Tenn. GOP bill would strip $100,000 from school diversity to fund 'In God We Trust' stickers

A Republican state representative in Tennessee is sponsoring a bill that would defund diversity programs at the University of Tennessee and use the money for "In God We Trust" stickers that would be placed on law enforcement vehicles.

According to the Knoxville News Sentinel, Republican state Rep. Micah Van Huss filed House Bill 2248 to strip funds from UT's Office for Diversity and Inclusion, and to prohibit the school from using any state funds "to promote the use of gender-neutral pronouns, Sex Week or to promote or demote a religious holiday."

On Tuesday, Huss offered an amendment to his bill that would strip an additional $100,000 a year from the university and use it to pay for "In God We Trust" stickers for law enforcement vehicles.

The House Education Subcommittee approved both the amendment and the bill on a voice vote, the News Sentinel reported.

Republican Rep. Eddie Smith asked Huss if he would be willing to discuss a compromise that allowed UT to "fix these issues internally rather than us doing it."

"I don't know if it would be advantageous to take a step back. The University of Tennessee and specifically the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, in my mind and my research, has a history of repeat offenses," Huss replied. "Personally I don't trust the University of Tennessee to fix the problem on their own."