TN House sends antidiscrimination reversal to Governor Haslam

as tennessee creeps back into the neanderthal era.....

*******************************


The state House of Representatives has signed off on a bill that would reverse Metro's new antidiscrimination policy, sending the measure to Gov. Bill Haslam.

The House voted 70-26 this morning to accept a minor amendment to the Equal Access to Intrastate Commerce Act, HB 600, which it had previously passed. The bill bars local governments in Tennessee from extending discrimination policies to groups not covered under state law.

Although the bill applies statewide, the measure effectively reverses an ordinance approved by the Metro Council last month that requires city contractors to follow Metro's antidiscrimination policies. Metro bans discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation, in addition to race, gender, age, religion, creed, color and national origin.

Today's vote was largely procedural, as the House needed only to add a severability clause that would prepare it for a potential court challenge.

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110518/NEWS0201/110518022/House-sends-antidiscrimination-reversal-Haslam?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE