Tennessee Governor Bill Lee vetoed SB0455/HB0527 on Monday, May 5, blocking a bill to remove parole board limitations. The bill, sponsored by Republicans including Rep. Rick Scarbrough, aimed to expand parole denial beyond 22 violent crimes under the 2021 Reentry Success Act.
The legislation received strong bipartisan approval in both chambers — 75-16 in the House and 22-4 in the Senate — and the state’s association of district attorneys general supported it, with no debates or amendments during the process.
Lee argued that the bill would reverse progress made in reducing repeat offenses, emphasizing that addressing recidivism is essential to effectively combat crime, and expressed trust in the current parole system’s safeguards.
Representative Scarbrough plans to seek a veto override in January, reflecting legislative intent to revisit the measure despite Lee’s veto and GOP supermajority.
