Norris Advances Safe Streets Initiative

April 10, 2007

NASHVILLE ---State Senator Mark Norris (R-Collierville) successfully moved SB 1967 “Crooks with Guns” legislation through the Select Oversight Committee on Corrections on April 9.

Part of the Statewide Public Safety Coalition’s legislative push for safer streets, SB 1967 would impose mandatory jail time for repeat offenders using guns to commit new crimes.  The Norris bill would not allow “sentence credits” but would mandate that 100% of a sentence be served.

Bredesen Administration officials suggested that “prohibiting the Department of Corrections from awarding sentence reduction credits eliminates one of its effective incentives for safely managing its prisons.”

Norris moved that the committee reject the Administration’s position.  “We need to be more concerned about safely managing our streets than our prisons,” Norris urged members of the committee.

The Norris motion was approved unanimously, and his legislation will advance to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Norris is Senate Republican Leader and represents Shelby, Tipton, Lauderdale and Dyer counties.

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