Image Credit: TN General Assembly
The Tennessee Conservative [By Olivia Lupia] –
A piece of legislation aimed at creating a new offense for grooming minors to try and preempt the sexual abuse of children before it ever happens unanimously passed the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday in a show of strong bipartisan support for protecting children.
Titled the “Tennessee Anti-Grooming Act” by Rep. Jody Barrett, HB2317 is intended to protect minors from sexual exploitation by criminalizing grooming behavior , which is explicitly defined in the legislation, and supplementing existing child protection laws through the creation of a misdemeanor or felony offense for any adult who engages in the practice of grooming a child for sexual exploitation.
Per Rep. Barrett’s explanation of an amendment to the bill, the offense of grooming will range from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class B felony depending on factors including the severity of the offense, the position of trust or authority the offender has over the victim, and the ages of the offender and victim.
After Rep. Barrett’s explanation of the bill, the committee heard citizen testimony in favor of the bill from Connie Reguli who is a subject matter expert on child advocacy and has written several pieces for The Tennessee Conservative.
Read many of her editorials written for The Tennessee Conservative HERE.
“As I sit here today, I hold in my hand thirteen news reports over the last two years of teachers and coaches in this state who have been arrested for sexually inappropriate behavior. Putnam, Bradley, Dickson, Williamson, Davidson, Bedford, Rutherford, Hamilton, Sevier, Sumner, and Knox County are all named here,” she said.
“I’m currently working on a case in Montgomery County where a teacher showed a nude image of himself to a female student in class and law enforcement said that there was not enough evidence to arrest him under the current sexual exploitation of a minor because the teacher said it was an accident. Children deserve the highest level of protection from predators that we can design, and I urge you to vote yes,” Reguli concluded.
Representatives asked a few clarifying questions, and the vote was 16-0 in favor of sending the bill along to the Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee.
SB2566, the companion bill, has experienced similar unanimous bipartisan success in the Senate, with the Judiciary Committee recently advancing the bill in an 8-0 vote, moving the bill to the Finance, Ways, and Means Committee of that chamber.
About the Author: Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
