By Ken Jobe
House Constitutional Protections and Sentencing Subcommittee
HB1415 by Representative Joe Towns — prohibits a law enforcement officer from seizing or destroying a person’s photograph or recording of an event or person if it is not illegal and the person is in a place the person has a right to be when photographed or recorded; allows law enforcement to petition court for a copy of certain photographic or recorded material.
HB141 by Representative Joe Towns — prohibits a court from removing a person’s constitutional rights for failure to pay court costs, fines, or any other monetary amount in a civil proceeding, if the person is unable to pay due to the person’s indigency.
HB1224 by Representative Jason Potts — requires the court to order that a defendant convicted of domestic violence who transfers possession of firearms to a third party must have the third party complete and return to the court an affidavit certifying that the third party is not prohibited from possessing firearms, acknowledges receipt of firearms from the defendant, and accepts their responsibility under this section.
House Education Committee
HB0947 — requires, instead of authorizes, the Tennessee school safety center to establish school safety grants to assist LEAs in funding programs that address school safety; establishes requirements for school safety grant applications and eligibility; requires the Tennessee school safety center to reserve funds for, and give priority in awarding school safety grants to, LEAs with schools that did not have a full-time school resource officer during the 2018-2019 school year.
HB0399 by Representative Antonio Parkinson — the school code of conduct bill
House Elections and Campaign Finance subcommittee
HB0007 by Representative Jason Powell — authorizes the use of campaign funds for the child care expenditures of a candidate that are incurred by the candidate as a direct result of the candidate’s participation in campaign-related events and activities.
HB0029 by Representative Larry Miller — vacates the offices of the secretary of state and the coordinator of elections if either election officer qualifies as a candidate for any public office.
HB0334 by Representative Jason Hodges — requires department of safety to automatically register a qualified person to vote from information on an application for a driver license or photo identification card unless the person opts out; designates certain other state departments, and agencies and offices thereof, as voter registration agencies; requires such agencies to automatically register a qualified person to vote from information on an application for services unless the person opts out.
Judiciary Committee
HB1033 — decriminalizes, under certain circumstances, wagers on fantasy sports leagues and sports pools.
HB0266 by Representative Johnny Shaw — requires a court to automatically dismiss a misdemeanor charge if a final verdict has not been rendered within three years of the offense and the defendant is not charged with any subsequent offenses during the three-year period; requires the automatic expunction of a nonviolent misdemeanor charge or conviction if the defendant is not charged with any subsequent offenses within three years of the initial charge.
HB0941 — removes $180 fee for an individual petitioning the court for an expunction of certain criminal offenses; removes $350 fee for a defendant applying for expunction of an offense following the completion of a diversion program.
House TennCare Subcommittee
HB0498 — This is the bill that, reportedly when amended, will support families financially burdened by caring for kids with disabilities.
House Public Service and Employees Subcommittee
HB0978 by Representative Barbara Cooper — prohibits public employers from discriminating against applicants for employment and employees with pregnancy-related conditions by not providing the applicants and employees with reasonable accommodations.
HB0863 — enacts the “Good Neighbor Compact” the purpose of which is to have member states reciprocally ban state-sponsored and state-funded travel to any state that has banned state-sponsored travel to any member state of this Compact, the exception being travel for the purpose of economic development and job recruitment. The compact will become effective and binding on the earlier of the date of legislative enactment of the compact into law by no less than 26 states or December 31, 2019. A member state may withdraw from the compact with six-months’ advance notice by enacting a statute repealing the compact. In order to amend the compact, all member states must first enact the amendment into law.
HB0321 by Representative Yusuf Hakeem — requires law enforcement officers to satisfactorily complete a diversity training program created by the peace officer standards and training commission by July 1, 2021, or within six months of the officer’s date of employment.
House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee
HB0844 — Requires the commissioner of agriculture to submit a plan to the federal government for Tennessee to have primary regulatory authority over hemp production in this state as authorized by the federal Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018; establishes an administrative framework for the plan.
House Public Health Subcommittee
HB1490—The Life Appropriation Act — This bill prohibits an agency or instrumentality of the state from: (1) Awarding a grant to pay the direct or indirect costs of performing, inducing, referring, or counseling in favor of abortions, including, but not limited to, administrative costs and expenses; overhead costs; employee salaries; rent and mortgage payments; and telephone and other utility payments;
(2) Granting, appropriating, or distributing a grant to an individual or entity that:
(A) Performs convenience abortions, induces convenience abortions, provides convenience abortion referrals, or counsels in favor of convenience abortions; or
(B) Is an affiliate of a person or entity that performs abortions, induces abortions, provides abortion referrals, or counsels in favor of convenience abortions because such appropriations have the effect of endorsing nonsecular practices that excessively entangle the government with the religion of secular humanism.
HB1490 — authorizes the development and use of a commemorative certificate of nonviable birth.
House Local Committee
HB1398 — requires a person to declare a statewide political party affiliation before voting in a primary election.
House Criminal Justice Subcommittee
HB1151 — expands the offense of indecent exposure to include incidents occurring in a restroom, locker room, dressing room, or shower, designated for single-sex, multi-person use, if the offender is a member of the opposite sex than the sex designated for use.
HB1238 — requires verification of United States citizenship or lawful presence for each applicant 18 years of age or older, who applies for prenatal care administered by the department of health and the special supplemental food program for women, infants and children administered by the department of health.
HB1475 by Representative G.A. Hardaway — creates Class E felony of law enforcement officer operating a law enforcement body camera in any manner that would prevent the creation of evidence with the intent to obstruct justice.
HB0987 by Representative Antonio Parkinson — increases the amount of marijuana possessed or exchanged under the offenses of simple possession or casual exchange from less than one-half ounce to less than one ounce; prohibits the inference of purpose of selling or otherwise dispensing when the substance possessed or exchanged was less than one ounce of marijuana.
House Life and Health Insurance Subcommittee
HB0139 by Representative Barbara Cooper — requires health insurance to cover acupuncture services as a benefit beginning January 1, 2020.
House Departments and Agencies Subcommittee
HB0252 by Representative Bob Freeman — requires an agency that requires an examination to be administered to a person applying for a license to engage in an occupation, trade, or profession to provide reasonable accommodations to a person diagnosed with dyslexia.
HB0247—the daylight saving time bill