Haslam announces juvenile justice, college bills

Friday, February 2, 2018, Vol. 42, No. 5

NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam has introduced bills to introduce credit-hour requirements for scholarships at higher education institutions, reform the juvenile justice system and shrink the University of Tennessee's board.

The Republican governor's office says the Complete College Tennessee Act of 2018 would require Tennessee Promise and HOPE scholarship students to take 30 credit hours over 12 months, or risk losing part of their scholarships. It also requires structured scheduling at community and technical schools.

The Juvenile Justice Reform Act of 2018 would reserve detention and out-of-home placement for serious juvenile criminal offenders or those posing public safety risks, implement length of custody limits, invest in evidence-based programming and community resources, and other efforts.

The UT FOCUS Act's main change would reduce the university's board from 27 to 11 members.