Dozens of new state laws now in effect

Scores of new laws were officially inked in the state’s books this month, addressing not only crime and punishment but also how the government does business.

Packing one of the biggest punches is a new Tennessee law which makes carrying a firearm during the commission of felony a separate offense, thereby providing more jail time for the offender.

Prior to the new law, the fact the offender was carrying a firearm during a robbery, rape or home invasion could not be figured as a separate offense since it was seen to be an element of the original crime. However, the new law not only makes it a felony to use the firearm during the offense (three to six years in prison) but it also makes it a felony to merely possess the gun (one to two years in prison) meaning the offender could face up to eight additional years along with his sentence for the original crime.

The law is aimed at deterring the use of firearms in the commission of a felony, a law which has worked in Virginia.

Other laws which went into affect July 1:

‘ Makes it a felony carrying one to two years in prison to have sexual contact with an animal. The law had once existed in state law but had been deleted from the books in years past.

‘ Makes threatening harm or harming one’s pet a prosecutable offense under the domestic violence law and provides that the animal may be placed in foster care under a protective order.

‘ Makes it reckless driving to ride a motorcycle with its front wheel off the ground on a public street.

‘ Prevents state and local elected officials from seeking office after being convicted on a state or federal felony.

‘ Makes it a crime to knowingly leave a child under the age of 7 without supervision in a vehicle.

‘ Increases the fine from unauthorized use of parking spaces reserved for disabled persons from $100 to $150.

‘ Makes it a misdemeanor to remove a dog’s transmitting colar or chip implant without the owner’s permission.

‘ Allows housing authorities to evict tenants on three days notice if they engage in violent or drug-related acts and endanger other tenants.

‘ Expands DNA testing requirements to include persons convicted of certain misdemeanor sex offenses.

‘ Requires sex offenders on the registry to report any change of employment status within 48 hours.

‘ Adds the offenses of statutory rape by an authority figure, rape and aggravated child abuse as offenses for which the judge must revoke bond immediately upon conviction.

‘ Makes the punishment greater if an adult delivers or sells drugs to a minor.

‘ Requires teachers to devote two hours of their annual in-service training to training in suicide prevention.

‘ Requires hospitals in winter and fall months to offer elderly in-patients flu immunizations.

‘ Allows grandparents to petition for visitation with their grandchildren even when the children were born out of wedlock.

‘ Raises the age from 10 to 16 to purchase Class C fireworks.

‘ Provides for a $1,000 fine for each illegal alien a person smuggles into the state.

‘ Provides imprisonment for up to one year for being present as a spectator at a dog fight.

‘ Makes it a crime to expose oneself for the purpose of harassing a guard at a state penal institution.

‘ Requires a judge to order a person convicted of promoting prostitution to submit to an HIV test.

‘ Stops persons charged with vehicular homicide from obtaining a judicial diversion to erase their criminal record.

‘ Requires police and trooper training on how to handle persons with mental problems.

‘ Makes threatening to use a destructive device on school property a zero-tolerance violation with a mandatory one-year expulsion.

‘ Makes the minimum penalty for child rape 25 years.

‘ Allows jurors to assume the worth of a police, rescue or guide dog or police horse is $10,000 for the purpose of determining the grade of crime for the intentional killing of the animal.

‘ Requires a waiting period for any couple seeking a divorce who has minor children.

‘ Provides that any person with three prior felony offenses is no longer a good candidate for alternative sentencing.