Image Credit: Canva
Tennessee Conservative News [By Olivia Lupia] –
As a host of new laws took effect in Tennessee beginning July 1, one bill in that group which had unanimous bipartisan support through its legislative journey will correct a loophole in the state’s current criminal responsibility law which allows potentially innocent third parties to be charged with criminal responsibility in certain felony cases.
HB1372/SB1170, carried by Republican Rep. Bud Hulsey and Democrat Senator Raumesh Akbari, clarifies that a person is only criminally responsible by association if they benefit from “the results of the offense.” In essence, the new law requires the state to prove a person acted with intent to benefit from the proceeds or result of a crime before they can be held criminally responsible for another’s actions.
Rep. Hulsey previously explained, “If a girlfriend loans her boyfriend a car and he takes the care and goes down and robs a convenience store, the way the existing statute is written it’s possible to charge the girlfriend with criminal responsibility in this particular crime. All this bill does is says there has to be intent to benefit for her to be charged with criminal responsibility as a third party.”
The new law further “deletes the offense of criminal responsibility for the facilitation of a felony”. For example, under the previous statute, a person could be charged with murder even if they were the getaway driver or aided the crime in another way without committing the murder themselves.
“An example I hear often is a young person driving a vehicle,” Sen. Akbari said during the 2026 legislative session. “They know that their friend is going to go in there and possibly rob the store, but they have no knowledge that [their friend is] going to commit murder. So, the person goes in, commits murder, and the driver is also charged with murder… If they commit a crime, they should be punished. But aligning the punishment with the crime, that’s our goal.”
In a fiscal memo from March 2026, the state reportedly said it did not know how many people were incarcerated for criminal liability for the conduct of another person and that it anticipated the bill would apply only to a few cases. The state also estimated the impacts to the court system would be “not significant.”
About the Author: Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
