New laws, just in time for Freedom Day

(From Business & Heritage, Clarksville):

A listing of new laws that became effective in Tennessee as of July 1.

GOV. BILL HASLAM’S BUDGET: Enacts Tennessee’s more than $31 billion annual spending plan.

ABORTION DOCTORS: Requires physicians to have hospital privileges in the home county  or adjacent county of woman seeking abortion.

TRA OVERHAUL: Overhauls the Tennessee Regulatory Authority with a part-time board. 

MENTAL HEALTH-NAME CHANGE: Adds the words Substance Abuse Services to the name of the state Department of Mental Health.

EMBRYO ASSAULT: Includes embryo as victim in assaults on pregnant women.

DOMESTIC ABUSE: Requires mandatory jail time for repeat domestic abuse convictions.

GANG BILL: Increases penalties for violent crimes committed by three or more people.

GATEWAY SEXUAL ACTIVITY: Prohibits teachers from promoting or condoning “gateway sexual activity.”

CORRECTIONS TRANSFER: Merges the Board of Probations and Parole into the Department of Correction.

CHARTER SCHOOLS FOREIGNERS: Limits number of foreign workers allowed to be employed at charter schools.

CHARTER SCHOOL TRANSPARENCY: Requires charter schools to operate under state open meetings laws.

SCHOOL ACTIVITIES: Allows parents to keep their children from joining extracurricular groups at school.

JUDICIAL DISCIPLINE: Creates new panel for disciplining judges.

DUI MINORS: Increases penalties for drunken driving when child under 18 is in car.

Be sure and document those swine!

WILD APPEARING SWINE: Makes it a crime to release wild-appearing swine without proper documentation.

BATH SALTS: Makes it a felony to sell synthetic drugs known as bath salts.

BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS: Allows governor to appoint heads of boards, including Tennessee Higher Education Commission.

CIVIL SERVICE: Revises state civil service laws to make it easier to hire and fire state employees.

ETHICS DISCLOSURES: Requires local and regional planning commissioner to submit state ethics disclosures.

MONOXIDE MONITOR-RV: Requires working carbon monoxide detectors in leased recreational vehicles.

REMOTE MEETINGS: Allows school board members to participate in meetings remotely.

ROLL YOUR OWN CIGARETTES: Promulgates rules for new requirements for roll-your-own tobacco retailers.

SAGGY PANTS: Prohibits students from wearing saggy pants or other indecent clothing on school grounds.

SCHOOL SAFETY: Gives teachers more authority to act against students who pose a safety risk.

TATTOO LEGISLATION: Increases the penalty for tattooing a minor.