Tennessee Black Caucus of State

Legislators
Legislative Plaza Suite 26 Nashville, Tennessee 37243
(615) 741-1997 Office (615) 253-0361 Fax

Rep. Brenda Gilmore

Chairman, Nashville
Rep. Raumesh Akbari
Vice Chairman,
Memphis
Sen. Lee Harris
Secretary, Memphis
Rep. Johnnie Turner
Treasurer, Memphis
Rep. JoAnne Favors
Parliamentarian,
Chattanooga
Rep. Harold M. Love,
Jr.
Chaplain, Nashville
Rep. Antonio
Parkinson
Sergeant at Arms,
Memphis
Rep. Joe Armstrong
Knoxville
Rep. Karen Camper
Memphis
Rep. Barbara Cooper
Memphis
Rep. John DeBerry
Memphis
Rep. G.A. Hardaway
Memphis
Sen. Thelma Harper
Nashville
Rep. Larry Miller
Memphis
Rep. Johnny Shaw
Bolivar
Sen. Reggie Tate
Memphis
Rep. Joe Towns
Memphis

February 11, 2016

The Honorable Bill Haslam

Governor, State of Tennessee
First Floor, State Capitol
Nashville, TN 37243
Dear Governor Haslam:
The Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators (TBCSL)
would like to submit the following suggestions as changes to SB 2567/HB
2576, your Public Safety Act of 2016.
First, your bill raises the threshold for theft of property, which we
agree with. However, we believe that if you are going to change the
range of values on theft of property, the expungement values should also
mirror this change. Rep. Harold Love is sponsoring a bill with Senator
Tate, HB 2026/SB 1859, which accomplishes this goal. Should you not
decide to address this in your own legislation, we would hope you would
consider lending support to their bill.
Second, unrelated to your legislation specifically, but a matter of
importance to the TBCSL, we would like bring to your attention HB
2141/SB 1925 by Gilmore/Harris. This legislation specifies that
violations of drug-free school zones that occur when schools are not in
session for five or more consecutive days are not subject to enhanced and
mandatory minimum sentences. A related bill, HB 1704/SB 1957 by
Gilmore/Yarbro, accomplishes the same goal, but imposes a thirty-three
percent mandatory minimum before becoming eligible for release.
Third, another piece of legislation we would like to bring to your
attention is HB 2483/SB 2400 by Akbari/Overbey which deletes the fee
charged for the expungement of records.
Finally, we believe HB 1876/SB 1854 which reconstitutes the
Tennessee sentencing commission should be considered during the
discussions we continue to have surrounding criminal justice reform.
TBCSL
A STATE NETWORK FOR POLITICAL EQUALITY

Should this bill pass, along with any other of bills mentioned above, we
would respectfully request that they be on the list of considered
legislation that will be funded in your budget amendment.
All of these bills are of high priority for the TBCSL and we ask
for your support as they continue to move through the legislative process.
We have attached copies of the aforementioned legislation for your
review. We look forward to working with you on your efforts to make the
criminal justice system work in the most efficient, and fair, way possible
for all Tennesseans.
Sincerely,

Brenda Gilmore
Chairman, Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators

Sen. Lee Harris

Co-Leader, Tennessee Black Caucus on Criminal Justice Reform Efforts

Rep. Raumesh Akbari

Co-Leader, Tennessee Black Caucus on Criminal Justice Reform Efforts
CC:

Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators Members

Jim Henry, Deputy Governor and Chief of Staff
Leslie Hafner, Senior Advisor to the Governor
Russell Marty, Legislative Liaison

Enclosures:

HB 2026/SB 1859
HB 2141/SB 1925
HB 1704/HB 1957
HB 2483/HB 2400
HB 1876/SB 1854