Image Credit: TN General Assembly
The Tennessee Conservative [By Olivia Lupia] –
HB0045, a bill which would make the intentional infliction of injury to a child between the ages of nine and seventeen a Class E felony, passed the full House on Monday, April 14 in a 94-0 vote, showing strong bipartisan support.
Under current state law, anyone found guilty of abusing children over the age of eight in Tennessee is only charged with a Class A misdemeanor and Tennessee ranked 15th out of all states according to the most recent State of the Child’s report, once recurring child abuse victims were factored in.
The bill has garnered so much unanimous support that it was placed on the House Consent Calendar, meaning it was considered non-controversial and did not need further discussion by legislators.
The consent calendar is voted upon in its entirety with the individual bills contained therein unless a member files an objection to specific legislation so it can be pulled from the consent calendar and brought to the floor for further discussion and separate vote.
Only Democrat Rep. Gabby Salinas marked herself Present Not Voting while all other members, Republican and Democrat alike, voted in favor of the Consent Calendar and thereby HB0045.
In the Senate, the bill also unanimously cleared the Finance, Ways, and Means Committee in a 10-0 vote on Tuesday, April 15, and was referred to the Calendar Committee to set a date before the full Senate.
After explanation by Sen. Jack Johnson (R-Franklin-District 27) the bill received no questions and moved straight to the vote.
Senators voting “Yes” were Ferrell Haile, Joey Hensley, Jack Johnson, London Lamar, Bill Powers, Paul Rose, John Stevens, Page Walley, Bo Watson, and Jeff Yarbro.
Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
