Subcommittee advances bill to cover step‑grandparent abuse, sends measure to full committee

The Judiciary Noncivil subcommittee voted by voice to advance a bill sponsored by Representative Cameron that would amend state law to explicitly cover abuse by a step‑grandparent against a step‑grandchild. Sponsor Representative Cameron told the panel the measure responds to a case in the Lookout Mountain judicial district and called the change a succinct correction to a statutory gap.

Representative Cameron said the bill was first introduced three years ago and framed the update as a narrow fix to ensure those family relationships are covered by existing criminal statutes. "That's the amendment to the law, to the code, to include the step grandparent, step grandchild relationship," he said during his presentation.

Committee members asked questions about the bill's history and whether it had been heard previously; the sponsor and members clarified that the measure had been introduced in prior sessions but had not advanced fully. After brief discussion the chair entertained a motion for a "due pass" to the full committee and the body recorded a voice vote in favor.

The subcommittee recorded no roll‑call tally in the transcript; the chair stated the motion carried and the bill will now be offered to the full committee for further consideration. The subcommittee proceeded to the next agenda item once the motion was entered.

The next step for this proposal is consideration by the full committee, where members may offer amendments or request additional information before any final vote.