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The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –
On Tuesday, Governor Bill Lee signed a law that will create a statewide registry of all adult care facilities that are not currently licensed and will institute tougher penalties for those facilities that continue to operate without proper licensure.
HB630/SB439, sponsored by Representative John Gillespie (R-Memphis-District 97) and Senator Paul Rose (R-District 32), requires that the executive director of the Tennessee Commission on Aging and Disability create and maintain a public registry of any facility providing care to the elderly or disabled without a license.
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The new law will also make it a Class D felony offense for a facility to continue to operate without a license after they are notified of their addition to the registry. The previous penalty for continuing to operate in such a manner was a class B misdemeanor.
“The last thing aging Tennesseans should have to worry about is being taken advantage of by the very people that are supposed to care for them,” said TCAD Executive Director James Dunn. “This law will provide transparency for Tennessee families as they look to find care for a loved one and deter habitual unlicensed operators who seek to take advantage of our most vulnerable.”
TCAD sought to address cases of repeat licensure violations in 2021. According to their reports, they have dealt with more than 100 incidences of unlicensed facilities since January 2021.
Tennessee’s Elder Abuse Task Force reported in 2022 that vulnerable adults and the elderly living in these unlicensed facilities are at a greater risk for neglect and abuse.
The new law will go into effect on July 1, 2022.
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
