Week of April 9, 2007

Continuing to Target Sexual Predators

The Senate is continuing to advance legislation sponsored by Republicans that will strengthen Tennessee’s laws against sexual predators. 

A key component of the legislative package cleared the Finance, Ways and Means Committee on Tuesday and was unanimously approved by the full Senate on Thursday.  SB 326 sponsored by Sen. Mae Beavers (R-Mt. Juliet) and Sen. Diane Black (R-Gallatin) proposes to increase the sentence for a person convicted of child rape.  As amended, the bill proposes to set the minimum penalty for rape of a child at 25 years in prison, with the maximum being life in prison.  Currently the penalties are 15 to 60 years in prison.

The bill does carry a fiscal note of $7,690,700 (meaning that the legislation would increase state expenditures by $7,690,700) due to the increased incarceration period.  The Governor has included funding for the measure in the proposed budget.

Sen. Jack Johnson (R-Brentwood) is also moving legislation to get tough on sexual offenders.  SB 1178 expands present law regarding convicted felons requiring them to furnish DNA samples for testing. The bill adds misdemeanants whose offense requires them to register with the sexual offender registry to the group that must furnish DNA samples

The bill passed the Senate on Thursday morning by a vote of 31-0.

SB 1055 also sponsored by Johnson cleared the Judiciary Committee this week.  As amended, the bill would require a person convicted of indecent exposure to register with the sexual offender registry regardless of the number of previous convictions if the victim is less than 13 years old.  The bill would also require a person to register with the sexual offender registry if that person has two prior convictions and the victim is older than thirteen. 

The Senate Judiciary Committee also approved SB 192 by Sen. Tim Burchett (R-Knoxville).  SB 192 as amended will add three additional offenses to the list of crimes that are ineligible for probation or judicial diversion.  If an individual is found guilty or pleads guilty to sexual exploitation of a minor, aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor or especially aggravated exploitation of a minor, that individual would be required to serve 100 percent of the sentence.  

Earlier Presidential Primary

The State and Local Government Committee unanimously approved SB 2012 which will move the Presidential Primary in Tennessee to an earlier date.  Currently the Presidential Preference Primary is scheduled for the second Tuesday in February.  The proposed legislation which has already passed the House of Representatives, would set the Primary for the first Tuesday in February.   The bill would add Tennessee to a growing list of states that have recently moved the Primary to an earlier date.  

Illegal Immigration

The Senate is continuing to advance legislation that will make Tennessee less attractive to illegal aliens.  SB 903 by Sen. Bill Ketron (R-Murfreesboro) passed the Senate on Monday night.   The bill would prohibits the use of a federal individual taxpayer identification number as a form of identification to prove immigration status.

Sen. Mark Norris (R-Collierville) won approval for his bill, SB 1610, in the Senate State and Local Government Committee on Tuesday.  The bill would require that individuals provide proof of U. S. citizenship before they register to vote.  

Woodson Honored by Junior Leagues of Tennessee

Sen. Jamie Woodson (R-Knoxville) was awarded the 2007 Legislator of the Year Award by the Junior Leagues of Tennessee Advocacy and Public Awareness Committee on Monday evening.

“We are proud to honor Senator Jamie Woodson for her outstanding support of women and families in Tennessee,” said Cecile Wimberley, chair of the Junior League Tennessee Advocacy and Public Awareness Committee.

The Junior Leagues of Tennessee are dedicated to ensuring that all women and children have access to the opportunities and services essential for optimal physical, mental, emotional and social growth. And well being by supporting programs and legislation that meet these objectives.

“More than 6,500 women across the state of Tennessee have committed over 2.5 million hours to promoting volunteerism and improving their communities through effective action and leadership,” continued Wimberley.  “It is important that we share information and work with our state lawmakers to further our efforts on behalf of women and children.”

Protecting Children

SB 270 sponsored by Sen. Jim Tracy (R-Murfreesboro) unanimously passed the Senate on Thursday.  The bill creates an offense if you knowingly leaving a child under 7 years of age in a motor vehicle without supervision under certain circumstances.   The provisions of this bill would apply if the conditions present a risk to the child’s health or safety, the engine of the vehicle is running, or the keys to the vehicle are located anywhere inside the passenger compartment.  The vehicle would also have to be on public property or property that is generally open to the public. 

Alzheimer’s Task Force

Also on Thursday, the Senate passed SB 826 by a vote of 31-0.  The bill, which was co-sponsored by all 16 Republican Senators, creates a 19-member Tennessee Alzheimer’s Disease Task Force (TADTF).  The task force is charged with assessing the impact of Alzheimer's on Tennesseans, examining the existing resources that address the needs of people with Alzheimer's, and developing a strategy to mobilize a state response to the disease.