Amends TCA Title 4; Title 8; Title 10, Chapter 7, Part 5; Title 36; Title 37; Title 38; Title 39; Title 40 and Title 41.

This bill establishes the Tennessee witness protection and relocation program, to be administered by the department of finance and administration's office of criminal justice programs (the "office"), in order to create intrastate and interstate compacts to coordinate witness protection, relocation, and assistance services within the state and with contiguous states for the benefit of witnesses in criminal proceedings.<br /> <br /> This bill requires the office, in consultation with the attorney general and reporter, to compose a basic memorandum of understanding to be executed by each law enforcement agency participating in the witness protection and relocation program. This bill requires the office to issue appropriate guidelines and authorizes the office to promulgate rules to implement the program. Under the program, participating law enforcement agencies may provide witnesses with any of the following:<br /> <br /> (1) Armed protection or escort by law enforcement officials or security personnel before, during, or subsequent to legal proceedings;<br /> <br /> (2) Physical relocation to an alternate residence;<br /> <br /> (3) Housing expenses;<br /> <br /> (4) Appropriate documents to establish a new identity, including documentation created in coordination with federal authorities;<br /> <br /> (5) Transportation or storage of personal possessions;<br /> <br /> (6) Basic living expenses, including food, transportation, utility costs, and health care;<br /> <br /> (7) Support, advocacy, and other services to provide for the safe transition of witnesses into a new environment; or<br /> <br /> (8) Other services as needed and approved by the office.<br /> <br /> This bill makes confidential, and not subject to disclosure under the open records law, information relating to law enforcement agencies participating in the program.<br /> <br /> To assist in the implementation of this bill, the office may solicit and receive grants, donations, and private funding. Program funds remaining unspent at the end of a fiscal year must be carried over into the budget of the program for the subsequent fiscal year, and must continue to be carried over from year to year until expended for the purposes prescribed in the bill.<br /> <br /> This bill requires the office to submit an annual report by July 1 of each year, in coordination with the attorney general and reporter, administrative office of the courts, district attorneys general conference, and district public defender's conference, to the senate judiciary and government operations committees and the criminal justice and government operations committees of the house of representatives. The report must include the number of law enforcement agencies participating in the program, the number of witnesses who have received assistance from the program in the previous year, and the result of any criminal proceedings involving the witnesses.<br />