Tennessee House kills bill that would have banned local officials from studying, funding reparations

By KIMBERLEE KRUESI and JONATHAN MATTISE
Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee’s Republican-dominant House has spiked legislation that would have banned local governments from paying to study or dispense money for reparations for slavery. The move marked a rare defeat on a GOP-backed proposal initially introduced nearly one year ago. But as scrutiny over the bill increased, nearly 30 Republicans joined House Democrats on Wednesday in tabling the bill. This included Republican House Speaker Cameron Sexton. State lawmakers began seriously considering banning the consideration of reparations only after the state’s most populated county, which encompasses Memphis, announced it would spend $5 million to study the feasibility of reparations for the descendants of slaves and find “actionable items.”