A bill to prevent school boards from being able to remove religious books from school libraries is advancing through the Tennessee legislature.
State Rep. Greg Martin, R-Hixson, said he chose to sponsor house bill 1085 because he believes religious freedom is under attack in the United States.
Martin said he has watched politicians speak disparagingly about religious freedom in recent years and is concerned about a lack of respect for various religions across the country.
“I think it’s really important that we have diverse points of view when it comes to religion that’s accessible to our students,” Martin said by phone.
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The bill would prohibit religious materials from being taken out of schools by local education boards or public charter school governing bodies solely based on their religious nature.
Senate bill 1112, the companion bill, passed the senate unanimously. Martin’s bill passed two committees with little opposition but a few questions from Democratic lawmakers.
“When we say religion, are we only talking about Christianity, our faith?” asked state Rep. Yusuf Hakeem, D-Chattanooga, during a subcommittee meeting in March. “The Islamic faith, the Jewish faith and so forth, are they allowed to have books of knowledge or religion in our libraries also?”
Martin said the bill would protect material from all faiths.
“It would protect the Bible, the Quran, whatever the Wiccans do,” Martin said by phone. “Whatever the religion is, you cannot remove a book because of its religious nature.”
Hakeem also asked Martin if the bill would protect material perceived as Satanic worship.
“It may not be a religion that I agree with or you agree with, may not even be a religion the vast, vast, vast majority of people,” Martin said, “but in this country you have the right to be wrong with your religious beliefs.”
Martin said his bill seeks to ensure First Amendment protections.
At the same meeting, state Rep. Sam McKenzie, D-Knoxville, said he appreciated Martin’s bill but wished it went further in protecting First Amendment freedoms, which he said go beyond religion.
“It does put us into these pigeon holes,” McKenzie said, “and we’re not really exercising our First Amendment freedom when we limit it to certain things.”
(READ MORE: Southeast Tennessee book challenges center on LGBTQ+ issues, Greek mythology and more)
Hakeem and McKenzie voted in support of the bill.
The legislation would not impact a school’s ability to remove books due to inappropriate content or poor conditions.
During a meeting of the house education committee Wednesday, state Rep. Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville, was present but chose not to vote on Martin’s bill.
“I don’t know that I’m against the bill,” Johnson said by phone. “I just have some questions of what this bill was for. What is he trying to prevent? What is it based on? That’s what I would like to ask and wasn’t able to.”
As lawmakers work to wrap up the legislative session in the coming weeks, Johnson said questions and discussion of bills have been limited to speed up the process.
“If we don’t have time to talk about the bills,” Johnson said, “we shouldn’t be passing them.”
Johnson is the only representative who has not voted in favor of Martin’s bill as it’s gone through committees.
The bill will face a house floor vote Monday.
Contact Sarah Dolgin at sdolgin@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6556.