Civil Liberties

Hostility to Liberty Part of Government’s DNA

by Mark Todd Engler on March 10, 2011

Tennessee blogger and tea party activist Ken Marrero has an op-ed in the Washington Examiner that criticizes Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey’s proposal to collect DNA samples from anyone arrested for a felony.…

Tagged as: Civil Liberties, DNA, Joe Lundberg, Ken Marrero, law enforcement, Ron Ramsey

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GOP’s Illegal Immigration Bills Filed Separately

by danielpotter on February 17, 2011

Republicans say they prefer to address the issues raised individually rather than in a comprehensive bill. Among the changes to law proposed Wednesday are requirements that businesses check workers through E-Verify, implementation of an Arizona-style law and prohibitions against illegal immigrants receiving state aid or services.

Tagged as: aclu, American Civil Liberties Union, bill filing deadline, Bill Ketron, Civil Liberties, illegal immigration, Jack Johnson, joe carr

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Traffic Camera Legislation Promised, But Not Before April

by josh on February 11, 2010

House sponsor wants to sit on the bill while government agencies, police and traffic engineers try to reach consensus on what a final proposal ought to contain. Lawmakers also still await an attorney general’s opinion requested Jan. 9.

Tagged as: accidents, Civil Liberties, government, highways, intersections, red-light cameras, revenue, roads, tennessee, traffic

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Ramsey Wants New Guns-in-Restaurants Legislation

by Mark Todd Engler on January 18, 2010

Both the Senate Speaker and bill-sponsor Doug Jackson, D-Dickson, want to alter the existing law to fix any ambiguities that led to a Davidson County judge overturning the law last fall. Waiting for the case to run its course through appeals courts could take too long, they say.

Tagged as: alcohol, bars, bredesen, Civil Liberties, government, guns, legislature, Public Safety, Ron Ramsey

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State Sovereignty Supporter Pushes Federal Mandate in TN Legislature

by Andrea Zelinski on December 18, 2009

Rep. Debra Maggart of Hendersonville sees no double standard resulting from her current support of a George W. Bush-era juvenile sex-offender mandate from the federal government. Keeping sex offenders at bay is entirely different than expanding public education or government-run health care, she says.

Tagged as: Adam Walsh, ALEC, bredesen, Bush, Civil Liberties, Diane Black, federalism, general assembly, juveniles, Maggart, mandates, NCSL, Public Safety, registry, representatives, sex offender registration, sex offenders, tennessee, unfunded

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Senator Set to Reload in Guns-and-Booze Battle

by Mark Todd Engler on December 4, 2009

Lawmaker who sponsored 2009 firearms-in-restaurants legislation is about to unveil “a general improvement on the law” for 2010. Sen. Doug Jackson says bill in draft will eliminate ambiguities a Davidson County judge called unconstitutional in a November ruling, and clarify how business-owners can prohibit guns with backing from police.

Tagged as: alcohol, bars, Civil Liberties, firearms, government, guns, police, restaurants, second amendment, taverns, tennessee

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Seeking Consensus on Traffic Cameras

by Andrea Zelinski on December 3, 2009

Some lawmakers still have qualms with the traffic-enforcement pic-snapping gadgets; say they endanger motorists’ civil liberties, compromise safety and give too much power and profit to camera-operator companies. House Transportation Committee head wants reports on camera-caused or -prevented vehicle crashes, vendor contracts and how citation revenues are spent.

Tagged as: accidents, assembly, Big Brother, camera, citation, city, Civil Liberties, committee, cops, crash, due process, general, government, house, intersections, legislature, local, police, privacy, red-light, representatives, revenue, speeding, state, tennessee, tickets, traffic, transportation

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