Image Credit: Gov. Bill Lee / Facebook
The Tennessee Conservative [By Rebecca Scott] –
On May 9th Governor Bill Lee signed House Bill 1663 / Senate Bill 1834 into Tennessee law.
In summary, the legislation “authorizes the death penalty as a punishment for rape of a child, aggravated rape of a child, or especially aggravated rape of a child. – Amends TCA Title 39; Title 40 and Chapter 1062 of the Public Acts of 2022.”
In the House, the bill, sponsored by Rep. William Lamberth (R-Portland-District 44), had been placed behind the budget in February, causing concern that it may not be brought to the floor again this session, however, it was revived and passed on April 22nd with 77 Ayes, 19 Nays, and 1 PNV.
In the Senate, SB1834 was sponsored by Senator Jack Johnson (R-Franklin-District 27), where it passed in early April. The only Republican Senator who voted against the legislation was Todd Gardenhire (R-Chattanooga-District 10).
Under current state law, a person convicted of aggravated rape of a child must be sentenced to imprisonment for life without the possibility of parole. This legislation adds the death penalty as “another option” for punishment for these crimes.
As Representative Lamberth stated in his presentation of HB1663, “The atrocities that they have suffered deserve the severest of punishment. If the death penalty is an option in any case, it should be an option for those that rape children.”
Rebecca Scott is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Rebecca at Rebecca@tennesseeconservativenews.com
One Response
This new law won’t protect children and their parents from these predators. If anything, it will give the rapist nothing to lose by deciding to murder his or her victim to keep the child and parents from testifying in court for the prosecution, thus depriving the authorities of evidence to convince a jury to render a guilty verdict. Life imprisonment is just effective and far cheaper as life sentences do not have automatic appeals as death sentences do, thus relieving the victim to constantly relive the crime scene. Jurors and plaintiffs might also be more reluctant to impose the death penalty over another penalty for the same crime.