Tennessee Judiciary Committee amends HB 184 and refers 'community terrorism' measure to finance subcommittee

Representative John Hardaway presented House Bill 184 to the Tennessee House Judiciary Committee and asked members for a positive vote on a measure he described as a "community terrorism" bill.

Hardaway said the bill would reclassify reckless endangerment under certain circumstances and add elements intended to protect the community. "For instance, you can do a drive by shooting and still keep your driver's license," he said, noting examples uncovered during research. He also said GPS monitoring "would be required for those folk, under this bill." Hardaway asked the committee to support the measure.

Leader Lambert moved to amend Section 3 of the bill to change the effective year from 2025 to 2026; the committee approved the amendment by voice vote and the change was placed on the bill. With no committee questions called, the chair put the measure to a vote on referral. The clerk reported the roll-call tally as 18 ayes, 0 noes and 3 present not voting; the chair announced that House Bill 184, as amended, will move to the finance subcommittee for further consideration.

No formal debate on the bill's substantive elements is recorded in the transcript beyond Hardaway's summary; the committee did not vote to pass the bill out of committee on final passage but rather to refer the amended measure to finance, the next legislative step for bills with fiscal implications.

The committee adjourned and said it will reconvene next week.