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The Tennessee Conservative Staff –
Governor Bill Lee recently signed a piece of legislation that will increase protection for those who are victims of stalking and harassment.
House Bill 1645 (HB1645), sponsored by Representative William Lamberth (R-Portland-District 44), states, “As introduced, expands the eligibility for filing a petition to obtain a lifetime order of protection to include victims of aggravated stalking, especially aggravated stalking, and felony harassment. – Amends TCA Title 36 and Title 39.”
Presently, laws offer lifetime orders of protection in only a limited number of cases, while others are required to refile each year. This new piece of legislation will expand current law to include victims of felony aggravated stalking, especially aggravated stalking, and felony harassment.
HB1645 was passed by the House on February 8th.
Senator Paul Rose (R-Lauderdale, Shelby, and Tipton Counties- District 32) ran Senate Bill 1699 (SB1699) in the Senate, which conformed to the House version of the bill before being passed on March 18th. It was unanimously passed in both bodies.
Now that the legislation has garnered Governor Lee’s signature, it will be assigned a Public Chapter Number and will officially go into effect on July 1, 2024.
