House Bill 1870 and Senate Bill 2005 propose amendments to Tennessee Code Annotated regarding fire investigation. The bills grant police powers to the commissioner of commerce and insurance, municipal fire investigators, and county fire investigators in cases of arson or suspected arson, provided they have current certification from the peace officer standards and training commission (POST). The amendments clarify that these officials can conduct investigations without POST certification as long as they are not exercising police powers during the investigation. Additionally, the bills establish a certification process for fire investigators, requiring them to complete an approved recruit training program and annual in-service training to maintain their certification.

The legislation also includes a provision that exempts certain fire investigators from the POST certification requirement based on their employment date. Specifically, those hired before January 1, 2021, will not need to obtain certification, while those hired on or after that date must comply by January 1, 2030. The effective date for the act is set for January 1, 2028, with the stipulation that it applies to conduct occurring on or after that date.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 68-102-127, 38-8-107
Amended with SA0716 -- 03/30/2026: 68-102-127, 38-8-107
Amended with SA0716, HA0921 -- 04/13/2026: 68-102-127, 38-8-107