New anti-crime laws are set to take effect July 1
Saturday, June 29, 2019 2:11 am NASHVILLE -- Several new anti-crime bills are set to take effect July 1 as the state's new fiscal year begins, including major legislation passed by the General Assembly this year reforming Tennessee's death penalty appeals process. The Sergeant Daniel Baker Act, sponsored by Senator John Stevens (R-Huntingdon), expedites capital crime cases straight to the Tennessee Supreme Court. The legislation is named for a Dickson County Sheriff's officer who was brutally murdered during a traffic stop. The new law eliminates an intermediate step to the Court of Criminal Appeals, putting Tennessee in line with the vast majority of states which find direct appeal to the State Supreme Court as a fair and just process in capital crime cases. • The JuJuan Latham Act, sponsored by Sen. Richard Briggs (R-Knoxville) strengthening penalties against those convicted of harming a minor during a drive-by shooting which is named for a 12-year-old Knoxville boy who was killed in a drive-by shooting while in the back of his father's parked car; • A new law, sponsored by Sen. Shane Reeves (R-Murfreesboro), removing the statute of limitations for second degree murder; • Leigh Ann's Law, sponsored by Sen. Joey Hensley (R-Hohenwald), creating a Class A misdemeanor for a person who is arrested on domestic violence charges to knowingly violate a no contact order that is issued prior to the defendant's release on bond which is named for a Tennessee woman murdered 17 years ago by her former boyfriend who violated an order; • A new statute, sponsored by Sen. Becky Massey (R-Knoxville), strengthening penalties for offenders who try to coerce victims of domestic violence in judicial proceedings; • Legislation, sponsored by Sen. Rusty Crowe (R-Johnson City), raising the minimum penalty for a violation of an order of protection; and • A new law, sponsored by Sen. Ken Yager (R-Kingston), making it a crime for a parent or legal guardian to withdraw or change a child's school enrollment, with the intent to hinder a child abuse investigation.
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