Bill To Protect Teachers From Forced Usage Of  Preferred Pronouns Placed Behind The Budget

Image Credit: capitol.tn.gov

The Tennessee Conservative [By Kelly M. Jackson] –

A bill that aims to protect teachers and staff of schools in Tennessee from being forced to use preferred pronouns or possibly be subject to punitive consequences has been placed behind the budget in its final step before heading to the House floor for a vote.

HB1269 as introduced, specifies that a teacher or other employee of a public school or LEA is not required to refer to a student using the student’s preferred pronoun if the pronoun is not consistent with the student’s biological sex; insulates a teacher or other employee of a public school or LEA from civil liability and adverse employment action for referring to a student using the pronoun that is consistent with the student’s biological sex. – Amends TCA Title 49, Chapter 6.

The bill is sponsored by State Representative Mark Cochran (R-Englewood-District 23).

When a bill passes both its general committees, it then moves to the Finance, Ways and Means Subcommittee to determine if there will be room in the Governor’s budget to account for the bill’s fiscal impact. This bill has a fiscal note that indicates it could jeopardize federal funding for fiscal year 2023/24 if once passed it is found to be in violation of federal law. 

The fiscal note indicates that these possible violations would be under Title IX of the Department of Education’s rules for that law, that take into consideration sexuality, and gender identity in the definition of sex-based discrimination.  This is a recent shift in the rules, which until recent years only understood “sex” to mean the biological sex of a person. 

However, once the rules were changed to reflect a consideration for gender, and sexuality, which are not immutable characteristics, it placed Title IX in new territory, where anyone at any time can decide they “identify” as something that is contrary to their biology, and thus be able to file a discrimination lawsuit based on this self-identification. 

When a bill has a “price tag” attached to it that has not already been allocated in the budget, or by an earmark, then the Finance, Ways and Means Committee places that bill behind the budget,  only allowing passage to the floor if there is any money left over once the budget has been passed. 

This is a common place where many bills find their demise. And it may be that this bill also never sees the House Floor because the funds were simply not available, and there was no concerted effort to find the money to get the bill across the finish line. 

The current session ends within a few weeks, so if there is no allocation of funds made to pay for the possible fiscal impact, it will be moved to summer study so it can be picked back up next session.

About the Author: Kelly Jackson is a recent escapee from corporate America, and a California refugee to Tennessee. Christ follower, Wife and Mom of three amazing teenagers. She has a BA in Comm from Point Loma Nazarene University, and has a background in law enforcement and human resources. Since the summer of 2020, she has spent any and all free time in the trenches with local grassroots orgs, including Mom’s for Liberty Williamson County and Tennessee Stands as a core member.  Outspoken advocate for parents rights, medical freedom, and individual liberty. Kelly can be reached at kelly@tennesseeconservativenews.com.