Five things to watch this week
From inclusionary zoning to juvenile justice reform, child abuse education to sexual harassment, legislators never have a shortage of weighty issues to consider when making Tennessee’s laws.
This week, we point out a few bills in committee that have garnered news and controversy.
Here’s five things to watch in legislative week nine.
INCLUSIONARY ZONING
A bill that would nullify one of Nashville’s affordable housing initiatives is set for a deciding vote in Tennessee state legislature today.
The Senate is scheduled to vote on a measure that would stop Metro Nashville from requiring developers to build low-cost housing in exchange for greater development rights.
Nashville’s policy, a form of “inclusionary zoning,” is meant to spur the development of apartments and homes for Nashvillians who can’t afford to live in the city.
As the current real estate boom led skyrocketing rents and home prices, the Metro Nashville Council passed a range of measures in the past few years, including this ordinance, to help alleviate the shortage of affordable homes.
The bill should see a vote on the Senate floor when the chamber meets today at 4 p.m.
WINE, LIQUOR SALES ON SUNDAYS
The effort to allow wine sales on Sundays and holidays has already made its way through one committee. The legislation, HB 1540, which would also permit liquor stores to be open on Sundays, is a long way from being enacted but early indications suggest it will face a significantly easier fight than previous changes to the state’s liquor laws.
The House State Government Committee is expected to take up the measure when it meets Tuesday.
JUVENILE JUSTICE
Among the initiatives Gov. Bill Haslam is pursuing this year is an effort to reform the state’s juvenile justice system.
Touched upon in his State of the State address, Haslam’s legislation, among other things, seeks to expand community-based resources and reserve detention centers for youth who have committed more serious crimes.
The measure, SB 2261, is among a slew of bills set to be discussed when the Senate Judiciary Committee meets Tuesday and Wednesday.
CHILD ABUSE AND EDUCATORS
A bill up before discussion in the House Education & Instruction Programs Subcommittee deals with instructors and their role in helping detect child abuse.
Lawmakers have frequently discussed how teachers, who spend several waking hours with students each day, can be additional eyes on the lookout for children who might be victims.
The bill, as written, requires “instruction on the detection, intervention, prevention and treatment of child abuse be provided as part of a family life curriculum.” The bill also protects teachers and organizations providing such instruction.
The Senate version of the bill hits the floor today and has been amended to clarify the language. But the House subcommittee is scheduled to hear the bill Wednesday.
NON-DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT AND SEXUAL HARASSMENT
While there have been reports of a congressional “hush fund” used to hide sexual harassment complaints, lawmakers at the state level have come out against non-disclosure agreements for lawmakers.
Two Democratic lawmakers in particular, Rep. Bo Mitchell, D-Nashville, and Sen. Sara Kyle, D-Memphis, have proposed a measure that would prohibit public and private employers from requiring an employee or prospective employee to sign a a sexual harassment non-disclosure agreement.
The bill is scheduled to go before the House Consumer and Human Resources Subcommittee today.