General Charme Allen Hosts Legislative Luncheon
The Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference (TNDAGC) is an organization comprised of all of the elected attorneys general from Tennessee’s 31 judicial districts. The General Assembly created the TNDAGC in 1961 with the objective of providing for a more prompt and efficient administration of justice in Tennessee’s courts. The 31 district attorneys general meet regularly to address statewide issues in our criminal justice system.
At the Conference’s annual fall meeting in Memphis on October 14 – 17, 2014, General Charme Allen was introduced from the 6th Judicial District as one of twelve new DAs from across the state. At that conference she and all of the other elected DAs conferred about the most important issues they believe our General Assembly needs to address in 2015. To that end, the DAs outlined an aggressive legislative agenda that focuses on helping victims of crime, increasing staffing in smaller districts, and toughening laws against violent criminals.
On Tuesday, December 2, 2014, General Allen, together with General Russell Johnson from the 9th Judicial District and General Jimmy Dunn from the 4th Judicial District, hosted a luncheon in the Small Assembly Room of the City-County Building to present the TNDAGC legislative package proposal to our local legislators. In attendance at the luncheon were Senator Becky Duncan Massey, Senator Richard Briggs, Senator Randy McNally, Representative Joe Armstrong, Representative Eddie Smith, Representative Dale Carr, Representative Bill Dunn, Representative Jeremy Faison, and Representative Roger Kane. Also present were Knox County Chief Deputy District Attorney General Sam Lee and Assistant District Attorney General Andrea Kline, who was recently appointed by General Allen as the Legislative Liaison for the Knox County DA’s Office.
TNDAGC Executive Director Wally Kirby and Deputy Director Guy Jones were the featured speakers at the luncheon. On behalf of the Conference, they gave a detailed presentation outlining the goals of the Conference and explaining the purpose of each piece of proposed legislation. One of the most important examples of proposed legislation is the “Victim Life Photo” bill, which would allow a jury in a murder trial to see photos of the murder victim taken when the victim was alive. Under current Tennessee law, prosecutors are not allowed to present those pictures to the jury.
General Allen, her staff, and the TNDAGC thank our legislators for attending the luncheon, and look forward to having a strong and productive working relationship with them in the future.