3 bills in Finance

HB1270

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83 / 250 have signed

3 bills in Finance

83 / 250 Have Signed

Dear [Your Elected Official],

On April 14, HB754 and HB923 are in the Finance Subcommittee. HB1270 is in the Finance Committee. I urge you to vote NO on all three bills.
HB754 on gender clinics and data gathering
Burdensome dangerous data grab: Under the appearance of helping people de-transition, this bill is actually a massive data grab. It requires that providers submit to the state a huge amount of information on patients, procedures, and the providers themselves.  This bill then directs that much of it be reported publicly.
Privacy of doctors and patients: This bill endangers the data privacy of patients.  Even though providers do not submit patient names, they submit so much specific information that others might use it to determine who they are. This data gathering and reporting puts a target on providers that could endanger their lives or those who share facilities with them because of how much vitriol has been generated about the issue.
Reckless and pricey: In short, this bill is reckless and is no way to conduct health care. Please, also note the corrected fiscal note, which is significant.
HB923 on diversity, equity, and inclusion
Legislative overreach: Mainly I am tired of the Legislature trying to micromanage local government, public higher education, state departments, and the now the governor in Tennessee! You need to let those closest to the action make more decisions.
Wrong assumptions of the bill: The bill seems to assume there are "quotas" in state and local government. The evidence is lacking. The bill implies that job candidates from a variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds are not qualified or have not been getting their jobs based on merit. That is insulting and erroneous. The bill pretends that there has been no history of discrimination on the job. That is naive.
Battling an imaginary bogeyman:  Jumping on a bandwagon of attacking the words "diversity, equity, and inclusion" is bad public policy. We need a more careful approach to hiring and retaining great employees in Tennessee state and local government and higher education institutions. When you allow state departments, local governments, and public colleges and universities their proper flexibility and authority, they can pursue the right approach. 
This bill has provoked strong questions during committee hearings. I hope you will continue to ask tough questions in Finance.
HB1270 on pronouns in Finance Committee
Litigation is still an issue: This bill offers a false sense of security to those who do not want to use other people's pronouns. While the legislation shields them from lawsuits in state courts, it CANNOT do so in federal courts.  Encouraging teachers, school employees, contractors, and students to ignore  someone's pronouns is a recipe for a hostile work environment and, therefore, expensive litigation. The Supreme Court's Bostock v. Clayton County still stands and it protects LGBTQ people in the workplace.
Existing litigation is about students:  Existing litigation has focused on whether teachers can be required to use a student's pronouns. But this bill opens a new field because it allows students and other teachers and school employees not to use the pronouns of transgender and nonbinary teachers and employees. Those employees are protected by the Bostock decision. This bill walks school districts into federal employment lawsuits.
Thank you for considering my views on all these bills.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

[Your Address]

[Your City & State]

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