NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A bill that would allow businesses to require their employees to speak English at work is headed for a full House vote.

The House Consumer and Employee Affairs Committee advanced the bill sponsored by Republican Rep. Matthew Hill of Jonesborough on a voice vote on Wednesday.

Hill said the bill would allow the English requirement in the interest of "workplace safety" and would protect employers from potential lawsuits. The companion bill is awaiting a vote in the Senate Commerce Committee.

A similar measure passed the Senate in 2008 but failed in a House subcommittee. Later that year, Hill tried to attach his measure to an unrelated bill about sewage systems, but it was defeated among largely partisan lines.

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Read HB2685 at http://capitol.tn.gov

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