The Tennessee Conservative’s David Seal Attends Bill Signing Ceremony For “Tennessee Religious Freedom Act”

Image: Pictured from left – David Seal, Rep. Rick Eldridge, Governor Bill Lee & Sen. Mark Pody Image Credit: The Tennessee Conservative

Tennessee Conservative News [By Olivia Lupia] –

Governor Bill Lee recently signed a bill further securing religious freedom in the state by allowing school boards to open their meetings with a prayer, and The Tennessee Conservative’s own David Seal was invited to attend the bill signing ceremony in honor of all his work in authoring the legislation and helping pass it through this year’s General Assembly.

HB1834, also known as the “Tennessee Religious Freedom Act,” was sponsored by Rep. Rick Eldridge (R-Morristown-District 10) and Sen. Mark Pody (R-Lebanon-District 17). The legislation picked up several co-sponsors along the way including Representatives Mark White, Aron Maberry, Debra Moody, Chris Todd, Rush Bricken, Gino Bulso, Johnny Garrett, and Kip Capley, and Senators Jessie Seal, Rusty Crowe, Joey Hensley, Shane Reeves, and John Stevens.

The legislation came as many school boards across Tennessee wished to open meetings with a word of prayer but received conflicting advice from attorneys regarding the First Amendment Free Expression Clause.

In its text, the Act points to the U.S Constitution and the First Amendment, stating that the framers of the constitution “intended for citizens to have the right to freely exercise their religious beliefs” and that school board members are not excluded from exercising religious expression.

Several court cases are also cited that lay the framework for legislative bodies to engage in prayer, finding that it is not “impermissible coercion” for those wishing not to participate. 

The bill passed unanimously in both chambers, 32-0 on the Senate consent calendar and 86-0 on the House regular calendar. 

Now, with Gov. Lee’s signature into law, the Tennessee Religious Freedom Act is set to take effect July 1, 2026, thanks in large part to David Seal’s tireless efforts to see it across the finish line, including crafting the bill’s language, meeting with legislators, and willingness to testify before committees. 

“Recognizing the need to clarify the issue of prayer at the opening of school board meetings in Tennessee, I drafted a Jefferson County Resolution calling for the legislature to take a firm stance on religious freedom, including the freedom of school boards to pray at meetings. The resolution passed the county commission.

In April 2025, I drafted language that became HB 1834/SB1957, the ‘Tennessee Religious Freedom Act’, more commonly known as the School Board Prayer Bill. The bill was necessary because school system attorneys across the state disagreed on school board prayer. 

The conservative school system attorneys understood the landmark decisions made by the U.S Supreme Court that upheld our God-given constitutional right to pray at meetings and other places. The liberal attorneys advanced the myth of ‘separation of church and state’ and cited the long-overturned doctrine in Lemon v. Kurtzman, 403 U.S. 602 (1971) used to suppress prayer in educational settings and the now obsolete case, Coles v. Cleveland Board of Education, 171 F.3d 369 (6th Cir. 1999).

Representative Rick Eldridge and Senator Mark Pody immediately signed on to sponsor the bill. They, and the co-sponsors, deserve great credit for standing up for school board prayer and religious freedom in Tennessee,” said David.

Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.