On Monday, Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee supported the repeal of the Tennessee Human Rights Commission, a 60-year-old independent body responsible for enforcing civil rights laws in employment, housing and public accommodation.
Proposed invoice Sen. John Stevens of Huntingdon and Johnny Garrett of Goodlettville, a Republican, have shifted the committee’s responsibility to the newly created civil rights enforcement unit within the Attorney General’s Office.
All pending discrimination complaints before the committee will be dismissed. Individuals who file a discrimination complaint have the option to modify the complaint within 90 days of the law taking effect.
Muriel Malone Nolen, executive director of the committee, urged lawmakers to vote against the bill and to amend it to include blown periods to move forward with the current case.
Noren pointed out that the committee has over 1,000 aggressive discrimination complaints pending for at least two years if the bill is completely abandoned if it becomes law.
“This could have disastrous consequences for businesses and individuals across our state,” she said. The lack of transitional period in the bill was called “unjust rather than inefficient.”
She noted that employers, landlords and businesses that are being complained to have in some cases made records with paid lawyers for defense attorneys. The bill requires them to protect themselves new if the case must be re-revised to the new Attorney General’s Division.
The individual who filed a complaint should likewise resume the process.
About 90% of the commission’s cases involve people with disabilities who are discriminated against in housing, as well as some affected veterans with disabilities, she said. If their case is dismissed, they may fall outside the law of a 180-day limit to pursue discrimination claims that completely confiscate their rights, she said.
Noren also objected that Tennessee’s Human Rights Commission records are stored in federally owned software and databases, and violated the claims by the litigation general’s office.
“We cannot share these files unless the Attorney General has a job equity agreement with the federal government,” she said.
The bill sparked most debate among lawmakers, who voted 7-2 along the party line to approve the measure. Next, we will be asked in a House committee on Wednesday.
It’s the first time in two years that Republican lawmakers have tried to abolish the Tennessee Human Rights Commission. In 2024, Democrats criticized the proposal as a tactic that eliminated independent surveillance of discrimination complaints and instead imposed political control.
The bill was eventually amended to require research into the possibility of disbanding the institution. The Attorney General’s Office, which conducted the investigation, concluded that the committee’s duties could be better taken over by the office.
This year’s bill also includes proposed changes to the Tennessee Anti-Discrimination Act, which is related to school admission practices, creating a route for those who are denied admission based on “racial, color, or country of origin” to file a complaint.
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skulmetti is openly speaking in his view that diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives are discriminatory, warning businesses against DEI policies, criticizing the Environmental Protection Agency for Environmental Justice Initiatives, criticizing the American Bar Association for warnings against new diversity and inclusion rules, and criticizing the new diversity and inclusion rules for law schools.
If enacted, the bill would grant the newly formed Attorney General’s Civil Rights Enforcement Department legal authority to pursue such discriminatory complaints against the school.
