RHB/4/21
Sponsored by Dagny Hartman, Charley Green of Franklin High School
This legislation was filed in the Human Services category
Presented as part of the YIG Volunteer 2024 conference
| 1 | TENNESSEE YMCA YOUTH LEGISLATURE |
| 2 | |
| 3 | Section 1: Terms used in this act shall be defined as follows: |
| 4 | Class E Felony: Class E felonies are the least serious felonies in Tennessee. They carry 1-6 years in |
| 5 | prison, as well as a fine of up to $3,000. |
| 6 | Misdemeanor: A misdemeanor offense is a criminal act committed in violation of the laws of the |
| 7 | state of Tennessee. Punishment for a misdemeanor offense carries a jail service of at a minimum |
| 8 | zero days in jail, to a maximum of eleven months and twenty-nine days in jail with a possible |
| 9 | fine/loss of driving privileges. |
| 10 | Public Government Property: Public property refers to property owned by the government (or its |
| 11 | agency), rather than by a private individual or a company. It belongs to the public at large. |
| 12 | Examples include many parks, streets, sidewalks, libraries, playgrounds that are used regularly by |
| 13 | the general public. |
| 14 | Transitional Housing: Temporary housing that includes supportive services to homeless individuals, |
| 15 | aiming to provide stability in order to allow the individual to find permanent housing. |
| 16 | Shelters: Service agency that provides housing and additional services to large amounts of |
| 17 | homeless individuals. |
| 18 | |
| 19 | Section 2: The act of sleeping on public property, previously categorized as a Class E felony with a |
| 20 | minimum prison sentence of 1-year, will now be considered a misdemeanor offense. Offenders will |
| 21 | be subject to a maximum of one week in prison and a fine of $100 for sleeping on public property. |
| 22 | |
| 23 | Section 3: Aiming to improve Tennessee’s homelessness issue, all of the fines will be allocated to |
| 24 | funding transitional housing or shelters for homeless individuals. |
| 25 | |
| 26 | Section 4: Recognizing that homelessness is a complex social issue, this bill aims to provide a |
| 27 | more humane response to individuals seeking shelter in public government spaces. While still |
| 28 | discouraging the unauthorized use of public spaces for sleeping, the proposed misdemeanor |
| 29 | charge aims to strike a balance between deterrence and proportionate punishment. |
| 30 | |
| 31 | Section 6: All laws or parts of laws in conflict with this are hereby repealed. |
| 32 | |
| 33 | Section 7: This act shall take effect July 1, 2024, the public welfare requiring it. |
| 34 |