Committee advances bill to let non‑Tennessee citizens obtain their law‑enforcement records

The State and Local Government Committee advanced House Bill 19-11 to calendar and rules after adopting an amendment. Sponsor Representative Shaw said the bill “allows an individual who is not a citizen of the state of Tennessee to inspect or to receive a copy of any of their law enforcement records pertaining solely to those individuals, including but not limited to an arrest report, accident report, a crash report, or citation.”

During questioning, Representative Greg Martin asked whether the bill would include people who are in the country illegally. Representative Shaw replied, “No, sir. It would only include citizens who would have to prove that they were citizens before they could get any information at all.”

The committee briefly paused business to hear from legal counsel. Matt Mundy of legal told members: “The Public Records Act specifically requires you to be a Tennessee citizen in order to make a public records request.” That statement placed legal counsel’s reading of current statute at odds with the sponsor’s stated intent to extend access.

With no further questions, the committee voted to advance the amended bill; the clerk reported 20 ayes and 0 nos.

Next steps: HB 19-11 will be scheduled for consideration by the calendar and rules committee.