Domestic violence victims and some Tennessee leaders hope new legislation will protect more families. State Rep. Matthew Hill (R), State Sen. Rusty Crowe (R), and Miss Johnson City Jessica Nixon sponsored a "Protect Our Families" conference in Johnson City Tuesday. The trio is in the process of writing new domestic violence legislation.
At the conference, they revealed details of their proposal to a crowd of experts and victims. They hope to present their legislation during next year's legislative session.
"We know that we probably won't get most of this passed this year," Nixon, a former domestic abuse victim, said. "We know there's going to huge fiscal notes. We understand that, but if you don't take a stand and you don't make a step in the right direction, there ain't nothing that's going to get done."
According to Rep. Hill, the bill will likely include a new domestic violence charge that would include a sentence of counseling, paid for by the offender. It would also include jail time for repeat offenders. In addition, the legislation would come with automatic temporary restraining orders for offenders after a domestic call.
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