{"id":2194327,"date":"2024-03-06T17:01:01","date_gmt":"2024-03-06T22:01:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bill-to-protect-customers-from-de-banking-for-religious-political-reasons-advances-in-tennessee\/"},"modified":"2024-03-06T17:01:54","modified_gmt":"2024-03-06T22:01:54","slug":"bill-to-protect-customers-from-de-banking-for-religious-political-reasons-advances-in-tennessee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bill-to-protect-customers-from-de-banking-for-religious-political-reasons-advances-in-tennessee\/","title":{"rendered":"Tennessee Advances Bill to Safeguard Customers from De-Banking for Religious or Political Reasons"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbill-to-protect-customers-from-de-banking-for-religious-political-reasons-advances-in-tennessee%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2194327&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>A Tennessee Bill \u2064Aims to Protect Citizens\u2062 from Political and Religious Discrimination by Banks<\/h2>\n<p>A proposed Tennessee bill that aims to prevent\u2062 banks from discriminating against individuals based on their political or \u200creligious views has advanced\u200c in the state House. This development comes amidst growing concerns that financial\u2063 institutions\u2062 are unfairly targeting \u2064conservatives.<\/p>\n<p>The bill, \u200dsponsored by Rep.\u200d Jason Zachary, a Republican from Knoxville, received a 5-1 vote in favor in the House&#8217;s Subcommittee on Banking and Consumer\u200d Affairs. Rep. Zachary expressed his worries about the alarming trend of freezing bank accounts due to religious or political beliefs. He emphasized the importance of putting an end to \u2063this dangerous practice in \u200bTennessee, as it goes against the\u200d values of the state. He\u200b further stated that \u2062Tennessee Republicans are committed to safeguarding \u200dcitizens&#8217; right to freely express their convictions.<\/p>\n<p>The proposed bill, known as HB2100, seeks to\u2063 prohibit financial institutions \u2063from \u2063denying or canceling \u200dservices based on speech, opinions, affiliations, religious\u200c beliefs, exercises, or affiliations. It aims to amend Tennessee&#8217;s consumer protection laws without affecting the quantitative factors already considered by banks. The\u2064 bill was amended to exclude insurance companies from its provisions.<\/p>\n<p>During the\u2064 subcommittee hearing,\u200c Rep.\u2062 Zachary highlighted ongoing cases in which customers in Tennessee have faced banking \u200brestrictions. He emphasized \u2064the significance\u200c of \u200cthe\u2064 legislation in protecting the well-being of Tennesseans and ensuring\u2062 they are not subjected to discrimination. He challenged banks that claim not to engage\u200b in such practices, stating \u2062that they should have no issue with the bill.<\/p>\n<p>Additional \u2062testimony was provided by Chris Lee of the\u2062 National\u2063 Shooting\u2064 Sports Foundation and Chris Holmes, CEO of FirstBank. Lee supported \u2063the bill, citing instances where financial institutions\u2062 targeted \u2062the firearm industry. He referenced Citigroup&#8217;s gun policies\u2063 implemented in 2018, which refused to\u2064 work with partners involved\u2064 in certain firearm sales. Despite Citigroup&#8217;s attempts to rally support from other financial institutions, they were unsuccessful.<\/p>\n<p>Holmes, who opposes the bill, expressed concerns about burdensome regulations and \u200dthe potential\u2062 requirement \u2063for banks to work with \u200dbusinesses involved in pornography or marijuana. Rep. Zachary clarified that banks could still enforce their \u2062own policies regarding such entities. He specified that the bill only\u200b applies to banks\u2063 with assets exceeding $100 billion.<\/p>\n<p>The bill, backed by organizations like the Alliance Defending Freedom and the National Committee \u2064for Religious Freedom, will now\u200b proceed to the House Commerce Committee.<\/p>\n<p>This proposal coincides with congressional\u200c investigations into allegations\u2063 that\u200c federal law \u2063enforcement pressured financial institutions\u200d to monitor the financial transactions of supporters of former President\u2064 Donald \u200cTrump and \u2062individuals who \u2064visited outdoor stores like Cabela&#8217;s\u200c and Bass Pro\u200c Shops.<\/p>\n<h3>RELATED: Religious Liberty Advocates Warn Tennessee\u2064 Lawmakers \u2063About Dangers Of Politically Motivated &#8216;De-Banking&#8217;<\/h3>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What are some concerns\u200b raised by \u2063critics regarding the potential impact of this \u2063bill on banks&#8217; ability to assess risks and their\u200b discretion in choosing customers<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Idered by banks when extending services,\u200b such as \u200ccreditworthiness, risk assessment, or other \u2063legitimate \u2064business criteria.<\/p>\n<p>The motivation behind the bill stems\u2064 from numerous incidents across\u2062 the country \u2062where \u200bindividuals with conservative viewpoints \u2062have\u200c faced discrimination by banks. \u2062This includes cases of freezing\u2064 bank accounts and denying services solely based on their political or religious affiliations. Critics argue that \u200bthis represents \u2063a clear infringement on free speech \u200dand the right\u2064 to religious freedom.<\/p>\n<p>This issue\u2064 has gained national attention, \u200dwith several high-profile cases highlighting \u2063the need \u200cfor legislative \u200baction. One such case \u2063involved a Florida-based bank that closed the accounts of \u2064conservative activists, \u2064citing concerns \u2064over reputational risk. This incident, along with others, \u2064has raised concerns about the potential abuse of power by\u200d financial\u2063 institutions to target individuals based on their ideological beliefs.<\/p>\n<p>The proposed bill\u2062 in Tennessee aims to address this problem directly by explicitly prohibiting banks from engaging in discrimination based on\u2063 political or religious\u200b views. By doing so, it seeks to reinforce\u200d the fundamental principles of fairness, equality, and tolerance that form the bedrock of American democracy.<\/p>\n<p>Supporters of the bill argue that banks should not serve as arbiters\u2064 of free speech or religious expression. They contend that \u200cindividuals have \u200bthe \u2064right to hold and \u2064express their political or religious beliefs without\u200c fear of retaliation from their financial institutions.<\/p>\n<p>However, critics of the bill raise concerns about potential unintended \u2064consequences. They\u2062 argue that such legislation \u200cmight hinder banks&#8217; ability \u200dto assess risks properly, potentially leading to adverse effects\u200d on their financial stability. Additionally, \u2062opponents\u200d argue that\u200b banks should have the \u200cdiscretion \u2063to choose the \u200ccustomers they \u2063feel comfortable doing business with, within \u2062the confines \u200dof existing anti-discrimination laws.<\/p>\n<p>Nevertheless, the\u200c bill has \u200bgained\u2064 significant support in \u200cTennessee, \u200cparticularly among conservative lawmakers. Advocates argue that protecting\u2063 citizens from \u2064political or religious discrimination by banks is a necessary step \u2062to ensure\u2063 the preservation of personal liberties.<\/p>\n<p>The\u200c advancement of\u2063 the bill in the \u200dstate \u2063House Subcommittee on Banking and Consumer Affairs is an encouraging development for its proponents. \u2064However,\u2063 it still faces further deliberation and potential amendments before becoming law.<\/p>\n<p>If\u2064 passed, this bill would mark an\u2064 important milestone in the protection of individual freedoms. It \u200dwould\u200c send a\u200b clear message that discrimination based on political or religious views is not\u200d only unacceptable but also illegal. By safeguarding the rights of\u200d citizens to\u200d express their beliefs without fear of financial repercussions, Tennessee \u2063would\u200d set a precedent\u2062 for other \u200bstates to follow.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, \u200cthis bill represents an important step towards creating a \u200bfair \u2063and inclusive society. It is a reminder of the\u200c ongoing battle to uphold the principles of free expression and \u200dreligious freedom, even in\u2062 the realm of financial services. While the road ahead remains challenging, \u200cthe potential passage of this bill would be a \u200dsignificant victory for those who \u2063believe in the fundamental values that underpin the American democratic system.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Tennessee bill aiming to stop banks from discriminating based on political or religious beliefs progressed in the state House. Concerns over financial institutions targeting conservatives have sparked national attention. The Republican-supported bill moved forward in the House&#8217;s Subcommittee on Banking and Consumer Affairs with a 5-1 vote, divided along party lines<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":200,"featured_media":2194328,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2024\/03\/GettyImages-1498435453.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[541],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2194327","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-daily-wire"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2024\/03\/GettyImages-1498435453.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2194327","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/200"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2194327"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2194327\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2194328"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2194327"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2194327"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2194327"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}