Sen. Brent Taylor (R-Memphis-District 31) is sponsoring legislation to allow charitable organizations to be held liable for damages of any criminal offense committed by an illegal immigrant who is receiving housing from that charitable organization.
Senate Bill 0227 (SB0227) was filed for introduction on Jan. 17th, 2025, and it would add the following subsection to Tennessee Code Annotated § 29-34-213:
“A charitable organization that provides housing to a person who the charitable organization knows is unlawfully present in the United States may be held liable for a loss, damages, injury, or death resulting from a criminal offense committed by the person who is unlawfully present in the United States while the person is receiving housing services from the charitable organization if the charitable organization’s conduct in providing housing constitutes negligence, gross negligence, or willful and wanton misconduct.”
This section of state law defines a “charitable organization” as “a charitable unit of a religious or civic group that is exempt from taxation under 26 U.S.C. § 501, including those supported wholly or partially by private donations and registered with the secretary of state.”
