Latest news with #Kauth
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Proposal to ban most THC, consumable hemp products in Nebraska delayed until at least 2026
State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of Omaha. Dec. 12, 2024. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner) LINCOLN — A legislative effort backed by Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers to ban most consumable hemp and other THC products in the state stalled Friday and will now wait until at least 2026. State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of the Millard area, sponsor of Legislative Bill 316, asked that her Legislative Bill 316 be 'passed over' on Friday. She waited to do so until just 10 minutes before a two-hour debate would have ended, a time when Kauth would have needed 33 votes to survive a filibuster. After that, she would have needed 25 votes to pass LB 316 and send it to Gov. Jim Pillen. Kauth had the backing of most of the officially nonpartisan Legislature's 33 Republicans. But Republican State Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair held to his promise to oppose LB 316 if it wasn't amended to explicitly protect medical cannabis products. Kauth tried to address Hansen's concerns and would have, said Hansen. But lawmakers ran out of time, because State Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha and other opponents successfully blocked LB 316 from being amended. Hilgers has argued that THC products with delta-8 are already illegal, to which Cavanaugh said Friday that if that's true, a bill isn't needed. Hansen said the current 'environment' with Hilgers, who has opposed medical cannabis and has launched a statewide campaign against delta-8, could be 'hostile.' Hansen said there was language in LB 316 that could 'greatly impact' medical cannabis. 'That's something I cannot have,' Hansen said. 'I think the people passed [medical cannabis] for a specific reason, and I think they are then due to have what they voted for.' Hilgers helped lead opposition to Hansen's proposal for clearer medical cannabis regulations and guardrails with 53 sheriffs. His LB 677 fell short 10 votes of advancing on May 20. Part of Friday's last-ditch effort featured pressure on State Sen. Jane Raybould of Lincoln, who said she was concerned about 'bad actors' in the THC arena but didn't want to take away the health products some Nebraskans rely on. Raybould echoed Hansen that lawmakers should allow a new medical cannabis regulatory commission to proceed with directives for those products. Kauth said multiple times during the debate that her bill had nothing to do with medical cannabis and that more than a dozen amendments from Cavanaugh made it 'impossible' to seek the changes needed to keep her bill moving forward. 'No one is going into anyone's homes and searching their medicine cabinets,' Kauth said. 'That is more hyperbole and hysteria from the left.' State Sen. Jared Storm of David City, who prioritized Kauth's LB 316 for this year's session, encouraged Nebraskans not to buy the 'garbage' products. He repeated that he would never jeopardize 'the health or safety of our citizens of this state, especially children and young adults, for revenue.' LB 316 would prohibit raw hemp above 0.3% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) of any concentration and with processed hemp prohibit the lesser of 0.3% THC on a total weight basis or 10 milligrams per package, effective Jan. 1. The mature stalks of Cannabis sativa and its fiber, oil, cake and any other naturally derived products would not be considered hemp, leaving a narrow legal path for some hemp-based products such as fibers and textiles. If the bill passed, it would have included a 'consumer safe harbor period' through the end of 2025 to give consumers time to discard any 'illegal hemp' as newly defined under LB 316. Legal products would have faced an additional 10% wholesale tax at the time of purchase. The new excise tax revenue raised would have been directed toward property tax relief. Besides protecting the voter-approved medical cannabis laws, Kauth also worked with State Sen. Tom Brandt of Plymouth to offer an 'affirmative defense' in court if someone could prove they previously legally purchased what would have become 'illegal hemp' under LB 316. That could include a receipt. State Sen. Dan McKeon of Amherst, a Republican who represents a Pleasanton-based hemp company that has offered tours to state senators of its facilities, said there are good actors that lawmakers should be working with. State Sen. Dan Lonowski of Hastings, a close ally of McKeon, said there are no 'good actors.' Nebraska lawmakers again advance ban of most THC, consumable hemp products Kauth read a letter from Hilgers that had said if LB 316 passed, his office would have announced a pause on new civil enforcement actions against 'businesses operating in good faith' for at least 120 days, exactly through the end of 2025. Kauth declined to provide a copy of the letter because LB 316 did not pass. Kauth and Storm said they now hope Hilgers ramps up his legal efforts against THC stores. Many hemp-focused businesses said the broad language in LB 316 would shut down their industry, even as supporters said the bill wouldn't touch them. Kauth said Friday that some businesses that were fighting the changes are essentially 'admitting that they are selling dangerous, untested, unregulated, synthetic pot products.' 'They are pushing the health and well-being of their pocketbook above the health and well-being of Nebraskans,' Kauth said. 'I'm extraordinarily disappointed that that is where we have come.' Cavanaugh, who again led opposition to the bill, said regulations and not a ban were still the best path forward. He said LB 316 would go in the 'opposite direction' of economic development for budding businesses who are 'good actors.' His LB 16, to implement regulations on THC products, did not advance from the Judiciary Committee this year, and lawmakers repeatedly rebuffed his efforts. Cavanaugh repeated Friday that he is 'ready, willing and able to work on a regulatory scheme that will actually do this the right way and answer all the concerns that people have.' State Sen. Terrell McKinney of North Omaha, who also pushed for regulations, said Kauth's bill could cause more harm than good and that the state should let people be adults. 'Why do we have to act as if we're the moral compass for the state? We're senators. We're not people's parents,' said McKinney. State Sen. Margo Juarez of Omaha said she had purchased CBD with hemp in it for her nearly 101-year-old mother, but she didn't have a receipt for the product. Cavanaugh said the proposed defense provision only dealt with individuals, so businesses would have needed to destroy or sell all products by September, when the bill, if passed, would have taken effect. If not, business owners would risk 'countless felonies,' Cavanaugh argued. The debate on LB 316 has seen senators forcefully disagree with what would be banned, with supporters arguing it would only ban 'synthetic' chemically modified hemp or THC, while opponents said the bill would stretch to CBD, creams, ointments and most other products. Part of that is because LB 316 would count the THC level based on all concentrations — delta-8, delta-9, delta-10, etc. — and not just 0.3% delta-9 THCc. Cavanaugh and State Sen. Wendy DeBoer of Omaha have said that it could criminalize possessing a gummy as a felony. Supporters of LB 316, however, say that only chemically modified 'synthetic' products would be banned. Nebraska lawmakers in 2011 already banned 'synthetic' marijuana, such as K-2 or spice. Most hemp or other hemp-derived products require chemical modifications, such as heat. State Sen. Tanya Storer of Whitman said that while, as a conservative, she doesn't think government should be in the way of business or entrepreneurship, government does have a role to protect people 'from things that they couldn't otherwise do for themselves independently.' 'Individuals do not have the capacity to know the processes that go into developing a product. That's what we have things like the FDA for,' Storer said, referring to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Cavanaugh, McKinney, Raybould and State Sen. George Dungan of Lincoln repeatedly said that was part of the reason why regulations, not a ban, would be better, treating the products similarly to alcohol, tobacco or other drugs. Kauth said that with lawmakers' failure to move forward, senators must own that the next time someone dies because of the products, they will know: 'We could have stopped it.' LB 316 will return next year one vote away from passing, with eight minutes to go in the third round of debate, though it's unclear what amendments might come. Rescheduling would be up to Speaker John Arch of La Vista. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Lawmakers define male, female in Nebraska law for school sports
State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of Omaha, center, joins Gov. Jim Pillen and First Lady Suzanne Pillen at a Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, news conference. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner) LINCOLN — All Nebraska student-athletes will soon be legally required to play on interscholastic sports teams based on the student's sex at birth under a legislative bill passed Wednesday at the governor's urging. Legislative Bill 89, the 'Stand With Women Act' from State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of the Millard area, passed 33-16 after a one-hour debate. Speaker John Arch of La Vista limited the length of time for the third round of debate by labeling the bill as 'controversial and emotionally charged.' Nebraska will join more than two dozen states with similar laws already on the books. While LB 89's passage is good, Kauth said, it's not the finish line. 'We're kind of in a marathon,' Kauth told the Nebraska Examiner. 'We're at mile three or four.' Gov. Jim Pillen after the vote confirmed he would sign the bill into law. He said the 'legislative win' would lead to 'many more victories for Nebraska's female athletes, as we ensure a level and fair playing field for all girls who compete.' State Sen. Megan Hunt of Omaha, who again led opposition to LB 89, said the bill was about 'exploiting women's sports as a proxy to attack transgender people,' particularly children, and a push for 'authoritarianism.' 'It signals that we are willing to prioritize political theater over actual governance, that we are willing to criminalize difference, that we will twist Title IX, which was meant to expand opportunity for everybody, into a tool of exclusion,' Hunt said. 'This bill is not about sports, and it's not about protecting women.' Under the bill, 'sex' would be defined as whether someone 'naturally has, had, will or would have, but for a congenital anomaly or intentional or unintentional disruption, the reproductive system that at some point produces, transports and utilizes' either eggs (female, woman or girl) or sperm (male, man or boy) for fertilization. Public school competitive sports would be restricted to students' sex at birth, for males or females only, unless the sport is coed/mixed. There would be an exception for sports with no female equivalent team, such as football. Private schools would need to adopt a similar policy if student-athletes compete against public institutions. A student-athlete would need to verify sex at birth with a doctor's note before participating in single-sex sports. Kauth said she envisions such verification coming during a student's physical exam. State Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha said seventh grade physicians don't include a 'genital inspection' — which Kauth repeats her bill does not require — and that the bill 'does not specify that the doctor has to adhere to the definition of sex that you put into this.' 'It just says that they have to answer that question,' Cavanaugh said. 'In your rush to get this done, to get something to check a box, you haven't even done it well.' All 245 public school districts in the state, as well as community colleges, state colleges and the University of Nebraska, would need to adopt a policy complying with the new law. Enforcement of the new law would be left up to each individual school district. The bill mirrors the current status quo for Nebraska schools after the Nebraska School Activities Association ended a Gender Participation Policy that had been in place since 2016. Fewer than 10 students had applied and been approved under the policy, which offered a narrow path for transgender students to participate in sports matching their gender identity. The National Collegiate Athletic Association made a similar change earlier this year. Both athletic associations changed their policies following executive orders from President Donald Trump to administratively define sex as binary. Pillen issued a similar executive order in 2023 that continues to apply to most state agencies. Kauth's LB 89 would have originally applied to school and college bathrooms and locker rooms, but at the request of State Sen. Merv Riepe of Ralston, a decisive vote for overcoming a filibuster, the bill was limited to sports. 'Sometimes making incremental steps is the best way to go,' Kauth said May 14, when the Riepe amendment moved forward to keep LB 89 moving. The bill required at least 33 votes to move forward in the face of opposition, meaning Kauth needed Riepe or one Democratic lawmaker in his place. All Democratic lawmakers opposed the bill, as did Hunt, a nonpartisan progressive. State Sen. Loren Lippincott of Central City, the only LB 89 supporter to speak during the limited debate, said the law 'protects fairness, safety and opportunity for our female athletes.' 'This isn't about exclusion,' he said. 'It's about ensuring our daughters, sisters and friends have a level playing field to compete, succeed and shine.' Kauth said she was 'a bit disappointed' about not being able to address school bathrooms or locker rooms this year but that she would bring those issues back in 2026. She said she and Riepe have discussed what comes next and that he has mentioned he wants to watch and see what happens in the next year, which would help determine Kauth's next steps. Riepe said May 14 that he would not support bathroom restrictions because he was against turning the Legislature into a 'vehicle for fear, overreach and culture war crusades.' 'I did not run for office to become part of the 'Nebraska State Potty Patrol,'' Riepe said during the most recent debate. Pillen, speaking with the Nebraska Examiner in April, said he would accept the pared-back LB 89 'if that's where it ends up.' He said if a boy goes into a woman's restroom, 'the rest of the boys will take care of him.' Kauth said LB 89 would prevent self-policing and that a 'high-trust society' would give faith that someone under her law is on the 'right' sports team, or as in her larger bill, the 'right' bathroom. Some opponents, such as Hunt and Cavanaugh, have said Kauth's bill would lead to questions of whether anyone is allowed in the 'right' bathroom or locker room, regardless of their sex or gender identity, based on their appearance. State Sen. John Fredrickson of Omaha said that someday soon the 'fog' against transgender Nebraskans would lift and supporters of Kauth's bill would move on to the next 'craze.' However, he said, lawmakers would be left with the 'rubble' and how they voted. 'It's a political football. It's using a community as a pawn, and it's doing so at a time when frankly the house is on fire and it's essentially saying, 'Don't look over here, let's talk about this.' And real people, real Nebraskans, are the collateral damage of that type of activity.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘De facto ban' of most ‘synthetic' consumable hemp products in Nebraska advances
A marijuana plant at the Dakota Herb grow operation near Tea, SD. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight) LINCOLN — A legislative proposal to crack down on 'synthetic' consumable hemp or other THC products advanced Monday over some opponents' preference for regulations and not a 'de facto ban.' Legislative Bill 316, from State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of the Millard area, would redefine most 'hemp' products to mean 'marijuana,' putting them legally in line with existing enforcement and penalties. It advances a key priority of Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers to restrict products that exceed 0.3% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) concentrations, the compound most commonly associated with getting a person high. 'These compounds are masquerading as hemp but are in fact dangerous synthetic chemicals that have never been tested for consumption in humans,' Kauth said during debate. The bill advanced 33-13, though at least two supporters — State Sens. Tom Brandt of Plymouth and Ben Hansen of Blair — said the bill would need to be amended to maintain their support and overcome the 33-vote threshold for a filibuster. Three more centrist Democratic lawmakers declined to take a position on the bill: State Sens. Eliot Bostar of Lincoln, Jason Prokop of Lincoln and Dan Quick of Grand Island. Multiple opponents said they preferred the regulatory regime proposed in LB 16 by State Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha, the lead opponent to Kauth's bill. Cavanaugh's bill would need to hitch a ride on a different bill, or 'co-opt' LB 316. Cavanaugh filed more than a dozen amendments to LB 316 to try. 'I'm opposed to hijacking other people's bills, but I put it on here because I think people in this body will agree that we need to do something,' Cavanaugh said. Cavanaugh described the goal of attacking only 'synthetic' products as a 'red herring,' 'misnomer' and 'misdirection' that would cost more than $1.6 million, at least, in state tax revenue at a time the state faces a major projected budget deficit. However, he said his bill could generate $7.7 million with an improved regulatory system. State Sen. Jared Storm of David City, who selected LB 316 as his 2025 priority bill, said he repeatedly asked during a public hearing on Kauth's bill what ingredients are in delta-8 products — a form of THC that is legal in the state under 2018 federal and 2019 state laws. He also asked where the items come from or who is manufacturing them, but 'nobody could ever tell me.' Hilgers was one of 43 lawmakers in 2019 who voted to enact the Nebraska Hemp Farming Act. Storm said 'effective regulation of this industry is impossible' and that the products are 'garbage' attached to a little bit of cannabidiol (CBD) to vape, smoke or eat. Storm said he would never jeopardize 'the health or safety of our citizens of this state, especially children and young adults, for revenue.' State Sen. Brad von Gillern of the Elkhorn area, chair of the Revenue Committee, agreed. LB 316 would prohibit raw hemp above 0.3% THC of any concentration and for processed hemp the lesser of 0.3% THC on a total weight basis or 10 milligrams per package, effective Jan. 1. The mature stalks of Cannabis sativa and its fiber, oil, cake and any other naturally derived products would not be considered hemp, leaving a narrow legal path for fibers and textiles. If the bill passed, it would include a 'consumer safe harbor period' through the end of 2025 to give consumers time to discard any 'illegal hemp' newly defined under LB 316. Legal products would face an additional 10% wholesale tax. Cavanaugh and State Sens. George Dungan of Lincoln and Danielle Conrad of Lincoln, all lawyers, said the bill creates a 'gray zone' where it's unclear what would be legal and what would be a misdemeanor or infraction for possession or a more serious felony crime. They said it could result in a 'de facto ban' as a result. State Sen. Wendy DeBoer of Omaha, a former lawyer and vice chair of the Judiciary Committee that advanced LB 316 in a 5-3 vote, said LB 316 is part of a 'felony factory' where products for lotions, creams or dog chew could lead to felony charges, or in the case of gummy-eating 'grannies' who she said might have such products 'in the back of their medicine cabinet.' DeBoer said a cousin recently sent her a recipe from 'Taste of Home' magazine for slow cooker cannabutter as a joke as LB 316 was set to be debated. 'We're going to make felons of all the grannies that subscribe to 'Taste of Home' magazine,' DeBoer said. Brandt said it was 'ridiculous' that people could face felony criminal possession charges. While he voted for the bill to move forward, he said that if the possession language was not amended, though he could not say to what extent it would need to be changed, he would not support it again. Under state law, marijuana possession of more than 1 ounce but less than 1 pound is a Class III misdemeanor, while greater amounts are a Class IV felony. Smaller amounts can be up to a Class IIIA misdemeanor with up to a $500 fine or jailing for up to seven days for repeated infractions. Brandt said he wanted to target 'active ingredients' and protect Nebraskans who might have old CBD products at home that were legally purchased. 'This is hemp. This is not marijuana, guys,' Brandt said. State Sen. Carolyn Bosn of Lincoln, chair of the Judiciary Committee and a former prosecutor, disagreed with DeBoer and said it was a 'clarification' rather than a new penalty. 'You're playing whack-a-mole with trying to regulate this drug,' Bosn said, saying she opposed any effort to change Kauth's LB 316 toward Cavanaugh's LB 16. Bosn also read information from the AG's Office that of an estimated 300 THC stores in Nebraska, visitors to each of the ones the AG's Office purchased from have found at least one unlawful product. The office has filed at least 15 lawsuits, some settled, in that ongoing push. Cavanaugh said that was why regulations were needed and why 'reputable' shop owners wanted new guardrails. His LB 16, in part, would prohibit sales near schools and require testing. Dungan repeatedly referred to LB 316 as a prohibition-era law, similar to opposition to whiskey or bourbon, that didn't prevent sales but instead created a 'black market.' 'We all know history is a good predictor of the future,' Dungan said. Multiple opponents also tried to describe a link between CBD or hemp and medical cannabis legislation. Storm and others supporting LB 316 have sought to limit permissible medical cannabis forms to manufactured products like tinctures, oils or creams, while outlawing sales of cannabis flowers or buds. Dungan said that was hypocritical. Kauth, Storm and others said LB 316 had nothing to do with medical cannabis and that even more liberal-leaning states have cracked down on THC, hemp and delta-8. Hansen, whose LB 677 would help implement voter-approved medical cannabis, said he is working on an amendment to LB 316 to protect medical cannabis products. He said he isn't swayed one way or another on the bill. But he said that for his support, he wanted to explicitly protect the products. However, getting Hansen's amendment over the finish line could be tricky around Cavanaugh's more than a dozen amendments, and multiple motions to kill the bill if his amendments fail. Kauth has filed two placeholder amendments that could offer a path for changes requested by Brandt and Hansen. State Sen. Margo Juarez of Omaha read a letter from a Nebraskan who reached out that CBD and hemp products targeted under LB 316 gave the person's grandfather a new life, around sleeping pills or other medications, expressing fear that the alternatives could be threatened. 'These aren't people looking to get high,' Juarez read from the letter. 'These are people looking for relief, for dignity and a better quality of life.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Fox Sports
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Fox Sports
Nebraska bill to ban transgender students from the bathrooms and sports of their choice advances
Associated Press LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska bill that would bar transgender students from bathrooms, locker rooms and sports teams that correspond with their gender identity has advanced from the first of three rounds of debate — but with a caveat. Sen. Merv Riepe, who helped tank an effort to pass a similar bill last year, agreed Tuesday to provide the 33rd vote needed to break a filibuster against the bill. But only if the bill's sponsor agrees to support his amendment to remove language that would ban bathroom and locker room use, leaving only the ban on sports participation. That amendment will be introduced in the next round of debate, Riepe said. 'They've agreed to it,' Riepe said of the bill's main sponsors. 'They know if they don't, I'll kill it in the next round.' The bill from Omaha Sen. Kathleen Kauth is a reprisal of one she has introduced repeatedly in recent years. It was billed in 2023 as a companion to another Kauth measure restricting gender-affirming medical care for minors. The medical care bill passed and was enacted, but the bathroom and sports bill failed to advance from committee. Last year, the measure failed to break a filibuster when Riepe and fellow Republican Sen. Tom Brandt joined with 15 Democrats and an independent in the officially nonpartisan Legislature to kill it. This year, the measure gained the vocal backing of Republican Gov. Jim Pillen, who placed it among his legislative priorities for the year, and the bill was rebranded as the 'Stand With Women' act. In that vein, lawmakers who supported the measure spent much of the debate arguing that it was needed to protect women's safety in intimate spaces like bathrooms and locker rooms and to guard women's sports from ostensibly stronger and faster transgender competitors. 'This is not fairness,' Republican Sen. Loren Lippincott said of transgender women competing in women's sports. 'It's a setback for women's sports.' Opponents argued that the bill is discriminatory and targets a population already vulnerable to bullying and abuse. Some also took issue with the idea that women need protection from transgender people. 'As a woman, I don't need protection from transgender women,' Sen. Wendy DeBoer said. 'If I need protection — if I need it at all — it's from a cisgender man.' Kauth pushed back aggressively, sometimes using descriptions offensive to the transgender community. 'If your definition of women is men who believe that they're women, then you're incorrect,' she said. 'A trans woman is a man.' Protesters against the bill wandered the rotunda just outside the legislative chamber doors during the debate. But they remained more subdued than in years past, when hundreds of protesters chanted against anti-trans measures. About 30 supporters of the bill wearing shirts that read 'Stand With Women' filled the seats of one of the chamber's public viewing balconies. Following the vote, at least one person yelled from the balcony, 'Shame on you! Shame on you guys!' in this topic
The Independent
23-04-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Nebraska bill to ban transgender students from the bathrooms and sports of their choice advances
A Nebraska bill that would bar transgender students from bathrooms, locker rooms and sports teams that correspond with their gender identity has advanced from the first of three rounds of debate — but with a caveat. Sen. Merv Riepe, who helped tank an effort to pass a similar bill last year, agreed Tuesday to provide the 33rd vote needed to break a filibuster against the bill. But only if the bill's sponsor agrees to support his amendment to remove language that would ban bathroom and locker room use, leaving only the ban on sports participation. That amendment will be introduced in the next round of debate, Riepe said. 'They've agreed to it,' Riepe said of the bill's main sponsors. 'They know if they don't, I'll kill it in the next round.' The bill from Omaha Sen. Kathleen Kauth is a reprisal of one she has introduced repeatedly in recent years. It was billed in 2023 as a companion to another Kauth measure restricting gender-affirming medical care for minors. The medical care bill passed and was enacted, but the bathroom and sports bill failed to advance from committee. Last year, the measure failed to break a filibuster when Riepe and fellow Republican Sen. Tom Brandt joined with 15 Democrats and an independent in the officially nonpartisan Legislature to kill it. This year, the measure gained the vocal backing of Republican Gov. Jim Pillen, who placed it among his legislative priorities for the year, and the bill was rebranded as the 'Stand With Women' act. In that vein, lawmakers who supported the measure spent much of the debate arguing that it was needed to protect women's safety in intimate spaces like bathrooms and locker rooms and to guard women's sports from ostensibly stronger and faster transgender competitors. 'This is not fairness,' Republican Sen. Loren Lippincott said of transgender women competing in women's sports. 'It's a setback for women's sports.' Opponents argued that the bill is discriminatory and targets a population already vulnerable to bullying and abuse. Some also took issue with the idea that women need protection from transgender people. 'As a woman, I don't need protection from transgender women,' Sen. Wendy DeBoer said. 'If I need protection — if I need it at all — it's from a cisgender man.' Kauth pushed back aggressively, sometimes using descriptions offensive to the transgender community. 'If your definition of women is men who believe that they're women, then you're incorrect,' she said. 'A trans woman is a man.' Protesters against the bill wandered the rotunda just outside the legislative chamber doors during the debate. But they remained more subdued than in years past, when hundreds of protesters chanted against anti-trans measures. About 30 supporters of the bill wearing shirts that read 'Stand With Women' filled the seats of one of the chamber's public viewing balconies. Following the vote, at least one person yelled from the balcony, 'Shame on you! Shame on you guys!'
