Tennesseans can now file discrimination complaints with the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office.
But anyone who had a pending discrimination case with the agency that previously fielded and investigated those complaints, the Tennessee Human Rights Commission, will have to refile their complaint. Lawmakers, in deciding to close the Human Rights Commission, chose to dismiss all pending complaints on June 30 and give people 90 days to refile their complaint with the new office.
Complaints can be filed at stateoftennessee.formstack.com/forms/cred.
The Tennessee General Assembly in its last legislative session dissolved the Tennessee Human Rights Commission, with Republicans justifying the end of the 62-year-old office with claims that the Attorney General’s Office would put “more teeth” in civil rights enforcement and increase government efficiency.
The AG’s office opened its Civil Rights Enforcement Division July 1. The division, like its predecessor, accepts complaints under the Tennessee Human Rights Act and the Tennessee Disability Act. The new division investigates discrimination claims in employment, housing, public accommodations and education in Tennessee, according to its website.
“Our office takes this new responsibility seriously and aims to enforce our laws with excellence, integrity, and efficiency,” Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, whose background includes working in the civil rights unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Memphis, said in a news release.
While the Human Rights Commission’s 30 full-time positions were transferred to the new Civil Rights Enforcement Division, the Nashville Banner reported in June that only three of the commission’s original employees were kept in their positions.
The commission was established in 1963 during the Civil Rights Movement.
In a farewell letter that has since been removed from the state’s website but can be accessed through the Internet Archive, the commission’s last executive director Muriel Nolen said she was hopeful the AG’s office would continue the commission’s work.
“Although the Commission will cease to exist, the (Tennessee Human Rights Act) and the (Tennessee Disability Act) still stand, and Tennesseans are still legally entitled to their civil rights,” Nolen said. “We are hopeful that the AG’s Office will continue our work and uphold the civil rights and responsibilities for all Tennesseans.”
Have questions about the justice system? Evan Mealins is the justice reporter for The Tennessean. Contact him with questions, tips or story ideas at emealins@tennessean.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: TN discrimination cases dismissed, must be refiled with AG in 90 days