Williams Introduces Bill Based On Cookeville Panhandling History

State Representative Ryan Williams has introduced a bill to answer safety concerns for panhandlers in the Cookeville area.

Williams said he communicated with Putnam County Sheriff Eddie Farris and Cookeville Police Chief Randy Evans while drafting it.

“So the goal of this bill is just to give law enforcement the ability to be able to better control public safety as it relates to these off ramps and on ramps,” Williams said. “To make sure that the citizens who are there, they have a constitutional right in order to panhandle, but also, there is a need for public safety.”

The bill is an extension of a current state statute and creates a Class C Misdemeanor for soliciting on the side of a controlled-access highway or ramp. Williams said the bill was created with Cookeville’s panhandling history in mind.

“It is a very difficult situation,” Williams said. “It’s none that we hoped to ever find ourselves in. It does kind of change the views of other in our community as it relates to Putnam County, but I do think that our collaborative work is to try and find a solution that works. That helps people and doesn’t impune them, but sometimes we need an ability to encourage people to get the help that they need.”

Williams said he has another proposed bill that to go along with this that eliminates the Certificate of Need Program, so mental health services can be easily accessed. Williams said the two prong approached would give law enforcement avenues to approach these people and offer services if needed.

“This bill is an effort to try deal with that solution, and by making it an actionable offense either by small fine or community service,” Williams said. ” The goal is to try to give some kind of repercussion. In a lot of cases, we can impact these folks, because some of them are mentally ill, and they need help. So, this would give us an opportunity to give them an opportunity  to get the help that they need through resources that we have in the Upper Cumberland.”

Williams said he thinks this bill does have a chance to pass, but not without discussion with panhandling being a constitutional right. The Cookeville City Council last October did not pass an ordinance that limited commerce on state right of ways.