CHEATHAM COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) – Plenty of new laws will go into effect for Tennessee on Jan. 1, 2026, ranging from protecting victims of domestic violence to giving tattoo artists a new tool to help people in danger.

The “Ink of Hope Act” aims to teach tattoo artists how to recognize certain symbols or “brands” and intervene on behalf of human trafficking victims without putting themselves at risk.

“I’ve wanted to tattoo since I was 8,” Blake Ohrt, the owner of Scout’s Honor Tattoo in Ashland City, told News 2. “I watched somebody when I was really young get a tattoo, and I’ve been super fascinated by it… I just worked really hard my whole life and ended up here.”

Ohrt’s dream for as long as he could remember was to open his own tattoo shop, and now that business is about to celebrate its first anniversary.

“I really hope that people are taking the time and really figuring out who they want to get tattooed by, and maybe doing a little research, making sure that the style is compatible with what you’re wanting to do,” Ohrt said.

However, not everyone who sits in his chair seems willing. He has seen this firsthand a few times.

“People will attempt to set something up for someone else or come in as a pair, and one does the talking and one does not,” Ohrt explained. “Maybe even getting a name of that person and not, you know, I’m not much hearing from the person who’s going to be tattooed.”

When he learned about the “Ink of Hope Act,” he felt it could make a difference.

“Maybe some things that we can catch, like certain specific symbols or maybe placements or things like that, but really, it’s been super big for us,” Ohrt said.

This legislation will require tattoo artists looking to renew their licenses after Jan. 1, 2026, as well as those receiving their first licenses after that date, to watch a one-hour course offered by an approved nonprofit that focuses on human trafficking. Artists who fail to complete that training by Dec. 31, 2028, will have their licenses invalidated until they comply with the law.

“We have to take extra accountability for that and make sure that we’re also consenting for them, so hopefully everybody takes it seriously,” Ohrt told News 2.

For the employees of this Ashland City tattoo shop, it’s their “scout’s honor” to keep the promise to look out for anyone who sits in their chairs.