Tenn. Code Ann. § 8-7-201 (2024)

• (a)
  • (1) All criminal investigators hired prior to July 1, 1994, shall be compensated according to the following schedule:

    Entry level....................	$34,128
    after five (5) years....................	$35,832
    after ten (10) years....................	$37,536
    after fourteen (14) years....................	$37,824
    after sixteen (16) years....................	$39,924
    after eighteen (18) years....................	$42,024
    after twenty (20) years....................	$44,124

  • (2) Investigators compensated in the salary schedule in subdivision (a)(1) shall be classified as simply criminal investigators until reaching the five-year level, senior criminal investigators after reaching the five-year level, and chief criminal investigators after reaching the ten-year level.
  • (3) On July 1, 1997, and each subsequent July 1, the salary levels for criminal investigators in subdivision (a)(1) shall be increased by such percentage amount as shall be fixed by the general assembly in the General Appropriations Act. For the purpose of budget preparation, it shall be presumed that such percentage amount shall be the same as that received by other state employees.
  • (4) Notwithstanding subdivisions (a)(1) and (2), if a district attorney general having a vacant criminal investigator position appoints a licensed attorney to that position and designates that person to serve as an assistant district attorney general, the appointee may, on the recommendation of the hiring district attorney general and with the approval of the executive committee of the Tennessee district attorneys general conference, be compensated as an assistant district attorney general as provided for in subsections (d) and (e).

• (b)Certain Assistant District Attorneys General.
  • (1) All assistant district attorneys general shall receive from the state a salary of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) per annum, payable out of the state treasury upon the warrant of the commissioner of finance and administration.
  • (2) Any and each assistant district attorney general who shall file with the commissioner of finance and administration a signed and sworn affidavit of intent approved by the district attorney general of the district, stating that such assistant district attorney general will devote full time to the duties as such assistant district attorney general and will not actively engage in the practice of law in any of the civil courts of the state of Tennessee or any other state, unless such practice involves the official duties of the office of attorney general or district attorney general, shall be designated, for the purposes of this section, a full-time assistant district attorney general and shall receive from the state an amount per annum equal to fifty-five percent (55%) of the annual compensation of a district attorney general, payable monthly out of the treasury of the state upon the warrant of the commissioner of finance and administration.
  • (3) Nothing in this section shall be construed as prohibiting any assistant district attorney general from concluding any litigation which such assistant district attorney general had pending prior to appointment as a full-time assistant district attorney general.
  • (4) Notwithstanding the foregoing language, in furtherance of the goal of developing a corps of capable and experienced full-time prosecuting attorneys throughout the state, and thus enhancing the state's ability to cope with recent increases in crime and criminal activity in the state, each full-time assistant district attorney general who has served or has received credit for serving one (1) or more years as a full-time assistant district attorney general shall receive from the state a salary according to the schedule hereinafter set out, payable monthly out of the treasury of the state upon warrant of the commissioner of finance and administration:
    • (A) After one (1) year's service .................... an amount per annum equal to sixty percent (60%) of the annual compensation of a district attorney general;
    • (B) After two (2) years' service .................... an amount per annum equal to sixty-five percent (65%) of the annual compensation of a district attorney general;
    • (C) After three (3) years' service .................... an amount per annum equal to seventy percent (70%) of the annual compensation of a district attorney general;
    • (D) After four (4) years' service .................... an amount per annum equal to seventy-five percent (75%) of the annual compensation of a district attorney general;
    • (E) After five (5) years' service .................... an amount per annum equal to eighty percent (80%) of the annual compensation of a district attorney general;
    • (F) After six (6) years' service .................... an amount per annum equal to eighty-five percent (85%) of the annual compensation of a district attorney general;
  • (5) Compensation computed pursuant to the salary schedule in subdivision (b)(4) shall be recomputed on July 1 of each year, beginning July 1, 1973, to allow for the adjustments in the compensation of district attorneys general as provided in § 8-23-101; provided, that no salary or level of compensation for a district attorney general or a full-time assistant district attorney general, once set, shall be reduced by reason of any subsequent adjustment pursuant to § 8-23-101.
  • (6) In computing the number of years' service pursuant to the salary schedule in subdivision (b)(4), any full-time assistant district attorney general who has previous experience as an assistant district attorney general or as a district attorney general and signs the affidavit mentioned in subdivision (b)(2) shall receive credit for one (1) year's service for each two (2) year's part-time experience.
  • (7) In computing the number of years' service pursuant to the salary schedule in subdivision (b)(4):
    • (A) Any assistant district attorney general who has previous experience as an assistant state attorney general or as a district attorney general shall receive full credit for such experience;
    • (B) Any assistant district attorney general who has been employed in full-time service on the staff of a district attorney general as an attorney representing the state before the courts of the state since July 1, 1969, irrespective of the title or position held and irrespective of the source of funds from which such attorney was compensated, shall receive full credit for such experience;
    • (C) Any assistant district attorney general who has previous experience as a law clerk with the supreme court of the state, or service in the field of criminal law with the United States department of justice, or service in the field of criminal law as a special agent or a criminal investigator employed by the state or a district attorney general, shall receive full credit for such experience;
    • (D) Any assistant district attorney general, who has previous experience as a commissioned officer, working as a military attorney in the field of criminal law while on full-time active duty in the judge advocate general's corps of any of the armed services of the United States, shall receive full credit for such period of active duty military criminal law experience as supported by sworn affidavit;
    • (E) Any assistant district attorney general who has previous experience as counsel with the public service commission, the Tennessee public utility commission, or the Tennessee regulatory authority shall receive full credit for such experience;
    • (F) Any assistant district attorney general who has previous experience with the Tennessee toxicology laboratory and/or the Tennessee crime laboratory shall receive full credit for such experience; and
    • (G) Any assistant district attorney general who has previous experience as a full-time salaried law enforcement officer shall receive full credit for such experience.

• (c)
  • (1) Compensation computed pursuant to the salary schedule shall be recomputed on July 1 of each year to allow for any adjustments in the compensation of district attorneys general.
  • (2) In computing the number of years of service under the salary scale applicable to full-time assistants employed after June 30, 1980, credit may be given for an assistant's prior experience as a licensed attorney, full-time, salaried law enforcement officer or criminal investigator for such district attorney general. Such credit shall be given only upon the recommendation of the district attorney general making the appointment and the approval of the executive committee of the district attorneys general conference, and may be for any period of time up to, but not exceeding, the assistant's experience as a licensed attorney or criminal investigator.

• (d)Certain Assistant District Attorneys General Employed After January 1, 1989. Notwithstanding the foregoing language, any assistant district attorney general employed after January 1, 1989, who shall file the affidavit provided for in subdivision (b)(2) shall be compensated as provided for in subsection (c), except for the substitution of the following salary scale for that in subsection (c):
  • (1) Less than one (1) year of satisfactory service .................... an amount per annum equal to fifty percent (50%) of the annual compensation of a district attorney general;
  • (2) After one (1) year of satisfactory service .................... an amount per annum equal to fifty-five percent (55%) of the annual compensation of a district attorney general;
  • (3) After two (2) years of satisfactory service .................... an amount per annum equal to sixty percent (60%) of the annual compensation of a district attorney general;
  • (4) After three (3) years of satisfactory service .................... an amount per annum equal to sixty-five percent (65%) of the annual compensation of a district attorney general;
  • (5) After four (4) years of satisfactory service .................... an amount per annum equal to seventy percent (70%) of the annual compensation of a district attorney general;
  • (6) After five (5) years of satisfactory service .................... an amount per annum equal to seventy-five percent (75%) of the annual compensation of a district attorney general;
  • (7) After six (6) years of satisfactory service .................... an amount per annum equal to eighty percent (80%) of the annual compensation of a district attorney general;
  • (8) After seven (7) years of satisfactory service .................... an amount per annum equal to eighty-five percent (85%) of the annual compensation of a district attorney general;

• (e)
  • (1) Notwithstanding the foregoing, on and after July 1, 1991, any full-time assistant district attorney no longer eligible for step increases under this section who has at least twelve (12) years of credited service as an assistant district attorney general in Tennessee shall be compensated according to the following schedule of such credited service:
    • (A) At least twelve (12) years, but less than sixteen (16) years, an amount per annum equal to eighty percent (80%) of the credited annual compensation of a district attorney general in effect on July 1, 2006;
    • (B) At least sixteen (16) years, but less than twenty (20) years, an amount per annum equal to eighty-two and one-half percent (82.5%) of the credited annual compensation of a district attorney general in effect on July 1, 2006; or
    • (C) Twenty (20) or more years, eighty-five percent (85%) of the credited annual compensation of a district attorney general in effect on July 1, 2006.
  • (2) Compensation computed pursuant to the above schedule shall be recomputed annually, based on the salary of the district attorney general on July 1, 2006, and adjusted annually to reflect the average percentage pay increase provided for state employees by the general appropriations act. For purposes of this subsection (e), in computing annual salary increases that are tied to salary increases appropriated to state employees, it is the intention of the general assembly that the increases are to be based solely on the specific percentage increase granted by the general appropriations act to all general state employees. Adjustments to annual salary increases as provided for in this subsection (e) that are tied to salary increases of state employees are not to be adjusted on the basis of any class compensation efforts, class compression efforts, or any other method of salary adjustments.
  • (3) On July 1, 2006, and annually on each succeeding July 1, the executive director of the district attorneys general conference shall reclassify into the salary schedule set forth in § 8-7-226 any employee who was hired prior to July 1, 1994, and has more than twenty (20) years of credited service as an assistant district attorney general.

• (f) In computing the number of years' service pursuant to this section, a criminal investigator or an assistant district attorney general shall receive full credit for experience in serving as a full-time member of any board or commission of the state which administers the laws relative to corrections and paroles and supervises investigations pursuant to such laws and whose members are appointed by the governor.

• (g) Implementation of salary increases pursuant to the pay schedules prescribed in this section shall be suspended for the fiscal years beginning July 1, 2003, and ending June 30, 2004, and beginning July 1, 2009, and ending June 30, 2010. In the fiscal years beginning July 1, 2004, and July 1, 2010, and in subsequent fiscal years, salary increases pursuant to pay schedules prescribed in this section shall not include time of service between July 1, 2003, and June 30, 2004, nor between July 1, 2009, and June 30, 2010.

• (h) The salary increases prescribed in subsections (b)-(e) and suspended by subsection (g) for the period July 1, 2003, through June 30, 2004, and the period July 1, 2009, through June 30, 2010, are reinstated effective July 1, 2019. For purposes of determining the appropriate salary classification pursuant to this section, credible service for the time period of July 1, 2003, through June 30, 2004, and the time period of July 1, 2009, through June 30, 2010, is included.

Amended by 2019 Tenn. Acts, ch. 202, s 2, eff. 7/1/2019.

Amended by 2017 Tenn. Acts, ch. 94, s 26, eff. 4/4/2017.

Acts 1957, ch. 184, § 1; impl. am. Acts 1959, ch. 9, § 3; Acts 1959, ch. 98, § 1; impl. am. Acts 1961, ch. 97, § 3; Acts 1963, ch. 252, §§ 1, 2; 1967, ch. 147, § 1; 1970, ch. 470, §§ 1, 2; 1971, ch. 240, § 1; 1972, ch. 544, § 1; 1972, ch. 657, § 1; 1973, ch. 47, § 1; 1974, ch. 553, § 1; 1974, ch. 584, § 1; 1974, ch. 689, § 1; 1974, ch. 691, § 1; 1974, ch. 728, § 1; 1976, ch. 744, § 1; 1977, ch. 156, § 1; T.C.A., § 8-708; Acts 1980, ch. 890, §§ 1, 2; 1981, ch. 52, §§ 1-3; 1981, ch. 480, §§ 1, 2; 1982, ch. 851, §§ 2, 3; 1986, ch. 515, § 1; 1989, ch. 166, § 1; 1990, ch. 652, § 1; 1990, ch. 892, § 1; 1990, ch. 1032, § 2; 1992, ch. 959, §§ 1, 2; 1995, ch. 305, § 89; 1997 , ch. 282, § 1; 2003 , ch. 355, § 3; 2006, ch. 832, § 1; 2006, ch. 987, §§ 2, 4, 5; 2007 , ch. 361, § 3; 2009 , ch. 531, § 21.