A Tennessee lawmaker is proposing legislation that would make convicted child rapists eligible for the death penalty.
House Bill 1663, introduced by House Majority Leader William Lamberth, proposes changing the existing sentencing guidelines for convicted child rapists from 25 to 40 years in prison to 40 to 60 years and would also authorize the use of the death penalty for such crimes.
The second session of the 113th Tennessee General Assembly is scheduled to convene today at one.
There will be new House rules to follow after three Tennessee lawmakers protested on the House floor ahead of the start of today’s General Assembly.
Rep. Justin Jones, D-Nashville, Rep. Justin Pearson, D-Memphis and Knox Co. Rep. Gloria Johnson were involved in the protest advocating for more gun laws after the Covenant School shooting in Nashville last year.
Rep. Jeremy Faison, R-Cocke County, works on the Tennessee Rules and Selection Committee and says one of the new rules includes if a person has been ruled ‘out-of-order’ three times in a day, they will not be allowed to speak on the House floor the rest of the day and the day after that.
Knox County Rep. Sam McKenzie says this will cause more harm than good.
Governor Bill Lee’s private school voucher program will be one of the main discussions this session.
Lee wants to give 20,000 students a $7,000 scholarship to private schools. Republicans say the plan offers parents more options for school. Democrats say that money should be used for public schools, and most families who take advantage of this program already attend private schools.
