Ayres Hall at the University of Tennessee (MICHAEL PATRICK/NEWS SENTINEL)

By Richard Locker of the Knoxville News Sentinel

NASHVILLE — A bill that would strip the University of Tennessee of $100,000 a year in state funding for certain diversity and inclusion operations began advancing in a House subcommittee Tuesday — but on a separate track than a similar effort underway in the state Senate.

House Bill 2248 as originally filed by Rep. Micah Van Huss, R-Johnson City, would strip all state funding from UT's Office for Diversity and Inclusion. But Van Huss entered the House Education Subcommittee on Tuesday afternoon with an amendment that would take $100,000 a year for the next three years away from UT and use it instead to pay for decals bearing the national motto "In God We Trust" on law enforcement vehicles.

The amendment would also prohibit UT from using any state funds "to promote the use of gender-neutral pronouns, Sex Week or to promote or demote a religious holiday." The committee approved the amendment and moments later, the bill, on an unrecorded group voice vote.

Rep. Eddie Smith, R-Knoxville, asked Van Huss whether he would be willing to accept an amendment later, in the full House Education Committee, that would allow UT to keep the $100,000 a year and use it to recruit students from six Tennessee counties with no students currently enrolled through UT's various diversity efforts — including minority students, veterans and students who are the first in their families to attend college. Van Huss said he would be willing to discuss such an amendment with Smith before the bill reaches the full committee next week.

But he declined a suggestion by Smith, the chairman of the Knox County legislation delegation, to hold off and give UT time to work out its controversies internally under a separate bill already approved by the House to restructure the UT administration.

Smith said that bill makes reporting lines clearer in the UT campus and system administration and makes clearer the responsibilities of the UT board of trustees.

"Would it be advantageous to take a step back, allow that process to work to see if (they) can fix these issues internally rather than us doing it, and if not we have a mechanism to hold those individuals accountable?" Smith asked.

Van Huss: "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. … Personally I don't trust the University of Tennessee to fix the problem on their own."

The Senate Education Committee on March 2 recommended stripping $8 million from the UT budget for diversity and inclusion operations and reroute it to agricultural extension and other rural outreach programs. That proposal still must be considered by the Senate Finance Committee.

Related:

UT students, staff visit state Capitol to voice concerns over diversity, outsourcing (March 8, 2016)

UT leaders say vote to defund diversity office is ‘clear and concerning’ (March 3, 2016)

Senate panel votes to strip UT diversity office of all state funding (March 2, 2016)

Lawmakers question inclusivity at UT (March 2, 2016)

UT students say bias reporting needs to improve; Kane skeptical (March 2, 2016)

UT Diversity Matters, administrators make progress point by point (March 1, 2016)

UT vice chancellor calls students ‘impressive’ for dedication to diversity (Feb. 16, 2016)

UT rally to ‘fight back’ on outsourcing, diversity draws hundreds (Feb. 5, 2016)

Photos: UT Diversity Matters coalition teach-in (Feb. 4, 2016)

UT administrators, diversity coalition meet, review demands (Feb. 4, 2016)

Meeting between UT chancellor, diversity coalition falls through (Jan. 29, 2016)

Administrators to respond to demands from UT Diversity Matters (Dec. 13, 2015)

Students, faculty stress support for diversity at UT (Dec. 10, 2015)

Lawmaker says he'll draft bill to defund UT diversity office (Dec. 7, 2015)

Peace on campus? UT students rally behind 'counseled' diversity official after Christmas controversy (Dec. 9, 2015)

UT president responds to holiday controversy (Dec. 9, 2015)

Letter: Support UT officials, inclusion, diversity (Dec. 9, 2015)

Editorial: Reaction to UT holiday party recommendations is too extreme (Dec. 8, 2015)

UT faculty back Jimmy Cheek, Rickey Hall after criticism over holiday party recommendations (Dec. 7, 2015)

UT holiday post fallout: Keep Cheek, chuck correctness (Dec. 4, 2015)

UT backlash over holiday party recommendations grows (Dec. 4, 2015)

Rep. Daniel: UT diversity efforts going too far (Dec. 4, 2015)

UT criticized for holiday party advisory (Dec. 4, 2015)

UT students endorse gender-neutral pronouns (Dec. 3, 2015)

Cheek shares views on diversity with campus (Nov. 20, 2015)

Lawmaker questions UT salaries in diversity programs (Sept. 28, 2015)

UT nixes gender-neutral pronoun suggestion (Sept. 4, 2015)

Gender-neutral terms encouraged at UT, criticized by legislators (Aug. 28, 2015)