A new Tennessee law forbids public higher education from requiring allegiance to “divisive concepts,” including some tenets of diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI.
The legislation becomes binding July 1, according to the Tennessee General Assembly. The bill passed the Tennessee House and Senate in late April, and Gov. Bill Lee signed it April 28.
“I proposed HB 1376 because of complaints I had received from some of our state’s colleges,” John Ragan, the Tennessee state representative who proposed the bill, told The College Fix via email.
Nineteen Tennessee representatives, all Republicans, co-sponsored the bill with Ragan.
