The Latest Set Of Special Session Bills Focus In On Quelling The “Illegal Supply Of Guns To Minors,” The Supplying Of “Free” Firearm Locks, Lowering The Number Of Days Courts Must Notify The TBI Of Final Dispositions Of Criminal Proceedings, TennCare Assistance For Adults And Children With Serious Mental Illness Or Emotional Disturbance, The Compulsory Collection Of DNA From Those Accused Of Felonies, And Creating A Felony Offense For Threatening Acts Of Mass Violence.
Image Credit: Lyncconf Games / CC
The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –
With Governor Lee’s Special Session nearing its beginning on Monday, August 21st, Republican-backed bills are flooding in along with a few from Democrats.
After the first and second spate of bills being filed more legislation is rolling in and House bills are beginning to garner Senate sponsors.
The latest set of bills focus in on quelling the “illegal supply of guns to minors,” the supplying of “free” firearm locks, lowering the number of days courts must notify the TBI of final dispositions of criminal proceedings, TennCare assistance for adults and children with serious mental illness or emotional disturbance, the compulsory collection of DNA from those accused of felonies, and creating a felony offense for threatening acts of mass violence.
House Bill 7011 (HB7011), sponsored by Representative Antonio Parkinson (D-Memphis-District 98), in summary, reads, “ As introduced, makes a person who illegally transfers a firearm to a minor criminally responsible for any resulting act of mass violence or a threat of mass violence in which the minor threatens to use the firearm. – Amends TCA Title 39.”
HB7011’s current text offers no further explanation of the bill beyond the summary.
However, Rep. Parkinson said in a X / Twitter post that the aim of three bills he is filing for the Special Session is to cut off “the illegal supply of guns to minors.”
House Bill 7012 (HB7012), sponsored by Representative William Lamberth (R-Portland-District 44), in summary reads, “As introduced, directs the department of safety to provide free firearm locks to Tennessee residents upon request; requires department-approved handgun safety courses to contain instruction on the safe storage of firearms; exempts the retail sale of firearm safes and firearm safety devices from sales and use taxes beginning November 1, 2023; defines firearm safes and firearm safety devices. – Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 17, Part 13 and Title 67, Chapter 6, Part 3.”
HB7012’s text also states that the Department of Safety “shall collaborate with the Tennessee bureau of investigation, and other state agencies as the department deems appropriate, to create a public safety campaign dedicated to safe firearm storage.”
House Bill 7013 (HB7013), sponsored by Representative William Lamberth (R-Portland-District 44), in summary reads, “As introduced, changes from 30 days to 72 hours the time frame within which a clerk of the circuit or general sessions court must notify the TBI of the final disposition of criminal proceedings against a person after final disposition of such proceedings; requires the clerk to notify the TBI of the final disposition of such proceedings by electronic submission; requires the clerk of the municipal court, when exercising concurrent general sessions court jurisdiction, to notify the TBI by electronic submission of the final disposition of such proceedings against a person no later than 72 hours after final disposition of such proceedings. – Amends TCA Title 16, Chapter 18 and Title 18, Chapter 4.”
HB7013’s current text offers no further explanation of the bill beyond the summary.
House Bill 7014 (HB7014), sponsored by Representative William Lamberth (R-Portland-District 44), in summary reads,“As introduced, requires the commissioner of finance and administration to obtain a TennCare new demonstration waiver or amendment to provide medical assistance to members who are receiving care in an institution for mental diseases. – Amends TCA Section 71-5-107.”
While mostly a restatement of the summary, the bill text expands the language a bit:
“The commissioner of finance and administration shall submit to the federal centers for medicare and medicaid services an amendment to the existing TennCare demonstration waiver, or submit an application for a new demonstration waiver, to provide medical assistance to adults with a serious mental illness or children with a serious emotional disturbance who are enrolled in TennCare and who are receiving care in an institution for mental diseases, as that term is defined in § 1905(i) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.A. § 1396d).”
House Bill 7015 (HB7015), sponsored by Representative William Lamberth (R-Portland-District 44), in summary reads, “As introduced, expands, from certain violent offenses to any felony offense, the offenses for which a person who has been arrested is required to have a biological specimen taken for the purpose of DNA analysis to determine identification characteristics specific to the person if probable cause exists for the arrest. – Amends TCA Section 40-35-321.”
The bill text states that if a person is arrested on or after October 1st, 2023 for the commission of a felony offense, a biological specimen must be taken for the purpose of DNA analysis.
The text goes on to state that the court or magistrate “shall make the provision of a specimen a condition of the person’s release on bond or recognizance if bond or recognizance is granted.”
House Bill 7016 (HB7016), sponsored by Representative Mark Cochran (R-Englewood-District 23) and Senate Bill 7002 (SB7002), sponsored by Senator Ferrell Haile (R-Gallatin-District 18), in summary reads, “As introduced, creates the criminal offense of recklessly, by any means of communication, threatening to commit an act of mass violence; requires the court to determine whether a defendant charged with threatening to commit an act of mass violence is a threat to the public prior to release on bail. – Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 17, Part 3 and Title 40, Chapter 11.”
The bill text defines “Means of Communication” as “direct and indirect verbal, written, or electronic communications, including graffiti, pictures, diagrams, telephone calls, voice over internet protocol calls, video messages, voicemail, electronic mail, social media posts, instant messages, chat group posts, text messages, and any other recognized means of conveying information.”
The text clarifies that said “threats of mass violence” must cause a “reasonable expectation or reasonable fear of the imminent commission of an act of mass violence.”
House Bill 7002, that The Tennessee Conservative gave an overview of in a previous article, has gained a Senate sponsor in Senator Ferrell Haile (R-Gallatin-District 18) with Senate Bill 7001 (SB7001).
Based on “insider reports,” there may be several hundred bills filed for the Special Session.
The General Assembly should be placing bills HERE for public viewing as they are filed.
However, this is subject to change as we near the beginning of the Session on August 21st.
The Tennessee Conservative will strive to stay abreast of legislation, as it is filed, and keep our readers informed.
About the Author: Jason Vaughn, Media Coordinator for The Tennessee Conservative ~ Jason previously worked for a legacy publishing company based in Crossville, TN in a variety of roles through his career. Most recently, he served as Deputy Director for their flagship publication. Prior, he was a freelance journalist writing articles that appeared in the Herald Citizen, the Crossville Chronicle and The Oracle among others. He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor’s in English-Journalism, with minors in Broadcast Journalism and History. Contact Jason at news@TennesseeConservativeNews.com
10 Responses
We NEED protection FROM da’gubmint(s).
Amen …!… not a single one of the proposed bills will accomplish anything except eat up Tennessean’s tax dollars. Statistics do not lie. They tell us precisely who is committing the acts and the TBI database tells us where the thugs are procuring the weapons and it ain’t from your neighborhood firearms store unless the thugs are driving a stolen car through the front door in the wee hours of the morning. The needed laws are in place but until the sore_ros DA’s and activist judges are thrown out … the violence done by the same individuals will continue.
Some of the purposed bills are pure Horse Crap, you have to kill 2 people? No full Autopsy reports? Memphis doesn’t even do rape kits. Decades of back logs.
Plea Bargaining should require the Victims consent, or their suvivors. Parole hearings should include travel expeses for the victims familiy. Why do Death Row inmates have Laptops, many parents can’t afford for their child? How much money does 1 inmate cost vs the education of 1 child? What prevliges does an inmate have? What is in those handbooks an inmate gets?
Then the Penal Farm 90 day serve rate needs to be addressed, it is an 11 month 29 day facility. REPEAT DUI’S served on the weekends. The Eagle-Tribune Willie Horton story puts you guys to shame.
Some of the purposed bills are pure Horse Crap, you have to kill 2 people? No full Autopsy reports? Memphis doesn’t even do rape kits. Decades of back logs.
Plea Bargaining should require the Victims consent, or their suvivors. Parole hearings should include travel expeses for the victims familiy. Why do Death Row inmates have Laptops, many parents can’t afford for their child? How much money does 1 inmate cost vs the education of 1 child? What prevliges does an inmate have? What is in those handbooks an inmate gets?
Then the Penal Farm 90 day serve rate needs to be addressed, it is an 11 month 29 day facility. REPEAT DUI’S served on the weekends.
Some of the purposed bills are pure Horse Crap, you have to kill 2 people? No full Autopsy reports? Memphis doesn’t even do rape kits. Decades of back logs.
Plea Bargaining should require the Victims consent, or their suvivors. Parole hearings should include travel expeses for the victims familiy. Why do Death Row inmates have Laptops, many parents can’t afford for their child? How much money does 1 inmate cost vs the education of 1 child? What prevliges does an inmate have? What is in those handbooks an inmate gets?
These are questions you should be asking and have legislator, toured prisons?
Then the Penal Farm 90 day serve rate needs to be addressed, it is an 11 month 29 day facility. REPEAT DUI’S served on the weekends.
Some of the purposed bills are pure Horse Crap, you have to kill 2 people? No full Autopsy reports?
Plea Bargaining should require the Victims consent, or their suvivors. Parole hearings should include travel expeses for the victims familiy. Why do Death Row inmates have Laptops, many parents can’t afford for their child? How much money does 1 inmate cost vs the education of 1 child? What prevliges does an inmate have? What is in those handbooks an inmate gets?
These are questions you should be asking and have legislator, toured prisons?
Then the Penal Farm 90 day serve rate needs to be addressed, it is an 11 month 29 day facility. REPEAT DUI’S served on the weekends.
Plea Bargaining should require the Victims consent, or their suvivors. Parole hearings should include travel expeses for the victims familiy. Why do Death Row inmates have Laptops, many parents can’t afford for their child? How much money does 1 inmate cost vs the education of 1 child? What prevliges does an inmate have? What is in those handbooks an inmate gets?
These are questions you should be asking and have legislator, toured prisons?
Then the Penal Farm 90 day serve rate needs to be addressed, it is an 11 month 29 day facility. REPEAT DUI’S served on the weekends.
Plea Bargaining should require the Victims consent, or their suvivors. Parole hearings should include travel expeses for the victims familiy. Why do Death Row inmates have Laptops, many parents can’t afford for their child? How much money does 1 inmate cost vs the education of 1 child? What prevliges does an inmate have? What is in those handbooks an inmate gets?
These are questions you should be asking and have legislator, toured prisons?
Here’s a New one! Enforce the laws on the Books and Fire up the Death Penalty into over time!!! This is the problem in the U.S. liberalism protecting the criminal giving them a license to Kill and Steal by Liberal Politicians who have Armed security!
Why is Gail sending in all of these comments? Stop the repeats!