House K-12 Subcommittee Passes Bill To Mandate AI Usage Policies For Tennessee Schools (Update 1.29.24)

***Update 1.29.24 – HB1630 is scheduled to be heard in the House Education Administration Committee on 1.31.24. Contact info for the members of the committee has been added at the end of the article.***

Image Credit: capitol.tn.gov

The Tennessee Conservative Staff –

Tennessee’s House K-12 Subcommittee voted Tuesday to move forward with a bill that would require schools to institute policies regarding the use of artificial intelligence (AI).

House Bill 1630 (HB1630), sponsored by State Representative Scott Cepicky (R-Culleoka-District 64), mandates that all state universities and K-12 public and charter schools adopt a policy for the use of AI by students, teachers, and staff for instructional and assignment purposes.

Cepicky first introduced an amendment to the bill. The amendment added clarifying language to the definition of “artificial intelligence,” which is defined in the bill as “computer software that is designed to simulate human intelligence through machine learning and to perform tasks that would normally require human involvement.”

When the floor was opened for comment, Representative Sam McKenzie (D-Knoxville-District 15) asked if, because the area of AI is such a fluid industry, rules would be outdated by the time they were created.

Cepicky noted that this was a concern that they had considered and would be seeking additional information on.

With no additional comments or questions, a voice vote was taken. As a result of that voice vote, the bill is being moved forward to the full House Education Administration Committee.

Because Chairman Kirk Haston (R-Lobelville-District 72) chose to use a voice vote to hide the voting records of subcommittee members from public scrutiny, we can only assume Chairman Haston supports HB1630 and is responsible for HB1630 bill being passed on to the full committee. Chairman Haston could have used a transparent roll call vote, but opted for a voice vote to shield committee members and himself from accountability.

According to a statement made by Rep. Jody Barrett (R-Dickson-District 69) on the Mill Creek View Tennessee Podcast, all a legislator has to do in order to have their voice vote recorded is give a thumbs up or a thumbs down to the clerk. This means that it is very easy for legislators to put their vote on the record and create transparency with their constituents if they choose to.

However, no representative on the subcommittee appeared to have requested that their vote be counted. The General Assembly website only reports “Votes for Bill HB1630 by the House are not available.”

HB1630 will now be heard in the House Education Administration committee on 1.31.24.

To voice your support or opposition to HB1630, use the information below to contact the committee members prior to their scheduled meeting on Wednesday, January 31^st, 2024.

Mark White (R) – Chairman – rep.mark.white@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-4415

William Slater (R) – Vice-Chairman – rep.william.slater@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-2534

Charlie Baum (R) – rep.charlie.baum@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-6849

Gino Bulso (R) – rep.gino.bulso@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-6808

Ed Butler (R) – rep.ed.butler@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-1260

Scott Cepicky (R) – rep.scott.cepicky@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-3005

Monty Fritts (R) – rep.monty.fritts@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-7658

Ron Gant (R) – rep.ron.gant@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-6890

John Gillespie (R) – rep.john.gillespie@capitol.tn.gov  – (615) 741-8201

Kirk Haston (R) – rep.chris.hurt@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-0750

Chris Hurt (R) – rep.chris.hurt@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-2134

Justin Lafferty (R) – rep.justin.lafferty@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-4110

Harold Love, Jr (D) – rep.harold.love@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-3831

Sam McKenzie (D) – rep.sam.mckenzie@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-0768

Antonio Parkinson (D) – rep.antonio.parkinson@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-3831

John Ragan (R) – rep.john.ragan@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-4400

Bryan Richey (R) – rep.bryan.richey@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-3560

Robert Stevens (R)  – rep.robert.stevens@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-3830

Todd Warner (R) – rep.todd.warner@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-4170