NASHVILLE -- Tennessee Senate Judiciary Committee members have got their work cut out for them on Oct. 19 as the panel holds hearings on issues ranging from criminal justice reform and police shootings to local prosecutorial discretion and police body cameras.
Judiciary Chairman Brian Kelsey, R-Germantown, released the schedule today as the panel looks ahead to major issues expected to come up starting in January when the 109th General Assembly reconvenes for its second session.
Rep. Brian Kelsey, R-Germantown, speaks on the floor of the House during the opening session Jan. 13, 2009, in Nashville.Criminal justice reform has been a priority of Republican Gov. Bill Haslam's administration and legislation is expected to come up next year before lawmakers.
In August, Haslam's Task Force on Sentencing and Recidivism, on which Kelsey served, released recommendations calling for longer prison time for more serious crimes, including allowing persons with three or more convictions for domestic violence to be charged with a felony instead of a misdemeanor.
Task force recommendations also include tougher sentences for drug trafficking and home burglary. One recommendation would institute a "truth in sentencing" for felons requiring that the public be informed about the minimum time convicts would serve.
Meanwhile, the panel will delve into a number of bills introduced during the last session. The list includes:
* Prosecutorial discretion
* Civil asset forfeiture reform
* Juvenile justice
* Police shootings in the line of duty
* Police body cameras
* Militarization of law enforcement
* Trafficking in Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid analgesic that is up to 100 times more powerful than morphine and up to 50 times more potent than pure heroin
* Detecting illicit substance abuse through fingerprint analysis