Gender definition bill passes in Texas Senate, heads to governor
House Bill 229 defines males as 'an individual whose biological reproductive system is developed to fertilize the ova of a female,' which it defines as an 'individual whosebiological reproductive system is developed to produce ova.'
Previous: Senate committee holds late night public comments hearing on gender definition bill
These definitions fall mostly in line with another bill that defines male and female, SB 1188. That bill requires Texas' medical providers to record a person's 'biological sex.' The only difference is for males, which SB 1188 defines as having a reproductive system 'developed to produce sperm.'
HB 229 also sets certain findings into Texas law, placing men as 'on average, bigger, stronger, and faster than females.' It also 'finds' that 'females more physically vulnerable than males to specific forms of violence, including sexual violence.'
Sen. Molly Cook, D-Houston, led a spirited opposition to the bill just before midnight. HB 229 sponsor Sen. Mayes Middleton, R-Galveston, and Cook engaged in over 20 minutes of debate on the Senate floor.
A motion was made to record the debate between Middleton and Cook in the legislative journal. It passed without objection. The written record will likely become available following the 89th Legislative Session's close.
At around 1 a.m. Wednesday, HB 229 was quickly passed along party lines in the Senate. It dodged the Senate's bill deadline by nearly 24 hours.
The law goes into effect Sept. 1 unless Gov. Greg Abbott vetoes the bill.
HB 229 mandates that state and local agencies use a binary view of sex when collecting information that identifies the sex of a person.
'A governmental entity that collects vital statistics information that identifies the sex of an individual for the purpose of complying with antidiscrimination laws or for the purpose of gathering public health, crime, economic, or other data shall identify each individual as either male or female,' the bill states.
It is unclear how the agencies will make that determination beyond using already issued documents.
Opponents of the bill testified before committees in the Texas House of Representatives and Senate that the bill will erase intersex Texans. Intersex people are born with reproductive systems that don't fit within these definitions.
'Each individual is one of two sexes, male or female, and individuals diagnosed with a disorder of sex development or as intersex are not considered to belong to a third sex and must receive accommodations in accordance with state and federal law,' the bill reads.
The bill's supporters hold that the bill is a step toward further restrictions on transgender life in Texas. One such restriction is a private spaces ban, which would prevent people from using restrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity. This session's SB 240 attempted such a ban, but died in the House State Affairs Committee.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Axios
14 minutes ago
- Axios
Scoop: Schumer courts Peltola for Alaska Senate race
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is quietly pressing former Rep. Mary Peltola (D) to plunge into the Alaska Senate race. Why it matters: Schumer (D-N.Y.) is trying to recruit his way out of a bad map. Landing Peltola would give him a third statewide winner to cause problems for Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.). Recapturing the majority is still an uphill battle for Democrats, but when they squint — and make some favorable assumptions about tariffs and the unpopularity of the "one big, beautiful bill" — they are starting to see a path back to 51 seats. The focus of Schumer's current charm offensive is Peltola, the last Democrat to win a statewide election in Alaska, and one of just two Democrats to do so this century. Democrats want to convince her to challenge Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), who is up for reelection next year. Zoom out: In New Hampshire and Georgia, the state's popular GOP governors both took passes on the Senate, disappointing many in the party. Schumer got who he wanted in Ohio with former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D), and in North Carolina with former Gov. Roy Cooper (D). The more states Schumer puts in play, the more resources he will drain from national Republicans, who will have to spend heavily to retain their incumbents. Zoom in: Democrats have been laying the foundation for a challenge of Sullivan. A group associated with a Schumer-linked PAC earlier this year spent more than $600,000 on digital ads bashing Sullivan. The spots focused on the GOP's tax and spending cut package. Alaska's unique ranked-choice voting helped Peltola win a special election in 2022. She received 40 percent of the first round votes, while her two GOP candidates divided the remaining 60 percent. But after former GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin was eliminated for coming in third place, more of her supporters listed Peltola as their second choice, giving her a majority victory with 51.5 percent. In 2024, House Republicans worked to ensure that only their top vote winner in the primary — who ended up being Rep. Nick Begich — would stay in the race. Begich beat Peltola on the second ballot. What they're saying:"Chuck Schumer's best options in red state Senate races are losers like Mary Peltola," said the NRSC's Nick Puglia. "She would be a standout candidate, which is probably why Sullivan is going around town griping about how nervous he is about next year," said the Senate Majority PAC's Lauren French. The bottom line: Similar to the dynamic in Ohio, there are some Alaska Democrats who would prefer Peltola run for governor.
Axios
14 minutes ago
- Axios
Dems fear "vicious" primary
House Democrats are looking on in agony as Congressional Progressive Caucus chair Greg Casar (D-Texas) and Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) appear destined to duke it out for a single congressional district. "They are going to be vicious," one senior House Democrat told Axios, speaking on the condition of anonymity to offer candid thoughts on a sensitive internal battle. Why it matters: It would pit a 36-year-old rising progressive star against a well-liked, 78-year-old stalwart of the left at a time when age is already one of Democrats' biggest headaches. "Most of us are TRYING to stay out," a senior House progressive wrote in a text to Axios. Zoom in: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is unlikely to pick sides in this member vs. member race, sources told Axios. A Democratic leadership aide said there's a zero percent chance Jeffries weighs in. State of play: Casar and Doggett would share a single Austin-based district under the new congressional map that Republican state legislators are proposing. Doggett, who has been repeatedly targeted by Republicans in redistricting during his more than 30 years in Congress, currently represents much of Austin and its suburbs. Casar, a former Austin city councilman first elected to Congress in 2022, represents parts of southern and eastern Austin in a district that snakes down to San Antonio. Under the new map, the Austin portions of Casar's district would be merged with Doggett's. Both lawmakers are angling to run in the new 37th district, which would be heavily Democratic and centered in Austin. Doggett wrote Sunday that "over 2/3 of my current constituents will remain in the Trump configured CD37" and that his "seniority is an asset, not a liability." He urged Casar to "not abandon his reconfigured CD35, in which he is the only incumbent," noting it would be majority Hispanic and arguing that Casar could "use his organizing skills and populist message to win over the disaffected, particularly disaffected Hispanic voters." Casar's chief of staff Stephanie Trinh wrote yesterday that Doggett sent out his email "without discussing it with Greg or his team" and said it contained "incorrect information." The bottom line: Casar is ruling out a run in the new 35th district, a San Antonio-area seat that voted for Trump by 10 percentage points and contains just a tenth of his current constituency.
Axios
14 minutes ago
- Axios
Scoop: Chuck's Alaska target
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is quietly pressing former Rep. Mary Peltola (D) to plunge into the Alaska Senate race. Why it matters: Schumer is trying to recruit his way out of a bad map. Landing Peltola would give him a third statewide winner to cause problems for Senate Majority Leader John Thune. Recapturing the majority is still an uphill battle for Democrats, but when they squint — and make some favorable assumptions about tariffs and the unpopularity of the "one big beautiful bill" — they are starting to see a path back to 51 seats. The focus of Schumer's current charm offensive is Peltola, the last Democrat to win a statewide election in Alaska, and one of just two Democrats to do so this century. Democrats want to convince her to challenge Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), who is up for reelection next year. Zoom out: In New Hampshire and Georgia, the state's popular GOP governors both took passes on the Senate, disappointing many in the party. Schumer got who he wanted in Ohio with former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D), and in North Carolina with former Gov. Roy Cooper (D). The more states Schumer puts in play, the more resources he will drain from national Republicans, who will have to spend heavily to retain their incumbents. Zoom in: Democrats have been laying the foundation for a challenge of Sullivan. A group associated with a Schumer-linked PAC earlier this year spent more than $600,000 on digital ads bashing Sullivan. The spots focused on the GOP's tax and spending cut package. Alaska's unique ranked-choice voting helped Peltola win a special election in 2022. She received 40 percent of the first round votes, while her two GOP candidates divided the remaining 60 percent. But after former GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin was eliminated for coming in third place, more of her supporters listed Peltola as their second choice, giving her a majority victory with 51.5 percent. In 2024, House Republicans worked to ensure that only their top vote winner in the primary — who ended up being Rep. Nick Begich — would stay in the race. Begich beat Peltola on the second ballot. Between the lines: Similar to the dynamic in Ohio, there are some Alaska Democrats who would prefer Peltola run for governor.
