Please, vote NO on HB158, HB239, HB1269, and HB1215 on April 18 if they come before you in the House Finance committees.
HB158 has a fiscal note of $94,300. We should not take tools away in educational settings that reduce discrimination and, therefore lawsuits. Tennessee should look for more ways to serve diverse student populations.
HB239 has a fiscal note on the original bill. There is also a fiscal note on the amendment adopted by the Senate. Both fiscal notes indicate compliance costs, civil litigation, and jeopary to federal funding. The discrimination that comes with the bill puts in question some of the almost $1.3 Billion in education funding and some of the $750,000,000 in health funding. There is no good case for the bill.
HB1269 has a fiscal that indicates risk to some of the almost $1.3 Billion in education funding that Tennessee receives because the State and each school system must sign an agreement to comply with federal civil rights law. This bill creates a hostile environment for transgender students and would certainly be construed as discrimination.
HB1215 has no significant official fiscal note, but it is not moving in the Senate and I urge you not to move it in the House. Not only would it be discriminatory and harm transgender people, but it would disrupt TennCare contracting for everyone who is served by the program.
Thank you for considering my views.
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Patsy Hazlewood Representative
Charlie Baum Representative
Jody Barrett Representative
Gary Hicks Representative
Clark Boyd Representative
Ron Gant Representative
Scotty Campbell Representative
Karen Camper Representative
Larry Miller Representative
John Crawford Representative
Sam Whitson Representative
Jeremy Faison Representative
Sam McKenzie Representative
Bob Freeman Representative
Johnny Garrett Representative
David Hawk Representative
Kelly Keisling Representative
Harold Love Representative
Jerome Moon Representative
Antonio Parkinson Representative
Johnny Shaw Representative
Mike Sparks Representative
Ryan Williams Representative