Amends TCA Title 8; Title 16; Title 17 and Title 18.

The bill requires the speaker of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives to establish an advisory task force to review the composition of Tennessee's current judicial districts by no later than July 1, 2031, and every 10 years thereafter. This bill requires that the task force be composed of 11 members, as follows: (1) Three current trial court judges, one representing each grand division, appointed by joint action of the speaker of the senate and speaker of the house; (2) Three current district attorneys general, one representing each grand division, appointed by joint action of the speaker of the senate and speaker of the house; (3) Three current district public defenders, one representing each grand division, appointed by the joint action of the speaker of the senate and speaker of the house; and (4) Two citizen members, one appointed by each speaker. The citizen members must reside in different grand divisions. The speakers will jointly designate one of the members to serve as chair of the task force. This bill requires the task force to complete its findings and recommend and publish a proposed statewide judicial redistricting plan by January 1 following the creation of the task force. The plan must provide reasonable and timely access to Tennessee's circuit, chancery, and criminal courts and must promote the efficient utilization of publicly funded resources allocated for the courts. This bill requires the task force to conduct at least one public hearing within each of the three grand divisions and must receive oral and written testimony from interested organizations and citizens of this state. In addition, the task force must establish a publicly accessible judicial redistricting task force page on the website of the administrative office of the courts for redistricting-related information, including meeting notices and redistricting plans. This bill requires the task force to deliver a report of its findings, as well as its proposed judicial redistricting plan, to the governor, the speakers of the senate and house, the judiciary committee of the senate, the civil justice committee of the house of representatives, and the administrative office of the courts at least one week prior to publication of the proposed judicial redistricting plan. The members of the task force will serve without compensation, but the members are entitled to reimbursement of travel expenses incurred. The task force will cease to exist upon completion of the task force's report and recommendations. Under this bill, on or before December 31 following submission of a proposed redistricting plan, the general assembly must: (1) Reapportion the judicial districts to provide reasonable and timely access to Tennessee's circuit, chancery, and criminal courts; and (2) Promote the efficient utilization of publicly funded resources allocated for the courts. If the legislature fails to pass legislation to reapportion the judicial districts, then the funding for each judicial district that has a disproportionately high number of judges, as determined by the comptroller, must be reduced by 10 percent during the subsequent fiscal year. The comptroller must determine which judicial districts have a disproportionately high number of judges and provide the determination to the finance, ways and means committees of the house and senate. ON APRIL 20, 2022, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND RESET SENATE BILL 2011, AS AMENDED. AMENDMENT #1 revises various provisions of this bill, as follows: (1) Changes the date for establishing the advisory task force to be July 1, 2025, and removes the provision for annually, for 10 years, establishing such a task force; (2) Increases the task force from 11 to 14 members by adding an additional citizen member (so three instead two), the chair of the senate judiciary committee, and the chair of the house civil justice committee; (3) Revises the method of appointment for the judges, district attorneys, and public defenders from joint action of the speakers to be as follows: (A) The house speaker will appoint trial court judges from the eastern and middle grand divisions and the senate speaker will appoint a trial court judge from the western grand division; (B) The senate speaker will appoint district attorneys from the eastern and middle grand divisions and the house speaker will appoint a district attorney from the western grand division; and (C) The house speaker will appoint public defenders from the eastern and middle grand divisions and the senate speaker will appoint a public defender from the western grand division; (4) Revises the method of appointment for the citizen members so that the senate speaker will appoint one member from the eastern grand division and middle grand division and the house speaker will appoint a member from the western grand division; (5) Provides for the legislative members of the task force serving as joint chairs instead of the speakers jointly designating a member of the task force to serve as chair; and (6) Requires the task force to complete its work by January 1, 2027, and requires the general assembly to complete its duties under this bill on or before December 31, 2027. ON APRIL 25, 2022, THE SENATE FURTHER CONSIDERED SENATE BILL 2011 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 2011, AS AMENDED.