Advocate Confidentiality HB0673 Freeman

Prohibits disclosure of certain information by an advocate in regard to a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, or human trafficking in a judicial, legislative, or administrative proceeding unless the victim gives express written consent. 

STATUS: Passed in the Senate; Def. to Special Calendar to be Published with Final Calendar in Criminal Justice Subcommittee

PARTNER LEGISLATION

* Click on the bill number to read more about the bill language and its current status

Economic and Financial Abuse (SB1678 Gardenhire / HB1736 Alexander)

Adds controlling, regulating, monitoring, or depleting the finances, economic resources, credit, or ability to work or pursue education or job training of an adult to the definition of domestic abuse.  

AWAKE Value Alignment: Gender-Based Violence Prevention

Partner: Women’s Fund of Greater Chattanooga

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 Human Trafficking Training (SB1670 Gardenhire / HB2341 Carringer)

Requires that all school personnel, instead of only teachers, be trained at least once every three years on the detection, intervention, prevention, and treatment of human trafficking in which the victim is a child. 

AWAKE Value Alignment: Child and Youth Safety; Education

Partner: Women’s Fund of Greater Chattanooga

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Sexual Assault Statute of Limitations (SB1813 Campbell / HB1950 Freeman)

Expands the list of offenses for which there is no statute of limitations if the victim is an adult and notified law enforcement or the office of the district attorney general of the offense within three years. 

AWAKE Value Alignment: Gender-Based Violence Prevention

Partner: Sexual Assault Center

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Anti-Shackling (SB1412 Akbari / HB1579 Camper)

Restricts the use of physical restraints on pregnant inmates; prohibits the use of solitary confinement for pregnant inmates and inmates who have given birth within the past eight weeks.

AWAKE Value Alignment: Criminal Justice Reform; Gender-Based Violence Prevention

Partner: Healthy and Free Tennessee

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Body Cavity Search Ban (SB1423 Akbari / HB1592 Johnson)

Prohibits correctional staff from performing a body cavity search on a pregnant or postpartum prisoner or detainee unless the staff member receives prior approval from a correctional official; requires the staff member to file a report within 72 hours of the body cavity search.

AWAKE Value Alignment: Criminal Justice Reform; Gender-Based Violence Prevention

Partner: Healthy and Free Tennessee

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TennCare Coverage for Doula Services (SB2150 Massey / HB2109 Lamar) 

Requires that doula services be provided to recipients of TennCare; requires that the doula services be performed by a person who has received certification from the department of health

AWAKE Value Alignment: Healthcare Access and Equity

Partner: Healthy and Free Tennessee

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Pregnancy Support in Jails and Prisons (SB2505 Akbari / HB1947 Lamar)

Requires correctional institutions to provide access to support people for certain pregnant prisoners or detainees during prenatal care and postpartum appointments, labor, and delivery.

AWAKE Value Alignment: Healthcare Access and Equity; Criminal Justice Reform

Partner: Healthy and Free Tennessee

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Extreme Risk Protection Orders (SB412 Gilmore / HB1588 Camper)

Allows a court to issue an extreme risk protection order upon a finding by clear and convincing evidence that a person poses a significant risk of harm to the person or others if allowed to possess or purchase a firearm; authorizes a law enforcement officer or family or household member to petition for such an order.  

AWAKE Value Alignment: Child and Youth Safety; Gender-Based Violence Prevention

Partner: Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America/TN

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Paid Sick Time & Local Authority in Tennessee (SB1762 Campbell / HB1929 Hodges)

Deletes prohibition on local governments mandating that employers who do business with the local government or within its jurisdictional boundaries maintain certain sick and family leave policies

AWAKE Value Alignment: Workplace and Economic Justice; Healthcare Access and Equity

Partner: A Better Balance

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Tennessee Family Insurance Act (SB672 Kyle / HB1295 Johnson)

Enacts the Tennessee Family Insurance Act would create an employee-funded family and medical leave insurance program, ensuring that all Tennessee workers can take time to care for themselves or a loved one without sacrificing their income or savings.

AWAKE Value Alignment: Workplace and Economic Justice; Healthcare Access and Equity

Partner: A Better Balance

BILLS WE SUPPORT

Dispossession to a Third Party (SB1816 Campbell / HB1951 Freeman)

Requires a domestic assault offender who transferred possession of a firearm to a third party in order to dispossess the firearm to submit to the court an affidavit of firearms receipt in which the third party attests that the third party may lawfully possess a firearm, has received the firearm from the defendant, and accepts responsibility for possession of the firearm.

AWAKE Value Alignment: Gender-Based Violence Prevention

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Gun Violence Reduction (SB1773 Gilmore / HB1830 Lamar) 

Requires certain departments to create programs to reduce gun violence in communities, including a youth employment program, violence intervention program, and firearm buyback program; requires the department of health to submit a quarterly report to the legislature and counties and municipalities on the effects of gun violence in communities.

AWAKE Value Alignment: Gender-Based Violence Prevention; Child and Youth Safety; 

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Domestic Violence Coordinating Council (SB1711 Roberts / HB1792 Ragan)

Extends the domestic violence state coordinating council to June 30, 2030.

AWAKE Value Alignment: Gender-Based Violence Prevention

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Domestic Violence; Condition of Release or Bail (SB1546 Yarbro / HB1459 Hakeem)

Requires a magistrate to order, as a condition of release or bail, a person arrested for the offense of domestic assault to vacate or stay away from the place where the victim resides for a period of 24 hours after the person's release.

AWAKE Value Alignment: Gender-Based Violence Prevention

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Corporal Punishment in Schools (SB2213 Campbell / HB2564 Hakeem)

Prohibits the use of corporal punishment against students; deletes various provisions relative to the use of corporal punishment. 

AWAKE Value Alignment: Child and Youth Safety; Education

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ACEs Program (SB1384 Kyle / HB0982 Gillespie)

Requires LEAs to implement an adverse childhood experiences (ACE) program; creates a process to refer students who have experienced four or more ACEs to appropriate mental and behavioral health providers and makes other related changes. 

AWAKE Value Alignment: Child and Youth Safety; Education

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Anti-Lunch Shaming Act (SB0674 Kyle / HB0815 Clemmons)

Enacts the "Tennessee Anti-Lunch Shaming Act"; prohibits a school from taking certain actions against a student who cannot pay for a meal, or who has accumulated a meal debt; requires a school to provide a United States department of agriculture reimbursable meal to each student who requests one; requires a school to assist parents and guardians with obtaining free or reduced-price meals for the parent's or guardian's eligible student. 

AWAKE Value Alignment: Child and Youth Safety; Education

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Food Insecurity Report (SB1825 Yarbro / HB1669 Jernigan)

Requires the Tennessee higher education commission to submit a report to the governor and speakers of the senate and house of representatives by December 31, 2023, on issues of food insecurity among students at public institutions of higher education in this state and that identifies and describes the efforts of the institutions to address food insecurity among students.

AWAKE Value Alignment: Child and Youth Safety

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Reimbursement for childcare expenses (SB2599 Campbell / HB2280 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. 

AWAKE Value Alignment: Workplace and Economic Justice

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Review of the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act (SB1471 Akbari / HB0991 Thompson)  

Requires the department to review the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act to examine how the state standards of detection and response to prison rape could be improved, and report its findings and recommendations to the governor and general assembly by January 15, 2022.

AWAKE Value Alignment: Gender-Based Violence Prevention

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Mandatory minimum fines for harassment, stalking, & aggravated stalking (SB2131 Reeves / HB2415 Smith)

Adds a mandatory minimum fine of $1,000 for the offense of harassment; adds a mandatory minimum fine of $2,000 for the offense of stalking; adds a mandatory minimum fine of $2,500 for the offense of aggravated stalking; requires a court to order a child adjudicated delinquent for an act that, if committed by an adult, would constitute the offense of harassment, stalking, or aggravated stalking to perform 12 hours of community service and allows the court to order up to 40 hours of community service for a second or subsequent adjudication of delinquent for such act. 

AWAKE Value Alignment: Gender-Based Violence Prevention

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Living Wage (SB2714 Kyle / HB2819 Thompson)

Requires the department of labor and workforce development to establish a living wage for the state.

AWAKE Value Alignment: Workplace and Economic Justice

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Ending Youth Fees & Fines (SB2172 Akbari / HB2307 Hawk)

This bill would end the following fees and fines for families of young people involved in the justice system:

• Procedural court costs;

• Administrative court costs;

• Probation and supervision fees;

• Detention and cost-of-care fees;

• Cost of court-appointed counsel;

• Mental/physical evaluation, counseling, and treatment;

• Substance/alcohol testing and treatment fees;

• Cost of court-ordered diversion programs;

• Fines for traffic, truancy, and other delinquency matters;

• Litigation taxes; and more.

More info HERE.

AWAKE Value Alignment: Criminal Justice Reform

BILLS WE OPPOSE

Injunction to Prohibit a Woman from Obtaining an Abortion (SB0494 Pody / HB1079 Sexton)

Permits a person to petition a court for an injunction to prohibit a woman who is pregnant with the person's unborn child from obtaining an abortion; requires the petitioner to execute a voluntary acknowledgement of paternity that is not subject to being rescinded or challenged.

AWAKE Value Alignment: Healthcare Access and Equity

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Use of Student’s Preferred Pronouns (SB2777 Bell / HB2633 Cochran)

Specifies that a teacher or other employee of a public school or LEA is not required to refer to a student using the student's preferred pronoun if the pronoun does not align with the student's biological sex; insulates a teacher or other employee of a public school or LEA from civil liability and adverse employment action for referring to a student using the pronoun aligned with the student's biological sex instead of the student's preferred pronoun.

AWAKE Value Alignment: Child and Youth Safety; Education

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LGBTQ Erasure in Public Schools (SB1216 Nicely / HB0800 Griffey)

Prohibits the state textbook and instructional materials quality commission from recommending or listing, the state board of education from approving for local adoption or from granting a waiver for, and LEAs and public charter schools from adopting or using textbooks and instructional materials or supplemental instructional materials that promote, normalize, support, or address lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, or transgender issues or lifestyles.

AWAKE Value Alignment: Child and Youth Safety; Education; Gender-Based Violence Prevention

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Transgender Youth Participation in Sports (SB1861 Hensley / HB1895 Ragan)

Requires the commissioner of education to withhold a portion of the state education finance funds that an LEA is otherwise eligible to receive if the LEA fails or refuses to determine a student's gender, for purposes of participation in school sports, by the student's sex at the time of birth; exempts an LEA that fails or refuses to determine a student's gender, for purposes of participation in school sports, by the student's sex at the time of birth if the LEA's failure or refusal to do so is required by a court or other legally binding order. 

AWAKE Value Alignment: Child and Youth Safety; Education; Gender-Based Violence Prevention

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Denial of Education to Undocumented Students (SB2597 Hensley / HB1648 Griffey)

Authorizes an LEA or public charter school to enroll, or deny enrollment to, students who are unlawfully present in the United States; eliminates state education funding for students who are unlawfully present in the United States; requires LEAs and public charter schools that enroll students who are unlawfully present in the United States to bear sole financial responsibility for their education. 

AWAKE Value Alignment: Child and Youth Safety; Education