House Bill 71 amends Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 8-7-227, to provide assistant district attorneys with the opportunity to receive year-for-year service credit for prior law enforcement experience. This eligibility is contingent upon the recommendation of the hiring district attorney general and requires approval from the executive director of the Tennessee district attorneys general conference. The bill also reclassifies the existing language in Section 8-7-227 as subsection (a) and introduces a new subsection (b) that defines "prior law enforcement experience" as full-time employment with a law enforcement agency as a POST-certified law enforcement officer, with the requirement that an employment record from the agency must be provided to establish this experience.

The bill aims to enhance the qualifications of assistant district attorneys by recognizing their previous law enforcement experience, thereby potentially improving their effectiveness in their roles. The act is set to take effect immediately upon becoming law, emphasizing the importance of this change for the public welfare.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 8-7-227