Legislative
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General Assembly
General Assembly Site: Sign up for a “My Bills” site to track bills throughout the session or use the “Find My Legislator” tool to look up your representative.
Calls to Action 2024
Bills Supporting
Parental Rights Bills
There are 3 parental rights bills we are watching, listed below:
1)HB2936 by Faison / (SB2749 by Haile)
As introduced, enacts the “Families’ Rights and Responsibilities Act.”
Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 2/27/2024
2) HB1913 by Bulso / (SB1873 by Hensley)
As introduced, enacts the “Tennessee Parents’ Bill of Rights.”
Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 2/27/2024
House Children & Family Affairs Subcommittee for 3/5/2024
3) HB1414 by Todd / (SB0620 by Pody)
As introduced, enacts the “Families’ Rights and Responsibilities Act,” which declares that the ability of a parent to direct the upbringing, education, health care, and mental health of that parent’s child is a fundamental right.
Assigned to House Subcommittee: Children & Family Affairs Subcommittee
Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 2/27/2024
The Flag Bill
The flag bill will be up for vote again this week on the 26th in the House. As was stated in a previous update, the team at Moms for Liberty, Tennessee has some concerns with the amended form of this bill. There is a lot of wiggle room for violations and various interpretations of what is allowed. Passing this bill may prove to be less of a victory than we had hoped. Nonetheless, there has been, and will be this week, a strong showing of opposition for the bill if you’d like to show up in patriotic apparel and support the legislation and its sponsors.
HB1605 by Bulso / (SB1722 by Hensley)
As introduced, prohibits LEAs and public charter schools from displaying in public schools flags other than the official United States flag and the official Tennessee state flag.
>> Read The Amendments <<
Scheduled for House Floor 2/26/2024
This is the final the final House vote that now requires admittance thanks to the disruptors that created potentially unsafe situations during the last session.
Admittance can be requested via a legislator.
Bills Watching
Governor Lee’s School Choice Legislation
Also known as the Education Savings Account (ESA) Bill
We have all eagerly awaited the presentation of this school choice legislation. This has been a hot topic. While Moms for Liberty TN supports school choice, we support it only when done *properly*. That support comes with a lot of caveats.
We do not condone turning over more power to the State, the DOE or the Federal Government, nor do we condone subjecting private institutions to additional government regulation through financial ties.
We have heard from legislators. There is concern that they are tasked with reviewing and voting on the legislation with a very short turnaround time. The “meat” of the bill(s) will be available tomorrow, and will be in subcommittees for voting starting Tuesday.
There has also been confusion on bill numbers altogether.
We’ve heard this is the ESA bill now:
HB 1183 by Lamberth / SB 0503 by Johnson
Education – As introduced, extends from October to November, the time within which a public institution of higher education that receives funds from the distribution of credit cards to students or any percentage from the use of cards bearing the college or university name or logo must report the amount of such funds or percentage received as well as how the funds were expended during the previous fiscal year to the education committee of the senate and the education administration committee of the house of representatives. – Amends TCA Title 4; Title 8 and Title 49.
House K-12 Subcommittee for 2/27/2024
Senate Education Committee calendar for 2/28/2024
**We had been told prior to this recent change that the bill numbers were as listed below, but to be heavily amended on Monday.
Noteworthy is that both of these sets of bills are still showing to be heard this week and in the same subcommittees.**
HB 2468 by Lamberth / SB 2787 by Johnson
Education – As introduced, requires the department of education to study the school choice programs available in other states and to submit a report of the department’s findings at the conclusion of the study to the governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the speaker of the senate no later than January 1, 2025. – Amends TCA Title 49.
House K-12 Subcommittee for 2/27/2024
Senate Education Committee calendar for 2/28/2024
Obscenity and Human Rights Bill
HB2159 by Barrett / (SB2041 by Rose)
As introduced, specifies that a person or entity that produces, sells, sends, or distributes obscene matter in violation of state law may be held civilly liable for damages to an injured party.
House Criminal Justice Committee for 2/27/2024
HB1891 by Lamberth / (SB2097 by Johnson)
As introduced, creates the “Protecting Children from Social Media Act.”
House Banking & Consumer Affairs Subcommittee for 2/27/2024
HB1384 by Ragan / (SB0181 by Walley)
As introduced, deletes the criminal offense of aggravated prostitution and permits a person to have a prior conviction for aggravated prostitution that was the result of the person’s status as a human trafficking victim expunged if the person meets certain conditions.
PASSED effective date of the bill to July 1, 2024
Why MFL TN Supports: Human trafficking victims are often minors and deserve an opportunity to be free and start over.
Artificial Intelligence
The topic of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is, and should be, a crucial point of discussion this year and in coming years. We have collaborated with local experts, grassroots, and the Center for Self Governance to discuss concerns in this arena. We have also had discussions with legislators surrounding our concerns in this area.
Note a recent article: States with the Most AI Bills Under Construction: with Tennessee ranked at the top for bringing forth AI legislation.
Peruse the legislation below:
>> TN General Assembly AI Bills for 2024 <<
An AI bill that is not yet calendared, but that we look to support, is listed below. Why is this bill important? It starts with the basics of defining AI.
HB2817 by Richey / (SB2535 by Pody)
As introduced, defines “life” for statutory construction purposes to mean the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death; excludes from the definition artificial intelligence, a computer algorithm, a software program, computer hardware, or any type of machine.
Another AI bill affecting higher education:
HB 1630 by Cepicky / (SB 1711 by Hensley) has already passed. Read it here.
Bills Opposing
Bills Tied to Funding & Areas of Concern
HB1844 by Clemmons / (SB1790 by Kyle)
As introduced, requires each local school board to establish a school lunch program and a school breakfast program that provide a free breakfast and lunch to each student enrolled in a school under the board’s jurisdiction; requires the state to reimburse each LEA for the cost of providing a free breakfast and lunch to each student enrolled in the LEA after all available federal funds have been applied.
House K-12 Subcommittee for 2/27/2024
MFL TN Note: Concerns over cost and waste
HB1847 by Clemmons / (SB1656 by Campbell)
As introduced, requires the department of education to allocate to each local education agency sufficient funds for the LEA to employ one full-time licensed professional school counselor position for every 250 student members of the LEA or one full-time position for each LEA and public charter school within the LEA, whichever is greater; requires each LEA and public charter school to employ a licensed professional school counselor for each position funded.
House K-12 Subcommittee for 2/27/2024
Senate Education Committee calendar for 2/28/2024
TCA - TN Law
CSE Legislation 2021
In 2021, Tennessee legislatures mandated family life and sex education for all public-school districts. School districts throughout the state are developing their curriculum and parents need to pay attention to the process.
Tennessee also passed a law to protect the rights of parents when it comes to teaching controversial subjects that should be discussed at home and not in a classroom. Parents must ensure districts abide with what the law states and not just align with the arbitrary health standards implemented by the Department of Education (DOE) in 2018. The standards are used as an open loophole where partisan ideology is implemented because of the vague guard rails standards provide.
Tennessee Law (49-6-1301 – 49-6-1307) States:
- Each LEA shall conduct at least one public hearing, at which time the program shall be explained to members of the public and the public shall have the opportunity to speak and express their opinions and concerns.
- Notification of Parents and Legal Guardians -Excusing Students from Family Life Instruction (a) Not less than thirty (30) days prior to commencing instruction of the family life curriculum.
- Along with this notification, the law allows parents to OPT OUT of lessons that teach sex education or gender ideology.
- Each LEA shall notify parents or legal guardians of students whom the LEA anticipates will be present for instruction in sex education that.
Tennessee Code Annotated – Title 49 (Education) Chapter 6 (Elementary and Secondary Education) Part 13 (Family Life Curriculum)
