Religious Discrimination And Employee Medical Freedom Bills Move Forward
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The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –
Two bills of interest to conservative voters are moving forward and have been placed on the calendars of subcommittees.
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House Bill 1694 / Senate Bill 1837 (HB 1694 / SB 1837) – Religious Discrimination
Sponsored by Representative Glen Casada (R-Franklin-District 63) and filed for introduction January 11th, 2022, HB 1694/SB 1837 prohibits the state, a political subdivision, or a public official from prohibiting, or imposing additional restrictions on, the lawful operations of a church or religious organization, including religious services or activities, during a state of emergency, major disaster, or natural disaster. – Amends TCA Title 58.
HB 1694 is now on the calendar of the Public Service Subcommittee for 02/02/2022.
Contact information for Republican subcommittee members below:
Esther Helton (chair) – rep.esther.helton@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741 – 1934
Rebecca Alexander – rep.rebecca.alexander@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-2251
Curtis Johnson – rep.curtis.johnson@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-4341
Kelly Keisling – rep.kelly.keisling@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-6852
Pat Marsh – rep.pat.marsh@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-6824
House Bill 1867 / Senate Bill 1823 (HB1867 / SB1823) – Employee Medical Freedom
HB 1867, sponsored by Representative Jason Zachary (R-Knoxville-District 14) and SB1823, sponsored by Jack Johnson (R-Franklin-District 23) as introduced, seeks to require an employer with a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy to grant an exemption to the policy to any person who provides a medical reason supported by a statement from a licensed healthcare practitioner or a religious reason, and makes other related changes.
The bills also specify that a healthcare practitioner that provides such a statement is acting within the practitioner’s scope of practice, immune from civil liability, and protected from disciplinary action by a health-related board. – Amends TCA Title 14.
HB 1867 is now on the calendar of the Civil Justice Subcommittee for 02/01/2022.
Contact information for Republican subcommittee members below:
Lowell Russell (chair) – rep.lowell.russell@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-3736
Michael G. Curcio – rep.michael.curcio@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-3513
Andrew Farmer – rep.andrew.farmer@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-4419
Johnny Garrett – rep.johnny.garrett@capitol.tn.gov (615) 741-3893
Bruce Griffey – rep.bruce.griffey@capitol.tn.gov (615) 741-6804
Brandon Ogles – rep.brandon.ogles@capitol.tn.gov (615) 741-6808
Bob Ramsey – rep.bob.ramsey@capitol.tn.gov (615) 741-3560
About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
