making it work. "At the end of the day," he said, "I think the most conservative principle there is, is giving people a dollar worth of value for a dollar worth of tax paid." Gun laws Haslam was formerly a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition, but he resigned early in 2009 and became a member of the National Rifle Association. When a candidate for governor, Haslam said he would sign a constitutional carry bill, but as governor, he opposed constitutional carry. Abortion Haslam is against abortion. Education As Governor, Haslam implemented education reform programs that offered tuition-free access to higher education. The Tennessee Promise program, launched in 2014, provides two years of tuition-free access for high school graduates to attend community or technical college. The Tennessee Reconnect program provides tuition-free access for most of the state's adults to earn an associate degree or technical certificate. Haslam framed the education reforms as part of economic development, as the state sought to provide its workforce with more skills and thus attract businesses to the state. LGBT issues Haslam opposes same-sex marriage, though he has stated that he wouldn't discriminate against gay employees. In May 2017, he signed a bill requiring the so-called "natural and ordinary meaning" of words in state law and government forms be used unless those words are specifically defined. This law will make it more difficult for same-sex couples to adopt children, pleasing socially conservative groups like the Family Action Council of Tennessee. The latter lobbied heavily for this bill to be passed, in order to ensure Tennessee courts only accept a 'traditional' definition of family. LGBT organization GLAAD issued a statement that Governor Haslam "has now placed the future of the state’s economy and the well-being of the LGBTQ community in jeopardy.”Jeff Woods, "Bill Haslam: 'Gay Rights Is a Broad Topic'" , The Nashville City Paper, July 10, 2011; retrieved November 3, 2011 Immigration laws Haslam has said he favors cracking down on businesses that employ illegal immigrants, and suggested he would sign a law requiring law enforcement officers to check the citizenship status of arrested individuals they suspect might be in the country illegally, if passed by the state legislature. Other On January 11, 2012, Bill Haslam endorsed Mitt Romney for the Republican nomination in the 2012 United States presidential election. This announcement came on the heels of Romney's victory in the New Hampshire