[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6322682,"mediaKeyId","2346999-da53c376b396d60082e75a1782989074","parentId",2346999,"title","Judiciary Committee advances multiple bills to next committees; recorded tallies where available","audioSeconds",709,"startMs",5314000,"endMs",6023000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2346999-da53c376b396d60082e75a1782989074&start=5314&end=6023","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2346999-da53c376b396d60082e75a1782989074/thumbnail_5314000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6322682/Tennessee/Judiciary-Committee-advances-multiple-bills-to-next-committees-recorded-tallies-where-available","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6322682-774570d8487e9024aede7ff4e96a23fa/orig.mp4?Expires=1770931960&Signature=GBTdNzjWhcKzQPH5hOgdceINVJXRi3riySulfIqx39r~3y29lzjdhsfK~gjByffTYyfib0pmiH0qhjqKRXftiapVzhYrqoJVzkam6QgCYJEPzCHLmL5pBJuXK8peoQK-v5w5WF9inucddwNXspiWIPR30thgPmTa14QtvaZbUj45OG7ktI4uQmeuzrj7QxP16LjWCQIGogPmYRrMdZ-BzCig6ZXogV59bieBYV-n2vFwAYKTofekb0AFQngI975uY-Pdeg8cs5vXQaupK2a5hcGttWiRiVKFXWCf~MwY-TOHaJfIsYgmh5GZd97kBd71UEr9iKk-8VnrSJd~ZAwREA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","TN State Legislature","date","2025-02-19T00:00:00Z","article","The Judiciary Committee took votes on a slate of bills after presentations. Committee members moved several bills to the next stages of consideration; the transcript records outcomes and recorded tallies for some items but not all. The committee used previous‑question motions several times to expedite votes.

Key items reported in committee action (text reflects motions and outcomes as recorded in the committee transcript):

House Bill 120 (item 4): Sponsor Representative Halsey explained the bill would make it a misdemeanor to intentionally block protected personnel’ ingress/egress and escalate to a felony if accompanied by a threat. The committee voted to send HB 120 to Finance, Ways and Means. The clerk announced a tally of 16 ayes and 5 noes.

House Bill 76 (item 8): Sponsor described removing the word “unreasonably” from an animal‑abandonment statute at PAWS’ request to clarify prosecutorial authority. The committee voted to send HB 76 to Finance, Ways and Means. The transcript does not contain a recorded roll‑call tally for this motion (tally not specified in the hearing transcript).

House Bill 102 (item 2): A Department of Safety‑related bill to expand access to adoption records was voted to Calendar & Rules. The clerk announced 20 ayes, 0 noes.

House Joint Resolution 48 (item 1): A proposed constitutional amendment (victims’ rights enhancement) was moved to Finance, Ways and Means. The clerk announced 17 ayes and 2 noes.

House Bill 103 (item 3): A Department of Children’s Services administrative bill expanding extension of foster‑care services and removing certain fees was sent to Finance, Ways and Means. The clerk announced 16 ayes, 1 no, and 2 present not voting.

House Bill 72 (item 7): Sponsor described adding a minimum penalty for distribution of hemp‑derived cannabinoid gummies to protect children; the bill was sent on to Finance, Ways and Means per the committee record. The transcript does not include a published vote tally for the motion in the record (tally not specified).

House Bill 191 (item 5, as amended by House amendment 3410): The measure (criminalizing pointing lasers at operators of motor vehicles, boats or aircraft) was amended and the amendment adopted; the bill as amended was sent to Calendar & Rules. The clerk announced 19 ayes, 0 noes.

House Bill 1035 (item 6): The annual codification bill was voted to Calendar & Rules; the clerk announced 18 ayes, 0 noes.

House Bill 96 (item 9): A technical cleanup bill was discussed; the chair rolled HB 96 for one week for additional member questions (no vote recorded at this hearing).

Procedural notes: The committee repeatedly used the previous‑question motion to cut debate and call votes. Where the transcript records a numerical tally from the clerk, that tally is reported above; where a tally or roll call was not captured in the transcript excerpt provided to this article, the entry is flagged as “tally not specified.”","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Judiciary Committee\tFeb 19, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","During the hearing the committee considered multiple bills and referred several to committee of jurisdiction or calendar; the transcript records outcomes for several items and roll calls or tallies where announced. When a tally was not reported in the transcript, the article notes that the tally was not specified.","taxTitle","Judiciary, House of Representatives, Committees, Legislative, Tennessee","taxId",79849,"location","Tennessee","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6322687,"Project Return outlines workforce, wraparound services and low recidivism for program participants",416,3744000,4160000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2346999-da53c376b396d60082e75a1782989074&start=3744&end=4160","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2346999-da53c376b396d60082e75a1782989074/thumbnail_3744000.jpg","/articles/6322687/Tennessee/Project-Return-outlines-workforce-wraparound-services-and-low-recidivism-for-program-participants","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6322687-5f34084369185a792fa80809ac952bf1/orig.mp4?Expires=1770931960&Signature=nYD~zNuvi9Rbh4R7wZK1rL5gXGf7G~V2zCB0def-U~PQH2jLiis-gTzww3oiLFr0zZaH5R3htdYXw7gw1LYXjyplF3CP47EAfsCgXi1SECjeOdpY1nFs1mGeqlT~odHpqYUMisqHY5FlyuamnXe7PB9pgtLaReb7b2UkA3MC0fhJZ-2c-v0BThyTEhWUSaKVl9KB~nRLNwK0yPIFAyyvebVzH5NvB3QamEAu9yYao5tqM7s~0ewmL8cR-8W0MPNEmTMhU512Xsup81TPPZ~j~GG0k8G1WW0ZIlkpjOz78jGceIGTtAmt3MUcn0~21dWlWEzKH2hpcMn4tCzjbWS6UA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Rico X, CEO of Project Return, told the Judiciary Committee that the nonprofit — founded in 1979 — provides workforce development and wraparound services to people reentering from incarceration and has expanded in Tennessee into Chattanooga since September 2021.

Rico X described services including job readiness classes, help obtaining birth certificates (308 provided), state IDs (285 provided), more than 3,000 food bags distributed, 11,000 bus passes provided, relapse‑prevention classes, computer classes and nominal housing assistance. Project Return also runs transitional employment partnerships (ProE) that place participants with local employers and reported roughly $1,000,000 in wages generated through the Chattanooga expansion since 2021.

The organization said about 75 percent of participants who complete Project Return’s job readiness classes secure employment; its overall recidivism rate for program participants was reported at 16 percent, falling to about 3 percent for participants who completed transitional employment and a year of retention services. Since launching in Chattanooga in fall 2021, Project Return said it has graduated 119 individuals from in‑facility programming and placed 247 participants in employment through ProE.

Rico X asked the committee to consider sustaining and expanding support; he noted Project Return receives recurring TDOC funding for in‑reach work and a multi‑year federal grant enabling classes inside several Tennessee facilities (Turney Center, Riverbend, Debra K. Johnson, Trousdale). He described partnerships with the Tennessee Office of Reentry and the Department of Correction and asked for additional appropriations to sustain and broaden services.

Committee members thanked Project Return; Vice Chair Davis asked about the program’s return on investment. Rico X said Project Return estimates roughly $10,000,000 in annual savings related to reduced reincarceration for program participants and emphasized the program’s employment outcomes as the main driver of public‑safety and fiscal benefits. No formal committee vote occurred on the presentation.","Project Return told the Judiciary Committee its reentry program provides job readiness, IDs and transportation support, reports about 75% employment for graduates of job readiness classes and an overall recidivism rate of 16% (3% for those in year‑long retention services). The organization asked for continued or additional state support.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6322691,"Experts and a survivor urge broader DNA collection, cite CODIS matches and deterrence benefits",687,2049000,2736000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2346999-da53c376b396d60082e75a1782989074&start=2049&end=2736","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2346999-da53c376b396d60082e75a1782989074/thumbnail_2049000.jpg","/articles/6322691/Tennessee/Experts-and-a-survivor-urge-broader-DNA-collection-cite-CODIS-matches-and-deterrence-benefits","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6322691-bf5de5501bfda7d175fb2d348d500782/orig.mp4?Expires=1770931960&Signature=OOSzoOvzwO3EFV6fRVkhZL77VLOph~uGmP-mc1mSEGaFC37VvUF4RT1EX2YwO8xyCaEt5Ss4dDG-5mZSQ55QLV~ycHbgl81OFeP5eGhY96HGxIqN2-~A24t08bMcO5yzdNkB-n8-WnPCMYoIk1Odjcj~BGlkaP4TsCaKngoD3HscygzJ1jgToEHS8YKhQ1Z1YzUdTWNByQHnrvmkOEgtLuGU3a2vUzonu4i9-fLt1JoLJ0bXSjeI3y5oQrXov9n~iqzqOInM4oVjhN53rW8H6uVLZVDk7bLxXwRGprAG0~~lbuDwRxiwYxLxt16bRzxC4qoUmKR~saRxP0KoHltwFw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","John Roman, director of the Center on Public Safety and Justice at NORC (University of Chicago), told the committee that expansion of the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) and more frequent biological evidence collection can increase identification of unknown suspects, raise clearance rates and serve as a general deterrent.

Roman described national trends: CODIS participation grew from nine states in 1998 to all 50 and a national profile count rising to about 22.5 million by the end of last year. He said evidence‑based analyses show collecting biological material in residential burglary cases significantly increases the probability of identifying a perpetrator and leads to higher arrest rates than fingerprint collection alone; he estimated an incremental cost of roughly $3,500 per otherwise unknown suspect identified using biological evidence.

Ashley Spence (identified in testimony as with the DNA Justice Project) and a survivor who described a long‑running case testified in favor of expanding arrestee DNA collection to include qualifying felony arrests. The survivor said a cheek‑swab match in California, where felony arrests trigger swabs in many cases, ultimately identified a serial predator and produced a conviction; she cited Maryland v. King (2013) to note the Supreme Court decision found qualifying arrest swabs lawful under the Fourth Amendment.

Spence and other witnesses pointed to state examples: the speaker described Texas adding arrestee collection and reporting over 1,000 cases solved in its first year; New Mexico’s expansion produced an 83 percent increase in database matches; and published studies show reductions in recidivism after registration in DNA databases. Speakers emphasized privacy safeguards: profiles uploaded to CODIS are coded DNA markers without health or disease data and the name‑identifying information is held separately by accredited labs and released to investigators only after a match and local confirmation.

Committee members sought technical and implementation details. Roman said the committee is running an experiment with Arnold Ventures in four Tennessee cities (Chattanooga, Knoxville, Nashville and Memphis) to assess whether they have capacity to collect biological evidence from residential burglaries and warned that many departments lack current capacity and laboratory turnaround time is a constraint. Patrick Powell, policy director at the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), testified that TBI removes and destroys sample records upon dismissal or expungement and that access to CODIS is limited to approved, FBI‑accredited labs on secure terminals.

Vice Chair Davis and others asked for audits, breach history, capacity and cost‑benefit numbers; witnesses said CODIS itself has not had a reported breach since 1998 and that laboratory and process audits are performed by offices such as inspectors general. Roman offered to report back with site‑specific cost and capacity estimates from the four‑city study. No bill vote occurred during the presentation, although committee members discussed pending legislation (House Bill 473 was referenced by a member as related to arrestee collection).","Researchers, a DNA‑justice advocate and a survivor testified to the Judiciary Committee on the public‑safety benefits of expanding DNA collection policies and routine biological evidence collection; witnesses cited increased clearance rates, a Supreme Court precedent and examples from other states.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6322697,"Memphis Allies describes intensive ‘Switch’ model serving roughly 475 high‑risk youth and adults",373,839000,1212000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2346999-da53c376b396d60082e75a1782989074&start=839&end=1212","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2346999-da53c376b396d60082e75a1782989074/thumbnail_839000.jpg","/articles/6322697/Tennessee/Memphis-Allies-describes-intensive-Switch-model-serving-roughly-475-highrisk-youth-and-adults","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6322697-67d422d86ad31d61af20d1c4049b4da8/orig.mp4?Expires=1770931960&Signature=Z21ULd9YawZvkwamDNhyp-ke7M3pQt~6CmY1JYfsJoSSZoLXjBzTM2ruX18IEz8fbudqm~g6HrGmWmruV6O~KC-BoOVq0m7z1nxG16ECVBeaJNXYpZOaMF3fACXsSbEbQgU1QKOb6hmm6EEhCeQE9NTs~wDRsAPdfNmwCyaKFCaIuaB85fOwLDW8VUFRffP1JD4lKSbjcFfadvE4JTJkMpDllm1FzN5Qk~U7XF1NXFlly-mnVapPuFkce4ec9HhVb7rk7zk835NPQvbPL87mhiukBaPoxL2oaA1kAmuRSQxDlH67yBb774RvE0bTkU4cD6nuMpybZlOgGHdDlA-U4Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Susan Deason, executive director of the Memphis Allies initiative (part of Youth Villages), told the Judiciary Committee the program now serves about 475 high‑risk participants and is staffed by roughly 200 people.

Deason said the initiative targets people ages 12 to 35 who have gang or crew involvement, extensive justice‑system contact, are often out of school or unemployed, and are close to people recently shot or shot at. She described the program’s core intervention, “Switch” (Support With Intention to Create Hope), as an evidence‑informed, high‑intensity model that places outreach specialists, life coaches, case managers and clinical specialists around each participant.

“Right now we are serving around 475 high risk individuals,” Deason said, and added that the program is operating in five parts of Memphis (Raleigh‑Frayser North, Raleigh‑Frayser, Orange Mound, Hickory Hill, Whitehaven and South Memphis) with plans to enter the remaining two regions by the end of the fiscal year or the start of the next fiscal year.

Deason told the committee that early outcome tracking shows lower rates of re‑arrest for weapon charges among program participants than commonly cited national recidivism averages. She said just over 7 percent of the adult participants had been rearrested on a charge involving a weapon, and about 13 percent of youth participants had a new weapons charge; overall, she reported that 87 percent of participants did not receive new weapon charges during the referenced period.

Mick Wright, government relations manager for the Memphis Allies Initiative, said the program intentionally works side‑by‑side with grassroots and implementing partner organizations; many partners hold contracts to deliver the Switch model under the Memphis Allies umbrella. Wright described additional partners who deliver group programming or preventative youth services.

Committee members asked about local government, hospital, and civic partnerships. Deason said the initiative receives private donations, appropriations from the state (including funding routed through the Office of Criminal Justice Programs and law enforcement partners), and a grant through the Shelby County Health Department; she said some county commission funding has supported the initiative but that the bulk of funding has been private and state dollars. She said medical partners include Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital and an adult hospital violence intervention program in Regional 1, and that the program maintains a full‑time liaison to the hospitals.

Representative Salinas and Representative Hardaway, whose districts include areas served by the initiative, praised the program’s data‑driven approach and asked about outreach to local civic groups; Deason and Wright said they provide smaller capacity grants and partner with community groups and suggested further partnership opportunities with organizations such as the “100 Black Men” and “100 Black Women.”

Deason closed by noting Memphis Allies had received a significant initial state appropriation from the governor’s violent crime intervention fund and said the initiative has an outstanding request for additional state funding this year.

Members did not take formal action during the presentation. The committee received slides and a progress report referenced by presenters for further detail.","Youth Villages’ Memphis Allies initiative told the Judiciary Committee it provides high‑intensity, community‑partnered services to about 475 people at highest risk for gun violence and reports early reductions in re‑arrest with weapon charges compared with national recidivism figures.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Judiciary Committee advances multiple bills to next committees; recorded tallies where available

Project Return outlines workforce, wraparound services and low recidivism for program participants

Experts and a survivor urge broader DNA collection, cite CODIS matches and deterrence benefits

Memphis Allies describes intensive ‘Switch’ model serving roughly 475 high‑risk youth and adults