Bill > HB1702

This bill directs the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (TACIR), a state agency that studies and advises on issues affecting local governments, to conduct a comprehensive study of Tennessee's emergency communications system. The study will examine how these systems are currently funded, comparing Tennessee's model to other states, and analyze the various ways emergency communications districts (ECDs), which are local government entities responsible for handling emergency calls, are structured and operated, including their advantages and disadvantages. It also requires an organizational chart of all ECDs, from their leadership down to public safety answering points (PSAPs), which are the actual call centers that receive 911 calls. The bill mandates that TACIR explore ways to make ECD operations and finances more consistent and uniform across the state, investigate the potential benefits and drawbacks of consolidating ECDs, and analyze the practice of sharing emergency calls, especially in rural areas. Furthermore, the study will consider the reasons for having multiple ECDs and whether a single, statewide system would be more beneficial, as well as analyze the feasibility of requiring direct dispatch protocols at all PSAPs, meaning emergency responders are dispatched directly from the PSAP without an intermediary. Finally, TACIR is to include any other relevant topics and provide recommendations for future legislation to the speakers of the Tennessee Senate and House of Representatives by January 31, 2027.