Also winning final approval late in the session was “Lynn’s Law,” named after Lynn Cameron, a 19-year-old developmentally disabled Illinois woman who was abandoned by her mother in a Caryville, Tenn., bar last year.
When authorities located the woman’s mother ten days later, they found she had not violated any existing state law and could not be charged. The bill (HB531) creates a law to cover such situations in the future.
Sponsored by Sen. Ken Yager, R-Harriman, and Rep. Dennis Powers, R-Jacksboro, the bill legally defines the “caretaker” of a developmentally disabled person unable to care for himself or herself without assistance.
The bill says a caretaker who willfully abandons his or her responsibility can be punished under a current law against abuse and neglect of the developmentally disabled – a Class E felony, punishable by one to six years in prioson and/or a fine of up to $3,000.