Latest news with #HouseBill64
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tennessee lawmakers send anti-transgender bathroom bill to governor's desk
Tennessee's Republican-dominated Legislature voted Thursday to send legislation to limit access to facilities at residential education programs 'by immutable biological sex' to Gov. Bill Lee's (R) desk, where it is expected to be signed into law. Tennessee senators passed House Bill 64 Thursday in a 25-4 party-line vote. The proposal, one of several this session to zero in on transgender young people, is geared toward summer camps and pre-college programs that allow students to stay overnight. The bill's sponsor, Tennessee Republican state Rep. Gino Bulso, told a House subcommittee in February he introduced the legislation after an unnamed constituent complained to him that the directors of a summer program their daughter planned to attend at a local private university asked them whether their child would share a room with a transgender girl. The constituent declined, according to Bulso, but told the lawmaker the program's organizers also failed to inform them their daughter would be sharing bathroom and shower facilities with the transgender student. 'The purpose of this bill,' Bulso said in February, 'is just to see to it that this does not continue to happen in the state of Tennessee.' The state House voted 74-18 in favor of the bill earlier this month. Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R) ordered troopers to remove at least one protester from the gallery after Majority Leader William Lamberth (R) cut off debate. State Rep. Aftyn Behn, a Nashville Democrat, said the move was part of Republicans' 'pattern of weaponizing their supermajority status to either punish a disparate worldview or block minority voices from the conversation,' according to The Tennessee Lookout. Tennessee Republicans during Thursday's Senate debate said the measure is needed to protect women and girls' private spaces. Democrats and state LGBTQ rights groups, which have called for Lee to reject the legislation, said the bill unjustly and disproportionately impacts transgender youth, who make up just a fraction of the population. 'I don't think any of us ever hear from our constituents that they want us to come up to the legislature to bully trans people,' said Democratic state Sen. Heidi Campbell. 'These issues are very personal, and the government, in my opinion, should not have a role in it.' Tennessee law already bars transgender students in K-12 schools from using facilities and playing on sports teams that match their gender identity. In 2023, the state was among the first to adopt a law rigidly defining sex as only male and female, determined 'by anatomy and genetics existing at the time of birth.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
28-02-2025
- Health
- The Hill
Wyoming adds new regulations for abortion clinics
Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon (R) signed a new bill into law regulating surgical abortions in the state. Gordon signed House Bill 42 late Thursday night which adds 'additional safety requirements' to surgical abortion facilities in Wyoming while the state's 'the state's abortion prohibition is being considered by the Wyoming Supreme Court,' according to a statement from his office. Abortion is currently legal in Wyoming until fetal viability after a years-long battle in the state to restrict access. Anti-abortion advocates and some Republican lawmakers have introduced legislation seeking to ban the procedure. Under the new law, the state's only clinic offering surgical abortions — Wellspring Health Access — will need to be licensed as an ambulatory surgical center before it can perform the procedure again. It also requires clinics that perform at least one abortion a year to have a physician with admitting privileges to a hospital located within 10 miles of the clinic. Physicians must also report each surgical abortion to the Wyoming Department of Health. 'Make no mistake—this law directly targets our clinic with the explicit goal of forcing us out of business,' President of Wellspring Health Access Julie Burkhart said in a statement. 'By doing so, it limits healthcare options, increases costs, and puts countless individuals at risk.' Wellspring added in its statement that the law is 'blatantly unconstitutional' and interferes with Wyomingite's ability to 'freely exercise their constitutional right to seek health care as they see fit. Wellspring has since filed a lawsuit challenging the newly enacted law. 'The newly approved Criminal TRAP Laws will strip Wyoming women and their families of their fundamental rights,' the lawsuit reads. '…[they] attempt to indirectly ban abortion by regulating Wyoming women and abortion providers…' The lawsuit also seeks to challenge another piece of legislation on its way to the governor — House Bill 64 — which requires women in the state to undergo an ultrasound within 48 hours before receiving the drugs needed for a medication abortion. Under the bill, pregnant women will receive an ultrasound to provide them with the chance to 'view the fetal heart motion' or to 'hear the heartbeat' of the fetus.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Bill requiring a transvaginal ultrasound before taking an abortion pill clears Senate
CHEYENNE – Senators overwhelmingly supported a House bill Tuesday afternoon that requires women to undergo a transvaginal ultrasound no more than 48 hours before taking an abortion pill. House Bill 64, 'Chemical abortion-ultrasound requirement,' will now go back to the House of Representatives for a concurrence vote on the Senate amendments. If House members concur, the bill heads to the governor's desk. If representatives fail to concur, three appointed members from each chamber will meet to debate the bill in a joint conference committee. Wyoming Freedom Caucus member and House Speaker Chip Neiman, R-Hulett, the bill's primary sponsor, has called HB 64 'compassionate legislation.' The 48-hour waiting period, which is not based on scientific or medical fact, is a time window for women to reflect on the decision before terminating their pregnancy, Neiman said. The House speaker at first denied this as anti-abortion legislation, running on the premise that it's geared toward protecting women. On the House floor, however, Neiman admitted his intent behind the legislation is to discourage pregnant women from seeking an abortion. 'I definitely want to try everything that I possibly can to provide the opportunity for life to exist and have that chance,' Neiman said during the bill's second reading in the House. Constitutional arguments In the Senate, a bipartisan handful of lawmakers spoke against the bill, arguing it violated a Wyoming constitutional provision that allows competent adults to make their own health care decisions. Sen. Chris Rothfuss, D-Laramie, said this bill 'is the poster child' of what that provision 'obligates (the Legislature) to protect against.' He also pointed to another section of that provision, which requires the state 'to preserve these rights from undue governmental infringement.' Sen. Chris Rothfuss, D-Laramie (2025) Sen. Chris Rothfuss, D-Laramie 'Mr. President, that's our job,' Rothfuss said. 'We're the government that is supposed to be there for the people, to preserve these rights from undue governmental infringement. And yet here we are bringing legislation that is unreasonable, irrational and medically unjustified, undue infringement.' Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander, who voted against HB 64, said the state government is wrongly inserting itself into the state Constitution. The Lander senator also referred to Article 1, section 7 of the Wyoming Constitution, which prohibits 'absolute, arbitrary power.' Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander (2025) Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander 'This is the Senate, the Wyoming Legislature, exercising absolute power, going against professional boards that we've established, going against licensing procedures, going against a constitutional amendment that guarantees persons the right to make their own health care decisions,' Case said. 'If you don't like what the Constitution says, you have the right to change it.' Sen. Lynn Hutchings, R-Cheyenne, said the Wyoming Constitution also allows the Legislature to 'determine reasonable and necessary restrictions … to protect the health and general welfare of the people or to accomplish the other purposes set forth in the Wyoming Constitution.' Sen. Lynn Hutchings, R-Cheyenne (2025) Sen. Lynn Hutchings, R-Cheyenne 'I think it's our right and desire to try to do everything we can to either stop it or make it as safe as possible,' Hutchings said. Sen. Charles Scott, R-Casper, who voted against HB 64, said this bill exacerbated Wyoming's health care crisis. Sen. Charles Scott, R-Casper (2025) Sen. Charles Scott, R-Casper 'We're having a shortage of doctors in Wyoming in obstetrics gynecology,' Scott said. 'This is … exacerbating our problem.' Senate amendments Sen. Gary Crum, R-Laramie, tried to add an amendment that removed the requirement for the transvaginal ultrasound, based on public testimony arguing this is an extremely invasive procedure. He visited with several medical providers who told him a topical ultrasound would be able to tell the viability of a fetus. Sen. Gary Crum, R-Laramie (2025) Sen. Gary Crum, R-Laramie 'I think this bill is to check the viability of life and protect the life of an unborn child,' Crum said, 'not to hurt or embarrass someone.' However, several Republican senators argued this ultrasound would fail to detect how far along the woman is in the pregnancy, and his amendment failed in a voice vote. Sen. Evie Brennan, R-Cheyenne (2025) Sen. Evie Brennan, R-Cheyenne Sen. Evie Brennan, R-Cheyenne, successfully brought an amendment to the bill that reduces the felony penalty to a misdemeanor. Instead of a sentence of up to five years in prison, up to a $20,000 fine or both, Brennan's amendment reduced it to a maximum of six months imprisonment, up to a $9,000 fine or both. Other Senate amendments adopted in the bill altered some definitions to align with medical terminology or other legislation.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New Tennessee bathroom bill on transgender access targets residential educational facilities
Two Republicans are seeking to require any educational facilities that house minors overnight to segregate restrooms and shower areas based on "immutable biological sex," in an effort to protect girls' privacy. House Bill 64 seeks to require any 'residential educational program' in Tennessee that serves minors to segregate restrooms, changing areas and showers 'by immutable biological sex.' The bill would apply to programs of any duration, run by both public and private entities. It's sponsored by Rep. Gino Bulso, R-Franklin, and Sen. Janice Bowling, R-Manchester. The bill passed a first committee hurdle on Tuesday, passing the House Education Administration Subcommittee in a 5-1 party line vote after about 30 minutes of discussion. 'My constituents tell me that they believe that girls, when they're going into the bathroom or into the shower, deserve privacy and security such that only other girls are allowed to share those same facilities,' he said. 'They don't want boys in there.' During the hearing, Bulso said he brought the bill because of the experiences of a family in his district. A local private university's summer program asked parents if they would consent to their teenage daughter being assigned a roommate who is transgender. They did not consent to the roommate assignment, and objected to the young people sharing shower and restroom facilities. "The school was going to allow boys who quote, identified, close quote, as girls to share the same showering and restroom facilities on the floor of the dormitories where the students would be housed," Bulso said. "The purpose of this bill ... is to protect girls, protect young ladies and their privacy." Bulso said he considers the measure an 'issue of public health and safety.' 'The boys who are identifying as girls at this particular residential educational program are actively flirting with some of the girls in the bathroom,' Bulso said. State law already bars transgender students from accessing sex-based multi-use restrooms and changing facilities, instead requiring schools to offer another 'reasonable accommodation' to transgender students and school staff. A federal judge dismissed a legal challenge last September. In 2021, Gov. Bill Lee signed a law requiring businesses that allow transgender people to use facilities associated with their gender identity to post a sign notifying the public. That law was struck down by a federal judge a year later. It's rare that a subcommittee draws a crowd on the first full day of hearings during a legislative session. But House Hearing Room 4 was packed on Tuesday afternoon as spectators held signs that read 'Flush HB 64' and 'Get your mind out of the toilet and do something to actually protect our kids.' Rep. Ronnie Glynn, D-Clarksville, the lone Democrat on the committee, condemned the bill as an attack on minorities, and said lawmakers should address far more pressing matters, like child hunger, household expenses, and housing. 'When I think about the attacks constantly on folks we don't agree with because we don't like their lifestyle, it's really disheartening,' Glynn said. 'Yet we continue this ongoing battle to demonize folks we don't agree with. It's as if we are back in slavery days when folks continued to demonize Black folks because they didn't look the right way or they didn't act the right way.' Rep. Scott Cepicky, R-Culleoka, questioned whether the legislation would create an unfunded mandate for private institutions. Bulso responded that he sees no cost of compliance. 'Recall that 20 years ago, every educational institution that dealt with minors was likely to have a boys bathroom and a girl's bathroom. I believe that is still the case,' Bulso said. 'It's not so much that anything needs to be built. It's just a question of who is allowed to use which restroom facility and which showering facility.' Cepicky also questioned whether mothers would still be able to take 4- and 5-year-old sons into the restroom with them. Bulso said prohibiting such an action is not the intent of the bill. 'Shameful!' one demonstrator called, as Bulso left the room. 'What bathroom am I supposed to use?' another called out. 'This is pedophile behavior, Bulso!' one spectator roared. Vivian Jones covers state government and politics for The Tennessean. Reach her at vjones@ This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee bathroom bill targets trans access at residential facilities
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
North Carolina bills push to reduce early voting, challenge governor's clemency powers
RALEIGH, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Republicans in the State House of Representatives introduced bills Wednesday related to early voting and further limiting gubernatorial powers. House Bill 66, sponsored by Rep. Wyatt Gable (R-Onslow County), calls for decreasing the number of days allotted for early voting in North Carolina. It would begin no earlier than the second Monday before an election, compared to the third Thursday that is currently practiced. The early voting period would still end at 3 p.m. the Saturday before each election. The other legislation, House Bill 64, aims to limit the governor's authority to grant clemency to convicted criminals. Anson County Rep. Mark Brody wants this power to be approved by the General Assembly and would be extended beyond conviction to include the start of the defendant's sentence. Gov. Cooper commutes 15 death sentences on last day as North Carolina governor The Bill, if passed, would go to the ballots to be approved by the state's voters in 2026. Just before Roy Cooper's governship ended in December, he commuted 15 death row sentences and issued two pardons of forgiveness. Last December also saw the passage of Senate Bill 382, when Republicans overrode a Cooper veto that limited not only governor's power, but that of other state leaders. Many of the new Council of State members who took office in January are Democrats, including Gov. Josh Stein and Attorney General Jeff Jackson. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
