DETAILS ON TEXAS ‘BATHROOM BILL’ UNVEILED
Senator Lois W. Kolkhorst and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick unveiled legislation Thursday that would require people to use the bathrooms based on their birth genders in public schools and state and local government facilities.
At a news conference in Austin, Sen. Kolkhorst- who authored Senate Bill 6, also known as the Texas Privacy Act- and Lt. Gov. Patrick gave details on the bill which is expected to spur a battle over transgender rights.
Under the proposed bill, businesses in Texas could create their own bathroom policies, and local governments would be barred from passing ordinances that interfered with them.
The bill would also create civil penalties against school districts or government entities that didn’t designate dressing rooms, locker rooms, and bathrooms for use based on a person’s biological sex listed on their birth certificate.
While a similar “Bathroom Bill” in North Carolina spurred a backlash last year, Senator Kolkhorst says this bill “is written not to begin a controversy, but to end one.”
"The Texas Privacy Act is a thoughtful solution to a sensitive issue. It preserves an expected level of privacy for our public schools and buildings. At the same time, it also allows for schools and universities to make personal accommodations for those requesting an alternate setting. Senate Bill 6 also allows Texas businesses to determine their own policy without government interference” said Kolkhorst.
Kolkhorst said the bill is unique to Texas in that it also enhances the penalties for a litany of crimes committed in a bathroom against any individual, regardless of their sex or gender identity.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, lawmakers in six other states (Alabama, Missouri, South Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky and Washington) have pre-filed or introduced legislation that would base access to bathrooms on birth gender.
Deliberate distractions, that is the jist of this nonsense. As usual the right is leading the SHEEP away from the fact of legislative failures. Our broken foster care system, Our deteriorating primary education, state revenues in a continual free fall, appalling cuts on services for the most vulnerable citizens, large decreases in health benefits for state employees, rising property taxes. DON’T be distracted. Contact your representative and demand they fulfill their responsibilities to you and your state.
“All it takes for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.” Thank you, Lois, for doing something!
This is a terrible idea that does not benefit anyone. Women will not be any safer if this is passed because criminals don’t follow the laws. Sexual assault is already illegal and yet it still happens. The same people who are against gun control because it penalizes law abiding citizens are the same ones who want to penalize law abiding transgendered people because of what criminals might do. Does anyone not see the irony in this? I’ve voted for Kolkhorst in every election and thought she was looking out for the public’s needs, but I have lost a bunch of respect for her. I can’t believe she wants to push something this stupid through. I’m all for women’s safety but women are not at great risk of being molested in a public restroom. Anything can happen but more laws will not prevent it, especially laws that can’t be enforced.
The controversy in North Carolina regarding HB2 not only focuses on bathroom gender issues which there are no documented court cases that it has ever been an issue, but also restricts counties from raising the minimum wage. It was also done in a midnight Legislative session with no time for public input.
If Texas wants to pursue their own bill my hope is that it is done in an open forum with time for public input with proof from the courts that it is truly a problem, and not an imaginary solution. North Carolina also has suffered huge financial consequences (through tourism and trade) from passing what is called a “Hate Bill” with President-elect Trump calling it a solution which created the problem.
Paint it any way you can, it is vote pandering at its worst. And we are paying for this travesty disguised as government. Bad move, lost my vote on this fiasco.