FILE – The Tennessee State Capitol Building in Nashville, Tennessee, on January 8, 2020. Tennessee Republican leaders are escalating demands to deny millions of federal dollars rather than comply with requirements on LGBTQ+ rights, abortion access and other hot buttons. problem. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – The 113th General Assembly is in its second act, with lawmakers debating the pros and cons of hundreds of bills that could impact every Tennessean. You will be spending time on.
Lawmakers appearing in committee next week will tackle topics including firearms education in schools, enforcement of national sovereignty and the Parents' Bill of Rights.
Here are some of the bills scheduled for consideration in committee next week.
The bill would legislate that “custodial rights shall be reserved to the parents of children in this state without hindrance or interference” from any state, local government, or local school system. As currently written, some of what the law protects includes the right to “direct” a child's educational, moral, or religious upbringing.
The bill also provides that “any official of this state, political branch of this state, or other governmental entity who encourages or coerces, or attempts to encourage or coerce, a child to conceal information from his or her parents shall be subject to disciplinary action.” “There is a possibility,” he said. To do so.
The bill is scheduled to be debated by the House Children and Families Subcommittee at noon on February 20th.
The bill would require the Department of Children's Services to reduce the number of active cases per case manager to no more than 20. The lawsuit was filed in the wake of a scathing 2022 report that found that children in the department's custody were sleeping on office floors, among other findings. Reported cases overseen by DCS case managers were also very high, but steps have been taken to reduce that number since the report was released.
The bill is scheduled to be debated by the House Children and Families Subcommittee at noon on February 20th.
According to the text of the bill, HB2882 would require all Tennessee public schools to provide “age-appropriate and grade-appropriate” instruction on firearm safety starting in the 2025-2026 school year. There is.
It requires instruction to begin at the “earliest appropriate grade,” but does not specify which grade that will be, and instruction will be an annual part of the school curriculum.
Other requirements include instructions for safe storage of firearms. The directive is to be a “neutral point of view on political topics,” including the Second Amendment, gun rights, and gun violence. and that such instructions in no way include the use or presence of live ammunition, ammunition, or live firearms.
The bill authorizes classroom instruction to be provided through video viewing or review of online resources and materials, as determined by the Department of Education. Each school district and public charter school would have to decide how best to incorporate this instruction into the school year, according to a bill summary on the Capitol Hill website.
The bill is scheduled for consideration in the House Educational Leadership Committee on Tuesday, February 20th at 9 a.m.
SB2359 prohibits the Tennessee Department of Children's Services from requiring immunizations as a condition of the supervision of a child in adoption or foster care if the immunizations conflict with the adoptive or foster family's “religious or moral beliefs” do.
The bill is next scheduled to be presented to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, February 20th at 3:00 p.m.
This bill would make bullying and cyberbullying crimes subject to the same penalties as harassment under Tennessee law. It would also require minor victims of bullying or cyberbullying to report the bullying to law enforcement officials and notify their parents or guardians.
The House Criminal Justice Subcommittee is scheduled to hear details about the bill at noon on Tuesday, February 20th.
Senator Adam Rowe introduced the Tennessee Sovereignty Act of 2024, which would “monitor and review federal laws, statutes, orders, and regulations that may affect jurisdiction, governance, sovereignty, and civil rights.” The aim is to establish a 10-person committee to Freedom of the residents of this state. ”
The commission determines whether federal laws, statutes, orders, executive orders, or other orders violate the Tennessee Constitution or are “in the nature of arbitrary power or coercion.” Any such violations found will be reported to the General Assembly and a request for further legislative action will be submitted.
The bill will be considered by the Senate State and Local Government Committee scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, February 20th.
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A complete list of House and Senate committee meetings is available online here and here.
