Legislation proposed by the TBA Creditor’s Practice Section to address garnishments to collect from an individual debtor, no matter whether the debtor is an employee or independent contractor, cleared committees in the House and Senate today. The bill (HB1775 / SB1969), sponsored by Rep. Pat Marsh, R-Shelbyville, and Sen. Jim Tracy, R-Shelbyville, as amended heads to the floor for final action.

A measure that would have sealed Tennessee police body camera recordings from the public died today in a House committee. The Associated Press reports the matter was sent to be studied after the legislative session.

The state legislature last week passed a bill (SB2033 / HB2082) that will require nearly every government office across the state to have a written public records policy by July 17, 2017. The policy cannot be less open than state law allows, the Associated Press reports. The measure requires the state comptroller's office to come up with a model public records policy that agencies can adopt.

The House State Government Subcommittee last week approved a bill (HB0876 / SB0910) that would prohibit public disclosure of most body camera recordings made by Tennessee law enforcement officers for at least a year, the Knoxville News Sentinel reports. The measure, sponsored by Rep. Glen Casada, R-Franklin, would allow the public release of the recordings after “any investigation” into the case, trial or disciplinary proceeding involving the recordings. Casada said he is currently working on revisions to the bill.

A little-noticed amendment to unrelated legislation, if adopted, would mean that workers with medical conditions and women who are pregnant would be denied unemployment benefits. The bill, SB2481 by Sen. Mark Green, R-Clarksville, and its companion, HB2512 by Rep. Andy Holt, R-Dresden, cleared the Senate Finance Committee Wednesday but was re-referred to the House Finance Subcommittee yesterday. To learn more and voice your views, visit TBA Impact.  

A bill that requires those who bring suit against the state to pay attorneys fees if the case is dismissed for any reason is headed to Gov. Bill Haslam’s desk after passing the Senate 20-9 this morning, the Tennessean reports. The bill (SB 2377/HB1679) was requested by Attorney General Herbert Slatery. Supporters said it would protect state employees from attempts by lawyers to "bully" them into settling lawsuits. Opponents argued the bill adds another burden to someone considering suing a state employee or elected official over sexual harassment.

The General Assembly should consider appointing a person dedicated to handling sexual harassment complaints, an advisory committee tasked with reviewing the legislature’s policy suggests. The Tennessean reports that the five-member committee also listed a number of other recommendations in a draft version of its report released today. The committee was established after reports of sexual harassment involving Rep. Jeremy Durham, R-Franklin.

A bill that would have let Tennessee cities ban guns from being carried at ticketed events has failed in a House subcommittee, WCYB.com reports. The Republican-controlled Civil Justice Subcommittee voted 3-2 along party lines on Wednesday to kill the measure sponsored by Democratic Rep. John Ray Clemmons and supported by the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police.

A state law that criminalizes women who give birth to drug-dependent babies will sunset later this year after a House committee failed yesterday to pass a bill (HB 1660 / SB 1629) that would extend the law. The Tennessean reports the legislation, sponsored by Rep. Terri Lynn Weaver, R-Lancaster, failed to receive the necessary approval from the Criminal Justice subcommittee as a result of a tie vote on the six-member committee.

The Senate Judiciary Committee today passed a bill (SB 2342 / HB 2377) that would require biologic evidence collected in cases involving a death sentence to be preserved for the duration of defendant's life or incarceration, Nashville Scene reports. Senate committee members previously heard testimony from a man who was sentenced to death and spent more than 10 years in an Arizona prison for murder before biological evidence proved his innocence. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Steve Dickerson, R-Nashville, and Rep. Jeremy Faison, R-Cosby, is scheduled for a vote in a House subcommittee today.