2016 Legislation
CMV Awareness
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most common in utero viral infection in the United States, yet only 13% of women have heard about it. According to the CDC, 1 out of 150 babies are born with congenital CMV each year, which places them at risk of blindness, deafness, cerebral palsy, mental and physical disabilities, and even death. The Tennessee Department of Health reports that between 600 and 800 babies are born with congenital CMV every year. This virus is preventable if at-risk women know what measures to take.
Our legislation encourages healthcare providers or facilities who care for women to provide patients who they determine to be at risk of contracting CMV (e.g. daycare workers, women with young children, or women with compromised immune systems) with information on how to prevent the disease. Our ultimate goal is to ensure that women in our state who are at risk for this common, devastating, and preventable disease gain access to lifesaving information.
For full text of Tenn. Code Ann. § 68-5-101, visit LexisNexis.
Stalking Prevention
The crime of stalking is a serious problem both in Tennessee and across the United States. Fifteen percent of women and six percent of men have experienced stalking, with new victims often between the ages of 11 and 17. Social media has enabled people who stalk others via the internet many more ways to contact and harass their victims. Tennessee's stalking law has not kept pace with the evolution of more advanced stalking methods that are now available through new technology.
Our legislation modernizes the current stalking law to ensure that all technological methods of stalking are clearly included. This update is essential to keep victims of this crime safe even as new technology continues to develop.
For full text of Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-17-315, visit LexisNexis.
Please visit our partners' page for more information:
Tennessee Coalition to End Domestic & Sexual Violence
Nashville Coalition Against Domestic Violence