The Tennessee Senate Voted Unanimously On Monday To Pass The “Tennessee Religious Freedom Act.” The House Version Of The Bill Will Be Heard Today In The Full House Education Committee.
Image Credit: TN General Assembly
Tennessee Conservative News Staff –
The Tennessee State Senate voted unanimously on Monday to pass the “Tennessee Religious Freedom Act.”
Senate Bill 1957 (SB1957), sponsored by State Senator Mark Pody (R-Lebanon-D17), “authorizes a local board of education to open a meeting of the board with a prayer led by a member of the board as long as the prayer does not require participation of any person in attendance at the meeting and no person is harassed or coerced to participate in the prayer.”
In the text of the bill, the sponsors point 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.
Companion House Bill 1834 (HB1834), sponsored by State Representative Rick Eldridge (R-Morristown-D10), is scheduled to be considered by the House Education Committee on Tuesday, March 10 in a meeting staring at 12 noon Central Time. Contact information for members of the Committee can be found below.
House Education Committee – HB1834 to be heard March 10.
HB1834 authorizes a local board of education meeting to open with a prayer led by a school board member.
Rep.mark.white@capitol.tn.gov; rep.kevin.raper@capitol.tn.gov; rep.jody.barrett@capitol.tn.gov; rep.charlie.baum@capitol.tn.gov; rep.gino.bulso@capitol.tn.gov; rep.scott.cepicky@capitol.tn.gov; rep.ronnie.glynn@capitol.tn.gov; rep.yusuf.hakeem@capitol.tn.gov; rep.kirk.haston@capitol.tn.gov; rep.tim.hicks@capitol.tn.gov; rep.chris.hurt@capitol.tn.gov; rep.gloria.johnson@capitol.tn.gov; rep.renea.jones@capitol.tn.gov; rep.aron.maberry@capitol.tn.gov; rep.sam.mckenzie@capitol.tn.gov; rep.jay.reedy@capitol.tn.gov; rep.lee.reeves@capitol.tn.gov; rep.william.slater@capitol.tn.gov; rep.robert.stevens@capitol.tn.gov
