John Ragan

John D. Ragan, Jr.
Ragan in 2018
Member of the Tennessee House of Representatives from the 33rd district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 11, 2011
Preceded by	Jim Hackworth
Personal details
Born	(1948-12-16) December 16, 1948 (age 75)
Political party	Republican
Residence(s)	Oak Ridge, Tennessee, U.S.
Alma mater	United States Air Force Academy
Occupation	Business consultant

John D. Ragan Jr. is an American politician. A

John D. Ragan Jr. was born on December 16, 1948, in Morganton, North Carolina.^[1]

Ragan attended the University of North Carolina, the University of Oklahoma, University of Southern California, and the University of Tennessee.^[2]

Ragan graduated with the United States Air Force Academy Class of 1971 earning a 2.8 GPA toward his completion of a baccalaureate degree in Engineering Science.^[2] Ragan later earned a master's degree in Aeronautical Sciences from Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University.^[1][3] He also attended the University of Tennessee as a post-graduate student and the University of Oklahoma, the University of Southern California, and the University of North Carolina in professional capacities.^[1]

Career

Ragan served as a

Ragan has also worked as a substitute teacher with local school systems.^[5]

Tennessee House of Representatives

In 2010, Ragan was first elected as State Representative to the General Assembly for the 33rd district, formerly represented by Jim Hackworth. His campaign focused on education, illegal immigration, and the economy.^[6][7][8] In 2010, he said, based upon academic studies by Vanderbilt University and other sources, that there wasn't sufficient evidence that public funding for early childhood education was needed.^[9] A year later, he voted to overturn teacher union collective bargaining rights but supported collaborative bargaining.^[10]

Subsequently, he won re-election in 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2020.^[11] In 2012 his Democratic Party opponent was Jim Hackworth, the former incumbent he had defeated in 2010.^[12] Ragan won re-election with 51% of the vote. In 2014, he was opposed by Caitlin Nolan in the Republican primary, which Ragan won with nearly 55% of the vote. The Democratic candidate who had qualified withdrew, so Ragan was unopposed in the general election. In 2016 he won with 66% of the vote over Democratic candidate Michael S. McKamey. In 2018, Richard Dawson was the Democratic candidate, and Ragan won with 61% of the vote. In 2020, Ragan was unopposed in both the Republican primary and the general election.^[11] Ragan won re-election again in 2022, receiving nearly 62% of the vote over Democratic challenger Jim Dodson.^[13]

In the 110th Tennessee General Assembly (2017-2018) Ragan served as Vice Chair of the House Government Operations Committee, Vice Chair of the Joint Subcommittee on Education, Health and General Welfare, member of the House Health Committee and Subcommittee, Co-Chair of the National Conference of State Legislatures Nuclear Legislative Working Group, Member of the House Health Subcommittee and main Committee, Member of Southern States Energy Board.

In 2023, Ragan supported a resolution to expel three Democratic lawmakers from the legislature for violating decorum rules. The expulsion was widely characterized as unprecedented.^[16]

2017

In 2017 Ragan was the Tennessee House of Representatives sponsor of a bill that would require Tennessee driver's licenses and IDs for non-citizens of the U.S. who lack permanent residency status to prominently feature the words “alien” or “non-permanent resident” in capital letters.^[17]

2020

On June 9, 2020, Ragan voted as a member of the House Naming, Designating, & Private Acts Committee against removing a

In May 2021, at the end of the legislative session, Ragan introduced an amendment to an education bill to prohibit public and charter schools in Tennessee from "teaching that:^[20]

• "One race or sex is superior;
• "Any individuals are "inherently privileged, racist, sexist, or oppressive" because of their race or sex;
• "A person should receive adverse treatment due to their race or sex;
• Their moral character is determined by race or sex;
• "A person bears responsibility for past actions by other members of their race or sex;
• "A person should feel discomfort or other psychological distress because of their race or sex;
• "A meritocracy is racist or sexist or designed to oppress members of another race or sex;
• "The United States is fundamentally racist or sexist;
• "Promoting the violent overthrow of the U.S. government;
• "Promoting division or resentment between race, sex, religion, creed, nonviolent political affiliation, or class;
• "Ascribing character traits, values, moral codes, privileges or beliefs to a race;
• "The rule of law does not exist, but instead is a series of power relationships and struggles among racial or other groups;
• "Americans are not created equal and are not endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, including, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; or
• "Governments should deny to any person within the government's jurisdiction the equal protection of the law."

His proposal, which was described as a ban on teaching critical race theory and has also been called the "prohibited concepts" law, was quickly adopted by the General Assembly,^[20] which was controlled by a Republican supermajority.^[21] The bill was later signed into law by Governor Bill Lee, becoming (with minor revisions) a new section in Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, Chapter 6, Part 10.^[22][23]

In July 2023 the Tennessee Education Association (an affiliate of the

John Ragan receives attention for his leadership in promoting measures to prevent government, schools, and businesses from identifying transgender persons and other LGBTQ persons as a protected class or providing accommodations. He denies the concept that people can be transgender, stating in 2020 that "The idea that we can defy reality by saying we think this is the way it is or we feel this is the way it is, is an absurdity."^[25] LGBTQ advocates have decried legislative proposals that he sponsored, together with related measures introduced by his legislative colleagues, as a "Slate of Hate."^[26][27] In 2019, over 100 clergy from across Tennessee signed a statement opposing the six bills identified that year as the "Slate of Hate.^[28]

In 2019 he introduced a bill to expand the definition of "public places" in law related to the crime of indecent exposure, so that it would apply to "incidents occurring in a restroom, locker room, dressing room, or shower, designated for single-sex, multi-person use, if the offender is a member of the opposite sex than the sex designated for use." A provision of the bill stated that psychiatric diagnosis of "gender dysphoria (or) gender confusion" could not be a defense against criminal charges.^[29][30] The bill passed both houses of the legislature after revisions.^[31] Explaining his reasons for the bill, Ragan told a reporter that he was concerned that his granddaughters might see male genitalia in a public restroom, and said "I don't care if they think they're a woman."^[29]

In 2020, Ragan and State Senator Janice Bowling were co-sponsors of a bill that, as described in media reports, would largely ban puberty-blocking and gender-affirming medical treatments for persons under age 18 and establish criminal penalties for medical providers and parents who enabled children to receive treatments in violation of the law's restrictions.^[32] He introduced a similar bill in the 2021 legislative session.^[25]

Also in 2020, Ragan was the House sponsor for a bill to authorize adoption agencies to refuse to provide

In the 2022 legislative session Ragan was the House sponsor for a bill to withhold state education funding from K-12 public schools that allow transgender youth to participate in girls' sports. The bill easily passed both houses of the General Assembly.[36]

On 22 August 2022, citing his position as chairman of the Government Operations Committee of the Tennessee House of Representatives, Ragan sent a letter to eleven Tennessee state colleges and universities informing them that "college and university publications, policies and websites have no legal authorization or requirement to state or imply LGBTQ is a protected class under Title IX," that any policy "modifications related to the 23 June 2021 letter from the US Department of Education could be interpreted as violating state law." The letter advised schools to "immediately revoke and/or remove any publications, policies and website entries ... that state or imply that LGBTQ students, etc., are a protected class under Title IX" and report their actions to his legislative office by 2 September.^[37][38] Chris Sanders of the LGBT advocacy group Tennessee Equality Project accused Ragan of overstepping his authority by micromanaging the universities, saying that "instruct[ing] one of our public universities what to do, that’s not his job. His job is to make state laws."^[39]

Personal life

Ragan is a

Ragan is married to his wife Elizabeth (Liz). They are the parents of two children (deceased), and three grandchildren.[1]^[2]

Notes