Representative Hicks explains STAR Act for Tennessee Highway Patrol; bill deferred to 2027

Representative Hicks, sponsor of House Bill 19-10, explained the STAR Act to the Council on Pensions on March 2, 2026, and asked the council to defer further consideration until 2027.

Hicks said the bill "would give troopers the ability to retire after 25 years of credible service with a maximum of 75% of their ... final compensation," and framed the measure as a recruitment and retention tool for the Tennessee Highway Patrol. He described increased occupational strain on troopers, citing COVID response, protests, natural disasters, task-force deployments and school-threat responses as examples of what the patrol has handled.

Hicks also raised physical and mental health concerns, saying cardiovascular disease, PTSD, substance abuse and higher injury risk affect troopers and asserting that "the average life span after retirement is around 5 years." That claim was presented by Hicks as part of his rationale; the council did not provide supporting data during the session.

After reporting meetings with the state treasurer and stakeholders, Hicks told the council he and Senate counterparts would continue work over the summer and return to the proposal next year. He moved to defer the bill to 2027; the motion was adopted "without objection," and the chair so recorded the action.

The next procedural step will be further stakeholder and fiscal work over the coming months before the bill is returned to the council in a future session.