Rep. Justin Lafferty, a Republican in the Tennessee House of Representatives, dropped his push in HB2581 to end the ability for public universities in the state to award tenure on Feb. 18.

In a meeting of the Higher Education Subcommittee, Lafferty voiced that he has “struggled” with the future of this bill, after researching the history of tenure.

Lafferty alluded to many examples when tenure was beneficial in American history, and even went so far as to pull examples from the Vietnam era.

Many University of Tennessee officials have warned the lawmakers of this bill that it will have extremely consequential effects and could tarnish the reputation of the university.

Charles Noble, president of the UT faculty senate in Knoxville, upheld this sentiment.

“We would see drops in rankings,” Noble said. “We would have a hard time getting recruiters.”

Lawmakers also discussed Tamar Shirinian, a former assistant professor on the tenure track, during the meeting. A tenured Shirinian would have most likely seen protections against suspension from UT, as it is designed to safeguard academic freedom.

Although the bill is no longer being supported, Rep. Lafferty has still opened up the idea of revisiting the law.

While some thought an exception may have been carved for for UT, that never came up in conversation surrounding the bill.

If passed, the bill would have taken into effect before the fall 2026 semester began. However, with support backing out, it will not take into effect at all.