TTPC

The past week has seen a lot of intense activity by the Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition on Hate Crimes legislation at both the state and federal levels.

On Wednesday, the Tennessee House Judiciary Committee rolled HB0335 by Jeanne Richardson (D-Memphis) and 20 others, for one week. This bill would add “gender identity or expression” to Tennessee’s hate crimes sentencing enhancement statute. The committee had a very long calendar and they simply did not get to the bill.

Please contact the members of the full House Judiciary Committee and ask them to vote “Yes” on HB0335:

Kent Coleman (D-Murfreesboro), Chair & Bill Co-sponsor, rep.kent.coleman@capitol.tn.gov
Jon Lundberg (R-Bristol), Vice-Chair, rep.jon.lundberg@capitol.tn.gov
Janis Sontany (D-Nashville), Secretary & Bill Co-sponsor, rep.janis.sontany@capitol.tn.gov
Eddie Bass (D-Prospect), rep.eddie.bass@capitol.tn.gov
Karen Camper (D-Memphis), Bill Co-sponsor, rep.karen.camper@capitol.tn.gov
Vance Dennis (R-Savannah), rep.vance.dennis@capitol.tn.gov
Chad Faulkner (R-Luttrell), rep.chad.faulkner@capitol.tn.gov
Henry Fincher (D-Cookeville), rep.henry.fincher@capitol.tn.gov
Brian Kelsey (R-Germantown), rep.brian.kelsey@capitol.tn.gov
Judd Matheny (R-Tullahoma), rep.judd.matheny@capitol.tn.gov
Mike Stewart (D-Nashville), Bill Co-sponsor, rep.mike.stewart@capitol.tn.gov
Eric Watson (R-Cleveland), rep.eric.watson@capitol.tn.gov

The House Judiciary Committee meets on Wednesday, May 6, at 8:30 am, in Legislative Plaza, Room 31.
We also wish to thank two additional co-sponsors who signed onto the bill recently:

Craig Fitzhugh (D-Ripley), Chair, House Finance, Ways, and Means Committee
Larry Miller (D-Memphis).

We now have 21 co-sponsors on this legislation. They are composed of a broad cross section of Tennessee, including men and women, blacks and whites, urban and rural, and from all three Grand Divisions of the state.

We also appreciate the support we have received from several allied groups including the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee, the Nashville chapter of the NAACP, the Nashville Chapter of the National Organization for Women, and the Tennessee Equality Project, all of whom have asked their members to urge legislators to support this bill.

On the Federal level, this Thursday, the United States House of Representatives passed H.R.1913, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, by a vote of 249 to 175. Please contact Stephen Cohen and Jim Cooper to thank them for their support of hate crimes legislation.
Congressional action now shifts to the United States Senate. The bill number is S.909.

Please contact both of Tennessee’s Senators, Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker and tell them you want to them to support S.909.

Other major bills of interest to TTPC this week are:

HB 1426 by *Niceley
Opposes Tennessee’s compliance with the Federal REAL ID Act of 2005
House Public Safety Subcommittee
Tuesday, May 5, 3:45 pm
Legislative Plaza, Room 16.
TTPC Supports this bill

*SB 1934 by *Burchett, companion bill to HB1426
Opposes Tennessee’s compliance with the Federal REAL ID Act of 2005
Senate Transportation Committee
Wednesday, May 6, 8:00 am
Legislative Plaza, Room 12.
TTPC Supports this bill

Other bills of interest that were heard last week were:

SB 1250, by Dewayne Bunch,
Ban on Teaching Sexual Diversity in Schools
Senate Education Committee
Senator Bunch took the bill Off Notice. The House had previously sent its version to the State Board of Education.
TTPC Opposed this bill and supports this action.