Marshall County Post

6A —Marshall County Post, Thursday, April 11, 2024 2024 Legislative Update Senate State of Tennessee Legislative Update from Senator Joey Hensley, MD S enate advances consti- tutional amendments protecting right to bear arms in Tennessee The TN Senate is pro- ceeding with two proposals to amend the Tennessee Constitution to strength- en Tennesseans’ Second Amendment rights. Senate Joint Resolution 904 advanced to protect citizens’ right to bear arms in the Tennessee Constitu- tion and limit the legisla- ture’s ability to pass restric- tive gun laws. The measure proposes to replace the current constitutional pro- vision that authorizes the legislature to “regulate the wearing of arms with a view to prevent crime” and instead state that “citizens have a right to keep, bear and wear arms.” House Joint Resolution 131 will establish that with- in the borders of Tennes- see, only Tennessee’s gun laws can apply in court. This would ensure other states cannot enforce their gun laws in Tennessee. In 2023, the General Assembly passed a new law providing civil liability protection to fi rearm and ammunition manufactur- ers preventing them from being held liable for illegal acts carried out by crimi- nals using their products. HJR 131 passed the Senate Judiciary Commit- tee this week and passed the House of Representa- tives last year. It now ad- vances to the Senate fl oor for its fi rst passage by the General Assembly. In Tennessee, a pro- posed constitutional amendment must fi rst be readaloud to the legislature three times in three sepa- rate sessions before being voted on. Then, it must pass the General Assembly twice. The fi rst time it must pass with a simple major- ity voting in favor. The sec- ond time it must pass the next General Assembly by a two-thirds majority. Fi- nally, the amendment is placed on the ballot. To be successful the proposed amendment must receive more yes votes than no votes, and the number of yes votes must be a major- ity of the total votes in the gubernatorial election. Senate passes fi rearm safety education in public schools The Senate this week passed legislation to ex- pand fi rearm safety edu- cation in Tennessee public schools. Senate Bill 2923, would provide students with age and grade-appropriate in- struction on fi rearm safety as part of the existing safety training currently o ff ered in public schools. The cur- riculumwould include safe storage information, how to identify a fi rearm, the safety risks associated with them and to notify an adult if one is found. The Department of Ed- ucation and Department of Safety, in consultation with the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission, would determine the earli- est appropriate grade for students to begin receiving education related to fi re- arm safety. The instruction would continue through the 12th grade. The legislation would prohibit the use of live fi rearms and ammunition as part of the curriculum. Instruction would also be required to remain neutral on political and gun-relat- ed issues. Additional protections against divisive concepts advances A bill that aims to strengthen protections for free expression at public universities in Tennessee passed the Senate fl oor this week. Senate Bill 2501, which I sponsored, would require public colleges and univer- sities to investigate alleged violations of the state’s di- visive concepts law and re- port the fi ndings promptly. The results of each investigation must be re- ported to the Comptrol- ler’s o ffi ce within 10 days of being completed, ac- cording to the legislation. Status updates for ongo- ing investigations must be submitted every 30 days. State lawmakers must also be noti fi ed if an institution receives more than 10 re- ports during a single aca- demic year. The General Assembly approved the Tennessee Higher Education Free- dom of Expression and Transparency Act last year, which allows any student or employee of a public university to fi le a report of an alleged violation of the state’s divisive concepts law. Divisive concepts are those that exacerbate and in fl ame divisions on the basis of sex, race, ethnic- ity, religion, color, national origin and other criteria in ways that are contrary to the unity of the United States of America and the well-being of Tennessee and its citizens. Judiciary Committee passes legislation to pre- vent terrorist organizations from meeting in taxpayer funded spaces Senate Bill 2610 will prevent taxpayer funded forums from knowingly al- lowing spaces for terrorist organizations to meet. The legislation creates a Class E felony o ff ense, punishable by a fi ne of up to $3,000, for an entity receiving public funds to knowingly provide meet- ing spaces or other forums, including electronic and print platforms used to solicit support for terrorist organizations. Under Tennessee law, terrorist organizations in- clude any entity designated by the United States De- partment of State as a for- eign terrorist organization or by the United States De- partment of the Treasury as a specially designated national. You may contact Sena- tor Hensley at 425 Rep. John Lewis Way N., Suite 742, Nashville, TN 37243 615-741-3100 Toll Free 1-800-449-8366 ext. 13100 Summer Michelle Al- len to Tyler Lawson Ad- cock; Rachelle Nichole Moody to Randall Chris- topher Behr; Kelly Eliza- beth Green to James Roy Burns; Valerie Danielle Smith to Casey Trent Davis; Phoebe Rose Mc- Millian to Jude Michael Folsom; Brandy Nicole Richardson to Brandon Scott Graham; Abbey Jordan Cross to Kristo- pher Eli Hall; Autumn Margaret Lynch to Bryan Allen Mangrum; Kassi Elizabeth Miller to Trev- or Logan Carter; Patience Joann Widener Stamps to Robert Thomas Proc- tor, Jr.; Nicholas Mat- thew Ring to James W. Clarke; Lara Monet Ri- vera to Taylor Michael Robbins; Wendy Patricia Aguilar Regalado to Jef- frey Cyle Watford Marriage License Pinwheels for prevention TRACY HARRIS Staff Writer O n April 4, some of our “hometown he- roes” gathered together for Marshall County Pin- wheels for Child Abuse Prevention at the Lewis- burg Police Department. The blue and white pinwheels they placed represent the clients of Junior’s House in 2023, more than 600 child abuse victims in the 17th Judicial District. Unfor- tunately, the number of children that Junior’s House serves, grows ev- ery year. A lot of people in Marshall County pull together for child victims and they were captured in the photo to the right Thursday morning. Junior’s House is non- pro fi t organization fund- ed solely by grants, do- nations, and fundraising. Their o ffi ces are located in Fayetteville, Lewis- burg, and Shelbyville. They serve the 17th Ju- dicial District-Lincoln, Marshall, Bedford, and Moore Counties. No cli- ent ever pays for any ser- vices. Usually children arrive at Juniors House because a court or DCS has suggested that the family utilize their servic- es, but anyone can make a referral, including the family themselves. According to Bran- dee Worsham, a part- time therapist at Junior’s House, most clients do have some sort of abuse or trauma. That abuse may be sexual, physical, or neglect. They have worked with children who have been victims of cybersex crimes, ex- ploitation, and sex traf- fi cking victims. They also see children following traumatic events like do- mestic violence/intimate partner violence and death/murder. “Trauma can encompass many things,” she said. There are currently nine employees and three open positions. They also have a therapy dog Allin - a favorite of employ- ees and clients. All of the therapists have Master’s Degrees in Social Work, Psychology, or related fi elds and are trained in Trauma Focused-Cogni- tive behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), their primary therapy modality. Counselors will use other forms of therapy if a child needs it though. Worsham said, “We as- sess the children’s needs to determine the best therapeutic approach for that child. We also have a Family Advocate who meets with the caregivers to provide information on trauma and what they might expect from the child.” They use things like (CBT) Cognitive Be- havioral Therapy, (DBT) Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, (EMDR) Eye Movement Desensitiza- tion Reprocessing, and traditional talking like most people picture when they think of “counsel- ing.” With younger kids, play therapy may be the best approach, so they use that too. Worsham said, “It amazes me how many people have never heard of [Junior’s House], nor know that any services like us exists. Unless you had to utilize the service, you probably wouldn’t. That is why we are trying to raise more awareness. This isn’t a big city prob- lem, unfortunately abuse can happen to anyone. I hate that a place like Ju- nior’s House has to exist, but I sure am thankful that it does for those that need it.” Brandee Worsham has been with Junior’s House for nine years in total and recently became part-time after taking a position with Marshall County Schools as a Be- havior Interventionist. The 20th Annual Blue Ribbon Walk will be held May 9, 2024, at 9:30 at Lincoln County Fair- grounds. If you’re inter- ested in being a sponsor to support Child Abuse Prevention, call 931-438- 3233 or email crystal@ j uni or shousecac . org . Students K-12 can partic- ipate for $25 as a Student Walker, or anyone can join as Walker/Friend Sponsor with a donation of $30-$149. 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