(Forwarded with permission from Jill Hastings-Johnson.) To keep you posted on the cemetery bills: In case you have not been following the proposed legislation regarding Tennessee law and cemeteries, please read. Here's an update on the pending cemetery legislation. Please! let's call, write, e-mail our representatives, now. This has been placed on the Senate Regular Calendar for Monday, 7 May. There are no more hearings on the Senate side only debate. I have been told the most likely outcome will be a vote on Monday. If passed, this bill will be very restrictive to all of us who work to record, protect, and preserve cemeteries in Tennessee. On the House side the bill & amendment is currently at the House Calendar & Rules Committee, but I haven't been able to find out anything further. For copies of both the House and Senate bills, and the amendments which were passed, unanimously in both committees, last week, please go to http://www.legislature.state.tn.us/ and click on Legislation in the left index column. Enter SB1804 and then HB1353, to read both the original bills and the amendments. The Senate amendment changes the duty of owners of private property owners to allow ingress and egress to encourage owners to allow ingress and egress. It took out the wording about a visitor having to be specifically designated in writing but now adds that any maintenance or a grave site or cemetery, including the manner of such maintenance, must be approved in writing by the landowner. And many times, the current landowner is not a family member, nor may he be aware he doesn't own the cemetery. The House amendment is still very restrictive, imo. The House amendment still includes Section 4 (a) "In order for a family member, descendant or the designee of a family member of a deceased person, or a person engaging in genealogical research to exercise the right of ingress and egress to a cemetery or to graves on private property as eligible persons, such friend or researcher must have been specifically designated in writing as such by a member of the family or a descendant of the deceased." [underline is my emphasis] There's more, please take time to read these bills and amendments and speak with your representative!! Jill Hastings-Johnson Montgomery County Archives P. O. Box 323, Clarksville, TN 37041-0323 mcarchives@montgomerycountytn.org office - 931.553.5159 fax - 931.553.5158