The Williamson County-based Tennessee Stands published an online column on their website Sunday that called on Governor Bill Lee and the Tennessee Department of Health to enforce an already-existing state law enacted late last year.
Gary Humble, of Tennessee Stands, referenced House Bill 9077 and its equivalent Senate Bill 9014.
Humble cited one portion of that bill that says “a private business, governmental entity, school, or local education agency shall not compel or otherwise take an adverse action against a person to compel the person to provide proof of vaccination if the person objects to receiving a COVID-19 vaccine for any reason.”
“Even with the law on the books, employers across the state are continuing to violate the law claiming that they have a right to formulate their own policies and practices and are taking a dangerously narrow approach to consider the meaning of taking an ‘adverse action against a person,’” Humble wrote.
Humble then said that Lee and members of his administration “cannot seem to wrap their minds around the need to preserve the rights of individuals per the law.”
“Through social media, we were notified that Dickson County Schools has a policy in place that students believed to have been in contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 had to quarantine and stay home from school, only if they were unvaccinated. This policy was confirmed in an email from the Director of Schools, Danny Weeks,” Humble wrote.
“We helped parents to inform the school district that this was explicitly against the law per the omnibus bill passed in last year’s special session. To our surprise, the response was that their policy was based on guidelines put out by the TN Department of Health. How can this be? How can a government agency in Tennessee issue guidance to a local school district that does not comply with state law?”
Tennessee Department of Health spokesman Bill Christian told The Tennessee Star on Monday he could not comment on a communication from a school superintendent.
Humble said what is happening in Dickson County and in other school districts across the state “is discriminatory and illegal.”
“So, here is how you fix this. Leadership. We call on Governor Bill Lee to issue a public statement that Title 14 is the law of this state and discrimination based on vaccination status for COVID-19 should come to a grinding halt in the state of Tennessee,” Humble wrote.
“He should also direct state agencies to comply with the law immediately.”
Lee’s communications staff did not return The Star’s request for comment before Monday’s stated deadline.
Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star and The Georgia Star News. Follow Chris on Facebook, Twitter, Parler, and GETTR. Email tips to [email protected].
Governor Lee continues to disappoint CONSERVATIVE Republicans. I hope a TRUE CONSEERVATIVE challenges him in a primary.
Left-wing Republicans in Tennessee during this age and time? At one time over fifty years ago, we did indeed have some liberal and leftist Republicans in East Tennessee among its predominantly conservative plurality. But that was a long time ago. It would simply be too good to be true that any leftist Republicans still exist in Tennessee (or anywhere else in the U.S.). Show me a left-wing Tennessee Republican and I’ll eat my hat. Fair enough? While we’re at it, define an example.
Like McCarthy, Anaconda Mitch, & Pierre Delecto RINOs keep pushing left to satisfy corporate $$$. As w. Tax’em Haslam, Lazy Lee will not support conservatives, and will help turn Tennessee purple.
It is impossible for this Governor to stand when he doesn’t have a spine.
I predict that Mr. Lee will ignore this. He has not stood up against mask mandates, lockdowns, or COVID shot mandates thus far. Why start now? We will have to continue to not comply en masse without the help of TN RINOS. He does not care. He will just call out the National Guard to run the schools and hospitals like NYs and NMs leftist governments have done.
Bill Lee is a Joke, taking way too much input from Vanderbilt and HCA. Follow the money.
bill lee has been inept on this issue to the point i can’t vote for him again
I didn’t vote for him the first time and I surely won’t be voting for him in the next election but unless we get a Republican to run against him he will be the R nominee. Personally, we all need to be looking at the Independent candidates. I have voted Independent for Governor since moving to TN because not one D or R was a good bet for Tennessee. Two heads of the same snake. And I don’t want to hear an I cannot win. They win if you vote for them. I ran as an Independent and with hard work and getting out to talk to the voters on their doorstep and in their living rooms I won my election. It can be done but too many Independents, while generally better candidates, they don’t put in the really hard work. But I will be voting Independent again more than likely.