Tennessee Senate Republican Caucus Chairman Bill Ketron (R-Murfreesboro) War on Islam
Ketron amends anti-Sharia Law bill
Posted: Tuesday, March 22, 2011 10:26 am
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NASHVILLE – Senate Republican Caucus Chairman Bill Ketron (R-Murfreesboro) and House Speaker Pro Tempore Judd Matheny (R-Tullahoma) Tuesday said they will offer an amendment to their anti-Sharia law, which removes specific religious references.
“The revision reflects our original intention to prevent or deter violent or terrorist acts, but does so without any room for misinterpretation regarding the language’s affect on peaceful religious practices,” Ketron said. “Rep. Matheny and I asked our legislative attorneys to rework this bill to reflect this as clearly as possible so there would be no confusion regarding this matter. The result is a stronger bill that gets at the problem of material support for homegrown terrorism, without any doubt that it does not impact peaceful religious practices of any religion.”
The amendment addresses those individuals that knowingly provide material support to known designated terrorist entities in Tennessee.
“As amended, this bill has absolutely no references to any specific religion,” Matheny said. “It is about protecting our citizens from those who would use religious doctrine as a justification to commit criminal activities or terrorist acts.”
That law only addresses terrorist acts after they occur by prescribing criminal penalties for those who are convicted under the act. Ketron and Matheny say their bill helps prevent terrorist acts by cutting off the avenues of support that often enable the violence.
“The existing Tennessee statute does not reach planned acts of terrorism because the existing law requires that the terrorist act must have already occurred,” Ketron said. “A material support statute is preventative in that it criminalizes the aid that makes an attack more likely to occur.”
The bill provides that the Director of Tennessee’s Office of Homeland Security can make a recommendation to the Attorney General and the Governor to “designate” a terrorist entity, effectively isolating them from support.
Once designated, no material support or resources as defined in the bill may be provided to the designated entity. Thereafter, anyone who provides material support or resources knowing that the designation has been made, may be prosecuted or fined under the bill.
In addition, it prescribes procedures to challenge, revoke, or amend a designation. The legislation is closely modeled after the federal anti-terrorism material support statutes which have been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.
http://www.murfreesboropost.com/ketron-amends-anti-sharia-law-bill-cms-26502
Posted: Tuesday, March 22, 2011 10:26 am
Email Print
NASHVILLE – Senate Republican Caucus Chairman Bill Ketron (R-Murfreesboro) and House Speaker Pro Tempore Judd Matheny (R-Tullahoma) Tuesday said they will offer an amendment to their anti-Sharia law, which removes specific religious references.
“The revision reflects our original intention to prevent or deter violent or terrorist acts, but does so without any room for misinterpretation regarding the language’s affect on peaceful religious practices,” Ketron said. “Rep. Matheny and I asked our legislative attorneys to rework this bill to reflect this as clearly as possible so there would be no confusion regarding this matter. The result is a stronger bill that gets at the problem of material support for homegrown terrorism, without any doubt that it does not impact peaceful religious practices of any religion.”
The amendment addresses those individuals that knowingly provide material support to known designated terrorist entities in Tennessee.
“As amended, this bill has absolutely no references to any specific religion,” Matheny said. “It is about protecting our citizens from those who would use religious doctrine as a justification to commit criminal activities or terrorist acts.”
That law only addresses terrorist acts after they occur by prescribing criminal penalties for those who are convicted under the act. Ketron and Matheny say their bill helps prevent terrorist acts by cutting off the avenues of support that often enable the violence.
“The existing Tennessee statute does not reach planned acts of terrorism because the existing law requires that the terrorist act must have already occurred,” Ketron said. “A material support statute is preventative in that it criminalizes the aid that makes an attack more likely to occur.”
The bill provides that the Director of Tennessee’s Office of Homeland Security can make a recommendation to the Attorney General and the Governor to “designate” a terrorist entity, effectively isolating them from support.
Once designated, no material support or resources as defined in the bill may be provided to the designated entity. Thereafter, anyone who provides material support or resources knowing that the designation has been made, may be prosecuted or fined under the bill.
In addition, it prescribes procedures to challenge, revoke, or amend a designation. The legislation is closely modeled after the federal anti-terrorism material support statutes which have been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.
http://www.murfreesboropost.com/ketron-amends-anti-sharia-law-bill-cms-26502
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