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Another year, another Tennessee General Assembly bill targeting so-called “divisive concepts.”
Republican lawmakers in multiple states have listed and taken aim at certain theories or beliefs that they often associate with pushes for diversity, equity and inclusion.
Tennessee was among the first to act. In 2022, its Republican-controlled General Assembly passed a law saying public college and university students and employees couldn’t be penalized if they didn’t endorse certain “divisive concepts.” These included the idea that meritocracy is inherently racist and the notion that “the rule of law does not exist, but instead is a series of power relationships and struggles among racial or other groups.”
Last year, the state’s lawmakers passed a follow-up bill, signed into law by Republican Governor Bill Lee, inviting students and employees to report to college and university leaders if they had been required to endorse such concepts, whether in classrooms or anywhere else on campus.
On Thursday, the House of Representatives passed a third “divisive concepts” bill—already passed by the Senate—that would require public higher education institutions to report the results from their investigations of alleged violations to the state’s comptroller of the treasury within 10 days of completing any investigation. They would also have to update the comptroller every 30 days on any open investigations. And if a college or university didn’t comply, they would be required to appear before the General Assembly’s Joint Government Operations Committee.
One of the bill’s sponsors, GOP representative John D. Ragan, said he was unable to speak to Inside Higher Ed Friday, but said in an email that he “sponsored the bill because of student complaints of which I became aware.” Ragan added, “It seems that some issues may have been ‘swept under the rug,’ a source relayed to me. This indicated that perhaps the previous law needed to be strengthened.”
Lee’s office didn’t respond Friday afternoon when asked whether he would sign or veto the bill.
