Tennessee’s government employees may be entitled to opt out of certain trainings, seminars, or educational courses if it violates their morals, ethics, values, or religious beliefs. According to a set of companion bills introduced last month, the exemption would be enforced across all levels of government throughout the state.
Senator Janice Bowling (R-Tullahoma) issued the first version of the bill, followed less than a week later by Representative Glen Casada (R-Franklin) issuing a companion bill.
The legislation itself is relatively short. In under half of a page, the legislation proposes to add a new section onto the Tennessee Code’s general provisions for public officers and employees.
“A government entity shall not require an employee of the governmental entity to attend or participate in a training, seminar, or continuing education which the employee objects to on the basis of the employee’s morals, ethics, values, or religious beliefs,” stated the bills.
In a statement to The Tennessee Star, Casada explained that the bill is merely preventative.
“The reason for filing this legislation is to prevent a government entity from forcing their employees [into] participation in seminars [that] the employees might find offensive,” stated Casada. “There is no situation that caused me to introduce it. It’s preventative.”
The Star issued a followup question regarding the relation of the bill to certain types of trainings and seminars that caused a proverbial tug-of-war between the previous Trump administration and the current Biden administration. Casada didn’t issue a response by press time.
Specifically, this bill would likely counter initiatives promoted by diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) officials. This includes trainings on critical race theory, antiracism, implicit bias, systemic racism, microaggressions, hate speech, privilege, and allyship.
President Joe Biden has shown his support for these sorts of initiatives. On Inauguration Day, he signed 17 executive orders – one of which was to use the federal government to “advanc[e] racial equity.” In part, that order dissolved previous President Donald Trump’s order combating race and sex stereotyping and scapegoating.
Trump’s order prevented governments and government-funded entities from enforcing the idea that certain entities and persons are racist, sexist, and oppressive – for example, America and White people.
Biden called Trump’s order a “harmful ban” that perpetuated “ignorance and lies.”
Neither companion bill has moved beyond initial filing for introduction.
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Corinne Murdock is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and the Star News Network. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to [email protected].
