Image Credit: capitol.tn.gov
The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –
The Tennessee House Criminal Justice Committee passed a bill that would amend current law to make it a criminal offense for families to hide children outside of the state when that child is in custody of the Department of Children’s Services.
House Bill 1109 is sponsored by Representative Ron Travis (R-Dayton-District 31). After a motion and a second, Travis introduced the bill and explained that it was simply an amendment to a law that is already in place in Tennessee and would simply add additional stipulations against harboring children in another state when that child has knowingly been place in custody of DCS, considering this to be custodial interference.
Follow Rep. Travis’ explanation of the bill, the committee went out of session to hear from guests.
Speaking first was John Gentry. Gentry argued that this bill was in violation of the Constitution and needed to be amended because families are not allowed due process and a trial by jury. He stated that the state needed to fix and prove reform of DCS before continuing to prosecute families who are harboring children from DCS.
“Tennessee needs to get its own house in order,” Gentry stated.
Next were Jessica and Chad Farley, parents who say they were victimized by DCS. Mr. Farley spoke of his personal experiences and stated that bills such as this are not in the child’s best interest because laws are used out of context to tear families apart.
Gentry also went on to say that it was all about money, that kids in DCS are worth tens of thousands of dollars and that is why they want to tear families apart.
After going back in session, Travis was asked how prosecutors would be able to go after people who did not have knowledge of that custody order. Travis responded that those families would know if they did not have custody of those children.
The committee went out of session again to hear from DCS about how children are removed and how families are notified of those custody orders.
After additional discussion, a voice vote was taken with ayes prevailing. At least one no vote was heard, but no representative asked to be recorded as voting against the legislation.
The bill has been recommended for passage and referred to the Calendar and Rules Committee and will next be considered on the House floor.
If you wish to contact your representative about this legislation, you can find their contact information here.
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
3 Responses
Excuse me. What happened to due process? Actually, what happened to common sense. Like Red Flag laws and excluding parents from finding out what’s going on in their school, these laws are simply a club to hold over the citizenry. It won’t stand up in court but the cost of fighting it will be horrendous. It’s just another case of using our own money to fight our own money. If Democrats can vote in GOP primaries, then I think citizens should be able to vote in any district. Things would change rapidly if every elected official actually had to face his or her peers, namely the entire state of Tn.
Have a parent arrested based on someone HIDING on the other end of a Phone with NO proof and TOO chicken to tell it in person!!! This bill should be DOA ASAP.
It would be nice if everyone was just truthful and admitted that nobody “annonymously” reported them. Chad Farley was arrested for DOMESTIC ASSAULT against his wife. She turned him in. There was no anonymous tip. Their child was taken because of a call she made to DCS. However their other child was taken in 2020 due to the SEX PARTIES that were happening on the property with the kids on the same property or dropped off at a hotel by themselves (underage) for the whole weekend while their parents hosted and participated in these parties. THAT WAS NOT THE BEST INTEREST OF THE CHILDREN. If you are going to blame DCS then you might want to take a look at why they were involved in the first place.