Tennessee Tattoo Bill Headed for House Floor Vote

WKMS | By The Associated Press

Published April 11, 2012 at 7:09 AM CDT

A proposal to crack down on the tattooing of minors is headed for a vote on the Tennessee House floor. The measure sponsored by Democratic Representative Antonio Parkinson was unanimously approved in the House Finance Committee Tuesday. The companion bill is awaiting a vote by the full Senate. The proposal makes it illegal for anyone without a license to possess tattooing paraphernalia. The measure also encourages underage tattooing incidents be reported to the Health Department. Those making the report might be a police officer or someone in education, such as a teacher. Currently, a person under 18 cannot get a tattoo. A 16-year-old can be tattooed to cover up an existing tattoo, but only if a consenting parent or guardian is present.

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Todd Hatton

Todd Hatton hails from Paducah, Kentucky, where he got into radio under the auspices of the late, great John Stewart of WKYX while a student at Paducah Community College. He also worked at WKMS in the reel-to-reel tape days of the early 1990s before running off first to San Francisco, then Orlando in search of something to do when he grew up. He received his MFA in Creative Writing at Murray State University. He vigorously resists adulthood and watches his wife, Angela Hatton, save the world one plastic bottle at a time.

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