Ketron also co-sponsored comprehensive legislation approved by the General Assembly this year aimed at curbing meth production that will take effect as the new month begins.

July 1 is a common enactment date for implementation of new laws mainly because it marks the beginning of Tennessee’s new fiscal year.

The “Secret Ballot Protection Act” makes denial of secret-ballot elections illegal under Tennessee law, subject to a Class C misdemeanor offense.

Ketron said it is a “counter measure to dangerous federal card check legislation that has been proposed in Congress.”

The anti-terrorism law scheduled to take effect tomorrow updates Tennessee’s Terrorism Prevention Act that was passed shortly after the 9-11 terrorist attacks to make the provision of “material support” a Class A felony.

The law defers to designations already made by the U.S. Secretary of State and the Department of the Treasury.

Ketron said it “helps to close the prevention gap left by the 2002 statute.

“It should be a priority of ours to protect the citizens of our great state – there will be no prosperity without security,” Ketron added. “The law we passed provides a fair and even-handed approach that gets to problem of material support on the front end and provides our local law enforcement authorities with more tools to fight homegrown terrorism.”

Public safety is also the impetus behind a separate measure co-sponsored by Ketron and ready to take effect July 1 that stiffens penalties for making methamphetamines in the presence of a child and implements a statewide electronic tracking system to curb meth production in the state.

The system, called NPLEx (National Precursor Log Exchange), will monitor and block illegal purchases of over-the-counter cold and allergy medicines containing pseudoephedrine (PSE), a key ingredient in methamphetamine production, although pharmacies have until Jan. 1, 2012 to comply with reporting provisions of the new law.

The new law also sets amounts of pseudoephedrine that can be purchased and strengthens penalties against those convicted of smurfing, or shopping for the product in multiple locations.

“This legislation is a big step in attacking the meth problem that is sweeping many communities in Tennessee,” Ketron said. “This was a collaborative effort between many parties, including law enforcement officials, pharmacists, and others. We believe it will truly make a difference in identifying those who manufacture this dangerous drug to curb the flow of meth in Tennessee.”