New Tennessee laws going into effect on July 1
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Dozens of new laws took effect in Tennessee this week. Here are some of the measures with the highest profiles.
Jillian's Law: Criminal defendants who are deemed incompetent to stand trial because of their mental state will now be involuntarily committed for treatment. Those defendants are also blocked from buying or owning a gun.
- The law is named after Belmont University student Jillian Ludwig, who died in Nashville last year after a stray bullet hit her while she was walking in a park near campus.
- The suspect in the shooting was previously deemed incompetent to stand trial on other charges. But he was released because he did not meet the requirements for involuntary commitment.
Death penalty: Another new law allows the death penalty in child rape cases. Capital punishment was previously only applied in certain murder cases.
- Republicans approved the measure despite constitutional concerns — the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2008 that capital punishment could not be used for crimes that did not result in a death.
- Lawmakers who supported the law floated the possibility that the conservative court might reverse that decision.
Abortion: A new measure known as the "abortion trafficking" law makes it illegal for adults to help minors get an abortion without parental consent, even if they take them to a state where abortions are legal. Adults who do so are subject to criminal and civil penalties.
Gender-affirming health care: A similar law makes it illegal for adults to help minors receive gender-affirming care without a parent's permission. That law only includes civil penalties.
The ELVIS Act: Tennessee became the first state in the nation to enact protections against artificial intelligence for songwriters, musicians and artists.
- The new law makes it illegal to use AI to reproduce someone's voice without their consent.
State books: The Aitken bible is one of 10 publications now considered a state book of Tennessee. The Aitken bible was printed in the United States during the Revolutionary War.
Smart Heart Act: A law that passed with bipartisan support requires all Tennessee high schools to have automated external defibrillators available during the school day and athletic activities.
- About 23,000 U.S. children under the age of 18 experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital per year, according to the American Heart Association.