Bill to Abolish Human Rights Commission Advances

State lawmakers are one step closer to abolishing the Tennessee Human Rights Commission, the state’s independent watchdog agency overseeing civil rights issues. HB 910/SB 861, a bill that would dissolve the commission and transfer its functions to the state attorney general, passed in the Senate Government Operations Committee on Wednesday. 

Established in 1963, the Human Rights Commission is an independent state agency in charge of enforcing civil rights laws and prohibiting discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations. The commission staffs investigators, attorneys and other personnel and is run by a nine-member board of commissioners appointed by the governor, lieutenant governor and speaker of the House.

The legislation’s sponsor, Sen. John Stevens (R-Huntingdon), said the bill is an attempt to lessen the Senate’s workload, as Senate members currently oversee the commission. Stevens said the Government Operations Committee has heard concerns about the commission not adequately doing its job.

Sen. Charlane Oliver (D-Nashville) countered by noting the legislature would not take actions to fill several vacant positions at the commission. Oliver expressed concerns that Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti is biased.

“If I am reading this as a citizen of Tennessee, I don’t have any faith that this constitutional officer, this unelected bureaucrat, is going to protect my rights in this state,” Oliver said. “He is weaponizing this office to pursue a political agenda.”

U.S. v. Skrmetti Sees Day in SCOTUS

Conservative-majority court is expected to rule in the late spring 

Skrmetti made national headlines last year with his involvement in a pending U.S. Supreme Court case challenging Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors. In March, Skrmetti filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of President Donald Trump’s executive order calling for the end of birthright citizenship for children born to immigrants without permanent legal status. 

Sekou Franklin, a professor in the political science department at Middle Tennessee State University and chair of political action at the Tennessee State Conference of the NAACP, testified in opposition to the bill during the committee. (Disclosure: Franklin has contributed to the Scene a handful of times in the past.) He said abolishing the commission would erase the state’s long-held precedent of protecting civil rights. 

“Despite all the hyper-partisanship that we have in Tennessee, Tennessee does have a 60-year record of independent, bipartisan-backed civil rights oversight that would be ruined if SB 861 is adopted,” said Franklin. 

The bill passed 7-2 in Wednesday’s committee, with Oliver and Sen. Sara Kyle (D-Memphis) in opposition. It was then referred to the Senate Finance, Ways and Means Committee. If it becomes law, the transition would go into effect July 1.