By Senator Page Walley
A highlight last week was a celebratory visit to the Blue Oval City site with Governor Lee and Ford executives. Hundreds of our citizens from our district attended to see and experience the developments of this massive project. It will bring opportunity and hope for so many in our district as we witness a real revolution in technology and automobile manufacturing. Blue Oval City is entirely in our Senate District and will impact all of us.
Strengthening protections for pregnant mothers and the unborn
Turning to some legislative accomplishments, our Senate Judiciary Committee advanced pro-life legislation to strengthen Tennessee’s laws protecting pregnant women and the unborn. The bill clarifies that doctors should protect the life of a mother when a nonviable pregnancy endangers her life.
The bill ensures that elective abortions will remain illegal in Tennessee, while clarifying for doctors that terminating a nonviable and life-threatening pregnancy, such as an ectopic or molar pregnancy, is not an abortion. It allows providers to use reasonable medical judgment to determine if a life-saving abortion is necessary.
Improving Juvenile Justice
Legislation aimed at finding new solutions for juvenile justice issues in Tennessee advanced in the Senate last week. These bills are all a product of the Ad Hoc Committee on Juvenile Justice Reform which I co-chaired.
The first bill would create the Juvenile Justice Review Commission under DCS and the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth (TCCY) that would be modeled after the Second Look Commission, which reviews severe child abuse cases. The legislation limits the cases to be reviewed by the commission to those involving delinquent adjudications rather than unruly offenses, which fall under social services purview.
If approved, the 15-member commission would meet at least quarterly and be required to provide the General Assembly with findings and legislative recommendations in an annual report beginning in 2024.
Disincentivizing escapes at youth development centers
The Judiciary Committee passed legislation I am sponsoring to increase penalties for juveniles in youth development centers who try to escape. The bill allows courts to charge juvenile escapees who are at least 16 years old as an adult and possibly move the juvenile to a Tennessee Department of Corrections facility. Under the bill, the juvenile would only be charged as an adult for the crime of escaping.
Psychiatric evaluations for juveniles convicted of animal cruelty
Another bill, I sponsored passed the Judiciary Committee last week. It came from one of our district’s citizens and is related to animal cruelty. The bill would require a mental health evaluation and potentially court-ordered psychiatric treatment for juveniles convicted of aggravated cruelty to animals. Juveniles who are extremely cruel to animals can be more prone to commit further criminal activity, including homicide, as they become adults.
Adding “In God We Trust” to the state seal
Lastly, we passed legislation in the Senate to add the words “In God We Trust” to the Tennessee state seal. The bill asks the governor, who is the keeper of the seal, to direct the secretary of state to redesign the state seal. The Senate and House would then have to pass a resolution approving of the new design, which would include both Tennessee’s state motto of “Commerce and Agriculture” as well as the nation’s motto of “In God We Trust.”
As we begin the process of winding down the 2023 legislative session, I will continue visiting communities across the district seeking your input on issues. I look forward to listening to you. Please reach out to me if I can be of assistance in any way. Call my office at 615-741-2368 or email me at sen.page.walley@capitol.tn.gov.
