Several changes taking place with new laws effective July 1

July 1 marks the beginning of the new fiscal year for the state of Tennessee, and the General Assembly has 177 new laws taking effect once the year begins.

The laws vary from school vouchers to women’s health. The Expositor wants to highlight a few of the laws taking effect next month that increase the punishment for various crimes, some that the average resident may not consider day to day.

SB 0392 and HB 0322 are concerned with a newly coined “human smuggling” crime. The law creates a Class E felony for human smuggling, which includes transporting 10 or more persons 18 years of age or older or five or more minors for the purpose of financial gain. It also includes transporting the same amount of persons that are in the country illegally. The law also creates a Class A misdemeanor for harboring, hiding, or assisting another person in harboring an individual who has illegally entered or remained in the United States. The only punishment for this misdemeanor would be a fine of $1,000 per person hidden or harbored.

HB 0045 is a law meant to protect children and punish those that are abusive. It increases the penalty for child abuse that inflicts injury, which involves children from ages 9 to 17, from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class E felony. The law’s fiscal note reports that there are an average of 308.4 convictions of child abuse, neglect, or endangerment each year, and that is about 25% or 77 of those convictions that resulted in injury to the child.

HB 0072 and SB 0215 similarly establishes a penalty for those that endanger young people. The law sets up penalties for anyone convicted of selling hemp-derived cannabinoid to someone under 21 years of age, treating it similarly to alcohol. It also prohibits retailers from knowingly allowing employees younger than 21 to sell hemp-derived cannabinoid products. The violation of either prohibition is a Class A misdemeanor office, and the punishment includes no less than 48 hours nor more than 11 months and 29 days in a county jail.

HB 0099 and SB 0685 enhances several penalties regarding unlawful photography. The law enhances the penalty from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class E felony for an unlawful photograph that would offend or embarrass an ordinary person if the photograph was focused on an intimate area of the body. This also requires the offended, if convicted, to be registered as a sexual offender. The law also enhances a Class E felony to a Class D felony when the defendant unlawfully shares photos involving minors under 13 years old. If the defendant was in a position of trust or authority over the minor, that Class D felony is increased to a Class C felony.

HB 0191 makes it a Class B misdemeanor to knowingly point laser pointers or other similar devices at a person operating an automobile, boat, aircraft, or any other motor vehicle. While it was already a violation of federal law to point laser pointers at aircrafts, this law adds onto that to protect drivers on the road as well.

HB 0973 and SB 1070 is less focused on the punishment for the criminal, but, rather, it advocates for the protection of the victim. The law extends the statute of limitations from 25 years to 30 years for various child sex abuse offenses after the victim turns 18. In addition, it extends the statute for civil actions from 15 years to 30 years from the date the victim turns 18.

Lastly, HB 1314 combats the threat of mass violence online, otherwise known as “doxing.” The law makes it a Class E felony to threaten an “act of mass violence” by any means of communication. The felony is enhanced to a Class D felony if the threat involves a school property, house of worship, government office, or at a live performance or event. There is also an additional Class B misdemeanor added by the law for the offense of posting a person’s telephone number and address online with the intent to threaten or cause harm. If harm is caused by the threat, the misdemeanor is enhanced to Class A.

The Tennessee General Assembly typically convenes in January and adjourns in either April or sometimes May. All of the laws passed can be found a few different ways, either going through the laws passed individually on the General Assembly’s website or using a legislative tracking service like LegiScan.