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Several new laws will take effect in Tennessee on July 1, 2024, addressing issues such as firearms, juvenile crime, education and domestic violence. The Tennessee General Assembly passed these laws in its most recent session.
One of the laws, HB 1600, prohibits juvenile offenders convicted of certain crimes from owning a firearm until they turn 25. The crimes include aggravated assault, cruelty to animals, and threats of mass violence, among others. The offenders can petition the court to restore their firearm rights once they turn 19 and are at least one year removed from their most recent delinquency adjudication and have completed any court sentencing like probation, per WKRN.
Another law requires all law enforcement authorities in the state to report the immigration status of any individual to federal immigration officials. This could include reporting knowledge of an "alien" unlawfully in the country or cooperating with federal authorities in the identification, apprehension, detention, or removal of "aliens not lawfully present in the U.S."
The state can now seek the death penalty for those convicted of aggravated rape of a child; however, the law does not apply to those with intellectual disabilities convicted of the same crime. Juveniles convicted of the offense will be required to be punished as Range II offenders with a minimum sentence of 25 years in prison, WKRN reports.
In response to the rise of artificial intelligence, lawmakers have added a new AI-generated images category to the state’s anti-child pornography laws, which includes computer images, computer-generated images, and images "created, adapted or modified by artificial intelligence."
Other new laws also address education. School libraries will have to adjust their collections to comply with the “Age Appropriate Materials Act” of 2022. All materials in school libraries must be suitable for the age and maturity levels of students who may access the materials and must be "consistent with the educational mission of the school."
Additionally, the Ensuring Likeness, Voice, and Image Security (ELVIS) Act of 2024 ensures singers retain property rights over their voice and vocals against illegal infringement, and anyone who knowingly uses someone’s voice without their permission is subject to civil action.
These are just a few of the around 200 laws going into effect July 1, per WSMV.