Tennessee U.S. Representative Mark Green (R-TN-07) introduced a bill Thursday that would protect states, including Tennessee, that define sex as male and female from losing federal funding.
The States Choose Common Sense Act, according to Green, would “give families another tool with which to fight back” against “radical gender ideology harming an entire generation and confusing many Americans who desperately need help.”
“No Federal funds authorized to be made available to a State may be withheld or revoked on the basis of the State having in place any law, regulation, or policy that defines ‘‘sex’’ based on the biological sex of an individual, as determined by the anatomy or genetics of the individual at the time of birth,” the bill text reads.
“It’s time for Conservatives to be proactive instead of reactive,” Green said in an emailed statement to The Tennessee Star. “That’s why I introduced the States Choose Common Sense Act. We must protect states like Tennessee from being bullied by the Biden administration for holding true to our values.”
“Even a newborn knows the difference between men and women. It’s common sense. But today, even the most basic aspects of gender are being called into question—and with disastrous consequences,” Green added.
In May, as previously reported by The Star, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed a bill amending the Tennessee code to apply biology-based definitions across all state statutes.
The bill, SB1440/HB0239, legally defines “sex” as a person’s “immutable biological sex as determined by anatomy and genetics existing at the time of birth and evidence of a person’s biological sex,” according to its official summary.
The bill took effect on July 1.
As a result of the bill, Tennessee’s Joint Fiscal Review Committee has estimated that the Volunteer State will lose approximately $2 billion in federal education and health funding.
“My bill will protect states that define men and women according to their biological sex from being targeted by out-of-control and overreaching federal agencies,” Green said. “Federalism is at the core of our founding; we cannot allow the federal government to bully states that practice Common Sense.”
Green, a physician, has also taken steps to protect states that do not make referrals for abortion from having their federal funding revoked.
In June, Green introduced the States Choose Life Act of 2023, also reported on by The Star, which would “protect states from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) weaponization of Title X funding against states that choose to protect the right to life.”
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Rep. Mark Green” by Gage Skidmore CC2.0.
