Minority contracting programs banned statewide
The “Dismantling DEI Departments Act,” a bill that passed the Tennessee General Assembly this spring, appears to have banned minority contracting programs statewide. (Mark Humphrey/AP Photo file)
A bill that passed the Tennessee General Assembly this spring appears to have effectively banned minority contracting programs statewide, throwing local efforts into legal limbo.
Multiple local government entities have interpreted the bill as banning efforts at diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in government contracting.
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Samuel Hardiman
Samuel Hardiman is an enterprise and investigative reporter who focuses on local government and politics. He began his journalism career at the Tulsa World in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he covered business and, later, K-12 education. Hardiman came to Memphis in 2018 to join the Memphis Business Journal, covering government and economic development. He then served as the Memphis Commercial Appeal’s city hall reporter and later joined The Daily Memphian in 2023. His current work focuses on Elon Musk’s xAI, regional energy needs and how Memphis and Shelby County government spend taxpayer dollars.
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