Grand Divisions

Tennessee Equality Project seeks to advance and protect the civil rights of our State’s gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons and their families in each Grand Division.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

TN hate crimes bill advances to full committee

HB 0335 has passed its first test in the Criminal Practice and Procedure subcommittee and will now move to the full House Judiciary Committee next week. I stopped by Legislative Plaza today and waited as the calendar got juggled. About 15 minutes after I left, the bill came up and I watched online as Rep. Jeanne Richardson got up, introduced the bill, followed by a quick and favorable vote. This is a small but solid victory for a great bill. Even an issue that has trouble gaining traction can move if the preparation is right and it certainly was today.

A big thanks to Rep. Jeanne Richardson for taking on the issue of hate crimes. I'm looking forward to more discussion of the issue in the coming weeks.

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