The Tennessee State Senate on Thursday passed Senate Bill (SB) 1741, the “Charlie Kirk Act,” which would require universities and colleges in the Volunteer State to adopt policies similar to the Chicago Statement on Free Expression, which has been called the “gold standard” for enshrining freedom of speech and association in higher education.
In addition to requiring colleges and universities adopt free speech policies, the bill would also designate most outdoor areas as “traditional public forums,” prohibit schools from restricting such areas to “free speech zones,” allow spontaneous speech outdoors, and prohibit the university from discriminating based on viewpoints.
Introduced in January by State Senator Paul Rose (R-District 32), the “Charlie Kirk Act” passed in a 26-6 vote on Thursday. House Bill (HB) 1476, the version of the legislation in the State House, is next slated for consideration by the House Education Committee on Tuesday.
With the Thursday vote, the “Charlie Kirk Act” is the second legislation to pass the State Senate this year to include the name of Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated while speaking at a college campus in Utah last year, after state senators passed the “Charlie Kirk American Heritage Act” earlier this month.
Also introduced by Rose, the legislation would promote instruction to public school students about, “the positive impacts of religion on American history whenever instruction in American history is being provided,” with examples listed in the legislation including the religious motivations of the Pilgrims, the Mayflower Compact, and the impact the religious views of the nation’s founders had on the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution.
The version of the “Charlie Kirk American Heritage Act” under consideration by State House lawmakers, HB 1822 by State Representative Mark Cochran (R-Englewood), is currently scheduled to receive a vote on Monday.
Rose previously described the assassination as an act of “evil” in a statement posted to social media after Kirk’s death.
“Charlie Kirk was a committed unashamed follower of Jesus Christ. He was a conservative icon that dearly loved this country and spent his short adult life promoting free speech and intellectual debate. He was a champion to millions of young people. He understood the evil of socialism and communism and worked tirelessly to promote the values of freedom and self governance,” said Rose. “The values and beliefs that Charlie Kirk tirelessly promoted will not, shall not die.”
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Tom Pappert is a 2025 recipient of the Dao Prize and the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star. He also reports for the Star News Network. Follow Tom on X. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Charlie Kirk” by Gage Skidmore CC2.0.
