amendment-passage`
- **2019-04-30** H. adopted am. (Amendment 2 - HA0494) `amendment-passage`
- **2019-05-01** Re-refer to Senate Judiciary Comm.
- **2020-01-08** Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 1/14/2020
- **2020-01-14** Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee Ayes 8, Nays 0 PNV 1
- **2020-01-22** Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 1/28/2020
- **2020-01-28** Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 9, Nays 0 PNV 1
- **2020-02-04** Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 2/6/2020
- **2020-02-06** Companion House Bill substituted
- **2020-02-06** Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 30, Nays 2 `passage`
- **2020-02-06** Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 3 - SA0470)
- **2020-02-06** Amendment withdrawn. (Amendment 2 - SA0469)
- **2020-02-06** Amendment withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - SA0468)
- **2020-02-06** Senate substituted House Bill for companion Senate Bill.
- **2020-02-20** H. Placed on Message Calendar for 2/24/20
- **2020-02-24** H. nonconcurred in S. am. no. 3 HB0394
- **2020-02-28** Placed on Senate Message Calendar for 3/2/2020
- **2020-03-02** Senate refused to recede from amendment 3
- **2020-03-05** H. Placed on Message Calendar for 3/9/20
- **2020-03-09** Conf. comm. appointed (Garrett, Littleton and Freeman)
- **2020-03-09** H. refused to recede from its non-concurrence
- **2020-06-02** Placed on Senate Message Calendar for 6/4/2020
- **2020-06-04** Conference Committee appointed. (Bell, Kelsey, Kyle)
- **2020-06-10** H. Placed on Message Calendar for 6/11/20
- **2020-06-11** Conf. comm. report adopted, Ayes 84, Nays 0 PNV 0
- **2020-06-16** Placed on Senate Message Calendar for 6/17/2020
- **2020-06-17** Enrolled; ready for sig. of H. Speaker.
- **2020-06-17** Conference Committee report adopted, 30 Ayes, 1 Nay, PNV 1
- **2020-06-30** Signed by Senate Speaker
- **2020-06-30** Signed by H. Speaker
- **2020-07-06** Transmitted to Governor for his action. `executive-receipt`
- **2020-07-15** Signed by Governor. `executive-signature`
- **2020-07-22** Comp. became Pub. Ch. 765
- **2020-07-22** Pub. Ch. 765
- **2020-07-22** Effective date(s) 07/15/2020

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/248281d9-b76a-4ccb-b6e9-3b3dad46af8c`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Tennessee legislature records).