(The Center Square) – A registry of Tennesseans considered “persistent domestic violence offenders” launches Thursday.
Savanna’s Law was passed by the General Assembly during the 2025 session and signed into law by Gov. Bill Lee in May.
The bill is named after Savanna Puckett, a 22-year-old sheriff’s deputy from Robertson County who was murdered by an estranged boyfriend in January 2022. After her death, her family learned the man had prior domestic violence-related convictions, said Kimberly Dodson, Savanna’s mother, who testified by the House Judiciary Subcommittee during the session.
Lawmakers considered the bill in 2024 but were unable to secure the necessary funding.
“Why would you not put someone like this evil man on a registry? Why should this information not be made public?” asked Dodson in her testimony. “I understand cost seems to be an issue but how do you put a dollar amount on someone’s life?”
The registry will increase state expenditures for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation by $503,886 in fiscal year 2025-2026, according to the bill’s fiscal note. More than half of the funding is for an attorney, two intelligence analysts and an accounting technician. In subsequent years, the annual allocation is estimated at $493,967, with $35,000 allocated toward maintenance and support, according to the note.
The registry will include people convicted of a domestic violence-related charge after Thursday, with at least one prior domestic violence conviction. The offender will pay a $150 registration fee. County court clerks will keep $50 and the remaining $100 will go to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, which is maintaining the registry.
However, the TBI could run into the same problems it has with people on the sex offender registry.
“Actual payments related to fees for the sexual offender registry is only approximately 33% of what is owed due to offenders being indigent and various other reasons,” the bill’s fiscal note said. “It is assumed the fees for this registry will follow the same collection trends.”
The estimated revenue for county clerks in the registry’s first full year is $30,327 for the courts and $60,654 for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, according to the fiscal note.
The registry, which is already online, is searchable by the offender’s name, the date of offense and the county of conviction. It also includes links to domestic violence resources.
