Democrats in the House Education Administration Committee failed to stop two Republican sponsored bills addressing education funds and TikTok concerns from advancing Thursday, but not for a lack of trying.
The first was Cosby Representative Jeremy Faison’s so-called “TikTok ban.”
The legislation doesn’t actually ban the popular video sharing app, but it would keep students from using their public university Wi-Fi to access social media sites whose companies are based or hosted in the People’s Republic of China.
“One of the things I learned is that when you have an open Wi-Fi, it leaves you vulnerable to anything that’s in your server,” said Representative Faison.
TikTok has faced a lot of scrutiny in the recent years over concerns about data collection from the Chinese government. Congress voted to block access on federal devices last December.
The bill would not impact a student’s access to social media through their own cell phone data and Nashville Representative Justin Jones jumped on the distinction, saying that access to unlimited data is not something all students can afford.
“Would this be unfair for those students who don’t have the privilege to be able to afford unlimited data to use a social media that their peers would have access to if they are rich and can afford to use unlimited data?” asked Representative Jones.
“I’m not into the side on what’s fair and what’s not fair. I’m just saying for our security and our higher education facilities need to be secure and not allow this on their Wi-Fi,” said Representative Faison.
Nashville Representative Harold Love, Jr. also criticized the legislation, pointing out that many colleges utilize various forms of social media as majors or in classroom instruction.
Education Savings Account Eligibility Passes
Democrats also offered opposition to another bill to expand eligibility for the Education Savings Account (ESA) program.
Tennessee passed the ESA in 2019 to allow low-income families in Davidson or Shelby County to use state and local funds to cover private school tuition. A bill to add Hamilton County is scheduled to be discussed by Education Administration next week.
In order to be eligible for the ESA program, students must be enrolled in a Tennessee public school for one full year before enrolling in a private school.
Madison County Representative Chris Todd worries that requirement may disqualify some families who left their public schools for a private school education during the years the ESA was tied up in lawsuits. His legislation would create an exception for those families to qualify for the ESA.
“This bill is fundamentally about fairness,” said Representative Todd.
Representative Justin Jones pushed back on Todd’s bill by pointing out it wouldn’t actually benefit anyone in his West Tennessee district.
“Who asked you to bring this legislation since it does not impact your county,” asked Representative Jones.
“I honestly don’t remember,” said Representative Todd. “It’s something I firmly believe in; I was a big supporter of the ESA program, and this is something I believe is fundamentally right for our students and our state.”
Both bills passed on a voice vote and advance to the full House.
