Dear [Your Elected Official],

<p>I urge you to vote NO on SB1084 on the Senate floor on Monday.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>This bill has provoked strong questions during committee hearings. I hope you will continue to ask tough questions on the Senate floor. Thank you for considering my views.</p>