Tennessee Bill Bans Local Rewards for Wage, Anti-Bias Policy

Private employers in Tennessee that have anti-LGBT-discrimination or “living wage” policies couldn’t get preferential treatment by cities or counties in contracting or tax incentives, under a bill that passed the state House on March 21.

H.B. 563 would prohibit government entities from providing such preferences based on businesses’ wage, benefit, or anti-bias policies, expanding Tennessee’s existing ban on such mandates. Bill sponsor Rep. Jason Zachary (R) said it would strengthen Tennessee’s business-friendly climate by ensuring businesses don’t face governmental “discrimination” based on their employment policies, as long as they follow state and federal law.

“The business owners of our community ...