After spending the first 4 months of 2021 in session, more than two hundred expenses approved this year through the Tennessee General Assembly are expected to go into effect on Thursday.
This includes a $42 billion budget and a number of measures that have proven debatable this year, in addition to allowing Tennesseeans to bring in unlicensed guns, regulations on participation in school sports and the use of guns. bathroom for transgender academics and replace the prosecution procedure for constitutional issues.
Below are some of the developments that have recently come into effect.
Undocumented Transportation (SB 765)
A major initiative of Gov. Bill Lee, the law for adults over the age of 21 or all honorable or serving members of the military 18 and older to bring an unlicensed handgun. Republicans called the bill a “constitutional delay. “
People who bring guns without a license have convictions for offenses, current coverage orders, outstanding fees or convictions for domestic violence or harassment by offenders, or have been discovered with mental retardation in court.
More: Gov. Bill Lee visits gun to promote Tennessee’s new constitutional transportation bill
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Bottom line: The Tennessee Legislature suspended the session for the year. Here’s what they did.
Individuals convicted of two DUI offenses in the last 10 years or one in the last five years are eligible.
The bill also increases the consequences of certain firearms-related offenses, adding theft of a firearm and property through a felon.
While a license is not required to bring a gun into the state, other people can still obtain it in Tennessee by reciprocity in other states.
Burial of the aborted fetus (SB 828)
The bill calls for the burial or cremation of the remains of a fetus after a surgical abortion.
Despite protests from abortion rights activists, a similar law in Indiana was upheld in 2019 through the U. S. Supreme Court.
Duty-free supermarket, week in the dining room (SB 909)
In addition to the normal tax-free weekend for clothing, supplies, computers and other items, lawmakers approved a week of tax breaks on groceries and food to eat. tax collection will take place from July 30 to August 30.
The measure presented and followed as a means of allocating a component of the state’s surplus profit to a single initiative.
Manuals Available Online (SB 1034)
Called the Textbook Transparency Act, the bill requires textbooks used in public schools to be available online to the public. This new law requires publishers to make books available as long as they are actively used in the classroom.
New Call for Constitutional Issues (SB 868)
The Law creates a panel of 3 judges to hear situations demanding the constitutionality of a law, decree or administrative rule or state ordinance, this includes situations demanding the constitutionality of legislative and congressional rediscoverys.
The Tennessee Supreme Court will elect two sentencing trial courts to sit down with the ruling on who the civil action was originally assigned to, and all 3 will hear the civil action.
Provision of toilets in schools (SB 1367)
Under the new law, parents of students can request in writing special arrangements for personal restrooms, if they so wish, that the child use a multi-person bathroom. Requests can also be made through teachers, and an appeal procedure is described if a principal rejects the request.
The law also specifies that families will likely sue the school or district if their child or a school worker encounters a user of the opposite sex in a multi-person bathroom or cloakroom.
Signs in public restrooms that allow other transgender people (SB 1224)
Tennessee corporations that allow other people to use the bathroom of their choice, regardless of gender, will have to post a notice saying so. The measure is a way to imply whether other transgender people can use the restrooms of their gender identity.
The violations would be misdemeanors and could result in up to six months of criminal offenses and a fine of up to $500, according to the Tennessee Code. Davidson County Prosecutor Glenn Funk has already stated that he has no goal of prosecuting violations of the new law. , which he has called “transphobic”.
Several lawsuits filed regarding the invoice before it went into effect.
Ban on Transgender Athletes (SB 228)
The bill requires athletes from public middle and high schools to play on the team that corresponds to their gender at birth.
Adjustments to “Truth in Sentences” (SB 717)
Filed through the House and Senate Presidents, the bill requires those convicted of any crime on a list of 31 sex crimes to serve their full sentence, with no eligibility for early release based on rehabilitation paintings and intelligent behavior.
While the bill ensures that offenders convicted of violent crimes such as rape and sexual abuse of minors will not leave the crime before the end of their sentence, it also eliminates any early release option for crimes such as condescension of a prostitute, public indecency and indecent exposure.
Alternatives to Incarceration (SB 767)
One of Gov. Bill Lee’s criminal justice reform bills, the law expands the organization of other people eligible for salvage courts by adding drug, intellectual fitness and veteran courts that divert nonviolent offenders from incarceration. This reduces the maximum duration of probation for a user from 10 to 8 years.
The law prevents a user from being revoked for a technical infraction by a single person and limits the time during which a user who violates probation can be sent back to prison.
Resources for Inmates Returning to Society (SB 768)
At the time of Lee’s criminal justice reform program, the new law eliminates the charge of establishing a payment plan for the reinstatement of a driver’s license and increases reimbursement rates for local jails that choose to expand the categories and resources available to inmates.
The law creates a presumption that an eligible inmate will have to be released on parole, unless a smart explanation of why is demonstrated, once the inmate reaches his or her date of eligibility for release or any upcoming parole hearing and allows the Parole Board to hear testimony from inmates requesting release either on-user and via video
Jim Coley Rape Survivors Protection Act (SB 1035)
In an effort to provide more transparency about delays in testing rape kits, the new law requires the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to expand and enforce an electronic formula that tracks the location and prestige of each rape kit and provides victims with access to the formula. through a tracking number.
Victims must also be notified 60 days before the destruction or disposal of evidence. The event is named after former Republican Rep. Jim Coley.
Murder of a “Good Samaritan” (SB 226)
The bill reinforces the consequences for homicide against a user the defendant knew acting as a “good Samaritan,” which refers to a user who assists, defends, protects, or provides emergency care to a user in need without compensation.
Mobile in prisons (SB 442)
The bill turns a property in a criminal establishment into a Class E felony, punishable by a fine of up to $3,000 for a momentary infraction.
Navigating influence (SB 246)
The new law increases the consequences of the BUI so that it is compatible with the impulse of influence.
The existing law allows for a six-month suspension of a drinking and recreational boating license, which would possibly have no practical consequences if the infringement occurs at the end of the sailing season.
Evelyn’s Law (SB 327)
Under the new law, parents in Tennessee who fail to report the lack of children to the police within 24 hours can be charged with a Class A misdemeanor. The bill is named after a 15-month-old Sullivan County woman who was discovered dead after her mother failed to report her fault to the government for months.
Eli’s Law (SB 867)
The new measure allows the Ministry of Children’s Services to investigate the birth of upcoming children from parents who were stripped of custody of a previous child.
The law sparked a reaction to a shared story through Ronda Paulson, founder of Isaiah 117 in east Tennessee. In 2015, she began receiving Isaiah, nine months, after she was released from her parents’ custody due to months of neglect and abuse. Less than two years later, Isaiah’s biological parents gave birth to their son for the time being, Eli, who also abused.
Exposing young people to harmful drugs (SB 1530)
The law expands the definition of “serious child abuse” to include a child’s exposure to certain harmful or illegal drugs. It also stipulates that a user knowingly allows a child to be in the presence of drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamine. or fentanyl is to blame for serious child abuse.
Contact Natalie Allison at nallison@tennessean. com. Follow her on Twitter in @natalie_allison.
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