Image Credit: TN General Assembly & Canva
The Tennessee Conservative [By David Seal] –
Two important bills, related to education, are on notice for a hearing in the House Education Administration Subcommittee on Tuesday.
The first is the “Tennessee Civics Education Act” by Representative Kip Capley (R-Summertown) and the second is the “Tennessee Religious Freedom Act” by Representative Rick Eldridge (R-Morristown).
Capley’s bill, House Bill 1658 (HB1658), proposes to require all applicants seeking their first-ever teaching license to pass the same civics test that immigrants are required to pass in order to become American citizens.
The bill is co-sponsored by Representative Mark White (R-Memphis), chair of the House Education Committee. Senator Brent Taylor (R-Memphis) is the senate sponsor along with co-sponsor Senator Jessie Seal (R-New Tazwell).
If you would like to express your opinion on the Tennessee Civics Education Act, the contact information for the House Education Administration Subcommittee is provided at the end of this article.
The second bill is titled the “Tennessee Religious Freedom Act” which is sponsored by Representative Rick Eldridge and co-sponsored by Representative Mark White. The companion senate bill is sponsored by Senator Mark Pody (R-Lebanon) and co-sponsored by Senator Jessie Seal.
This bill, House Bill 1834 (HB1834), seeks to clarify that school boards can open their meetings with a personal prayer recited by a board member, provided that those in attendance are not harassed or coerced to participate.
In recent years, the United States Supreme Court has made multiple rulings that indicate a new doctrine of religious freedom. The old three-prong Lemon entanglement standard, established in the early seventies that has been used by lower courts to suppress religious freedom, has been replaced with the “historical practices and understandings” doctrine that was established in a 2022 case, Kennedy v. Bremerton School District.
Many school boards across Tennessee would like to open their meetings with a word of prayer but are receiving conflicting advice from attorneys that fall on opposite sides of the First Amendment Free Expression Clause, highlighted below in yellow.
The Eldridge bill, HB1834, would clarify that school boards can open their meeting with a personal prayer.
FIRST AMENDMENT TO THE US CONSTITUTION
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”
The high court has signaled a new approach to the idea of coercion as a means of determining a First Amendment establishment violation by a governing body. As the preamble of Eldridge’s legislation states, “WHEREAS, in Town of Greece v. Galloway, 572 U.S. 565 (2014), a majority of the Supreme Court held that sectarian prayers at legislative meetings are permissible under the United States Constitution, stating, “Legislative bodies do not engage in impermissible coercion merely by exposing constituents to prayer they would rather not hear and in which they need not participate.”
If you would like to contact members of the House Education Administration Subcommittee prior to the vote scheduled for Tuesday on either bill featured in this article, their contact information is as follows.
Rep.william.slater@capitol.tn.gov
Rep.scott.cepicky@capitol.tn.gov
Rep.ronnie.glynn@capitol.tn.gov
Rep.william.slater@capitol.tn.gov; rep.scott.cepicky@capitol.tn.gov; rep.ronnie.glynn@capitol.tn.gov; rep.chris.hurt@capitol.tn.gov; rep.jay.reedy@capitol.tn.gov; rep.mark.white@capitol.tn.gov
About the Author: David Seal is a retired Jefferson County educator, recognized artist, local businessman, 917 Society Volunteer, and past Chairman of the Jefferson County Republican Party. He has also served Jefferson County as a County Commissioner and is a citizen lobbyist for the people on issues such as eminent domain, property rights, education, and broadband accessibility on the state level. David is also a 2024 winner of The Tennessee Conservative Flame Award & has received an accolade from the Institute For Justice for successfully lobbing the TN legislature to protect property rights. David can be reached at david@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
One Response
Thanx, emailed committee, “We NEED these! PLEASE don’t kill them!”