Walley Wrap: Senate Advanced Legislation to Crack Down on Crime and Hold Criminals Accountable
By Senator Page Walley
Last week, our State Senate advanced several bills which I would like to highlight.
Bill advances to prohibit local restrictions on routine traffic stops
To fight violent crime in Memphis, I am cosponsoring a bill with Senator Brent Taylor which passed my Senate State and Local Government Committee to ensure law enforcement can conduct routine traffic stops as part of their efforts to protect public safety. The Memphis City Council passed a resolution last year to prohibit Memphis Police from stopping vehicles for expired tags, broken tail lights, loose bumpers, and similar offenses. Taylor’s legislation would prohibit local governments from restricting law enforcement’s ability to conduct routine traffic stops.
Routine traffic stops have resulted in major arrests and the apprehension of violent criminals for years. Whether it’s a random drug trafficker pulled over for running a stop sign or the most well-known case—Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh—routine traffic stops are a proven means of catching violent offenders, drug traffickers, and other dangerous criminals.
The Family Rights and Responsibilities Act advances
Our Senate Judiciary Committee last week approved legislation that explicitly lays out twelve fundamental rights of parents in Tennessee Code. The Family Rights and Responsibilities Act protects parents’ fundamental rights and responsibilities to make education, healthcare, moral, and religious decisions for their child. The bill aims to protect children from being indoctrinated by ideologies contrary to the values taught by their parents.
The relationship between a parent and child predates the institution of government itself. Parents know their children best, and they have the right and responsibility to make decisions in the best interest of the child without undue influence from the government. Families are the backbone of our society, and the laws of our society should reflect the sanctity of parents’ fundamental rights.
The legislation now moves to the Senate floor for final consideration.
Increasing compensation for community-based long-term care providers
In-home caretakers confront challenging work conditions, leading to low retention rates across the state. In an attempt to alleviate this issue, the legislation aims to compensate long-term care providers who already reside with patients. If enacted, the bill would enable caregivers who live with their patients to receive payment through TennCare, offering crucial support to both the caretaker and the patient.
This bill will ensure that the long-term care providers have as large of a recruiting pool as possible. Enabling their ability to hire providers who are in the home with the beneficiary will help make that possible.
The legislation now awaits passage on the Senate floor.
Local government contracts with energy developers
Lastly I passed Senate Bill 2424 in our Senate Energy, Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee last week. The bill would allow a local government to negotiate with an energy project developer. An agreement would have to be made, and the terms and conditions of the agreement must include the duration of the agreement, the location of the land involved, a description and design of the project and any other terms agreed to by the local government. The local governing body must approve of the terms and conditions of the agreement. The bill moves to the Senate floor for final consideration.
It is an honor to serve as your state senator. Next week, I look forward to sharing more with you about news and updates in the General Assembly. In the meantime, please continue to reach out to my office on issues of interest and importance at (615) 741-2368 or sen.page.walley@capitol.tn.gov.
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