House subcommittee votes down proposal to limit discrimination protection policies at universities

The House Higher Education Subcommittee killed another attempt to change discrimination protection policies at Tennessee universities and higher education institutions.Committee members voted down proposed legislation from Representative John Ragan, R-Oak Ridge, Monday that would have prevented state universities and universities that receive state funding from creating antidiscrimination policies or recognizing protected classes that are not recognized by the state.Ragan told the subcommittee he proposed the bill as a response to local governments instituting policies to protect classes that aren’t listed in state or federal law, along with universities expanding discrimination protection policies without authorization from the General Assembly.“Those institutions which attempt to create protected classes under the color of law are in fact doing a disservice not only to their student body and their faculty, but to the entire state of Tennessee,” said Ragan. “This bill is about ensuring that our universities are in fact adhering to the state law.”Ragan told subcommittee members that the leaders of three of Tennessee’s six locally governed institutions (LGIs) oppose his bill and the remaining have no problems with it. These are universities like the University of Memphis that operate under the state.While some subcommittee members agreed that state institutions shouldn’t ignore decisions by the General Assembly, there were concerns about the effect of the bill.Representative Mark White, R-Memphis, was among them and he questioned if there was a way to find a balance with the university legal councils.“We have six LGIs. Three of them have indicated no problem with what we’re trying to do. Three of them are basically saying, ‘we don’t care what you say’,” said Ragan. “Our state institutions of higher education are not empowered to create their own definitions of protected classes.”This is the second time this month the subcommittee has killed legislation sponsored by Ragan to alter university discrimination protection policies.Last week, the Oak Ridge representative proposed a bill to remove the diversity, equity, and inclusion policies at public universities and other public institutions of higher education.The subcommittee unanimously voted that bill down.