Latest news with #RileyGainesAct
NBC News
01-07-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Republican-led states advance Trump's agenda with new laws taking effect Tuesday
While Congress scrambles to pass President Donald Trump 's massive domestic policy bill, many red states are already implementing key aspects of his agenda through new laws this week. For most states, Tuesday is the start of a new fiscal year, when numerous laws take effect. Some of the statutes in Trump-won states this year mirror executive orders and other directives he signed early in his second term. Here's a sampling of the new laws set to be enforced. Targeting gender identity Indiana and Georgia are instituting bans on transgender women's participation in women's sports. Georgia's law is called the Riley Gaines Act, after the former collegiate swimmer who was a surrogate for the Trump campaign last year and has become an advocate for banning transgender athletes from women's sports. The issue of banning trans women from women's sports was a leading one for Trump, who campaigned on it and subsequently signed an executive order establishing the policy. Ohio will now allow parents to remove their children from lessons that include content about 'sexual concepts or gender ideology.' Teachers will also be required to inform parents if their children ask to be identified by genders different from their biological sexes at school. Iowa, meanwhile, is removing gender identity from its civil rights code, rendering it no longer a protected class. It is the first state to do so. Recognizing 'Gulf of America' Florida is enacting two laws officially recognizing the Gulf of Mexico as the 'Gulf of America.' State agencies will be required to implement the name change, and schools must do the same in educational materials, including K-12 textbooks. Florida is the first state to officially recognize the 'Gulf of America' after Trump signed an executive order seeking to make the change official. Implementing MAHA priorities Florida is also taking a page out of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s 'Make America Healthy Again' playbook. The Legislature passed an omnibus agriculture bill that, among other provisions, ends the addition of fluoride to tap water, a move mirroring Kennedy's plan to tell the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to stop recommending fluoridation in drinking water, long considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the 20th century. Florida is the second state to ban fluoride in its water, following Utah, where a ban took effect in May. Coordinating with ICE Indiana is enacting a law requiring county jails to report people they have probable cause to believe do not have legal status to the relevant federal authorities, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The law applies to people arrested on allegations of felonies or misdemeanors. Georgia implemented a similar law Dec. 31, followed by Utah on May 7. Trump signed an executive order about local and state governments' cooperating with immigration enforcement. Rolling back DEI measures Laws in two states to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives take effect Tuesday. Indiana is banning DEI from colleges and state agencies, prohibiting employers or colleges from offering jobs or student aid because of identity-based characteristics such as race, sex or religion. The law also will prohibit using state funds for campus activities that 'promote or engage in social activism.' Mississippi is banning DEI in schools. A new state law prohibits programs and teachings in the classroom and in school offices that it describes as engaging in 'divisive concepts,' further adding that schools cannot make hires based on 'race, sex, color' or 'national origin.' A federal judge is weighing whether to stop the law from going into effect. Trump signed an anti-DEI executive order in January banning such programs and activities at federal agencies and businesses with government contracts, also encouraging the private sector to end DEI practices. Gutting funding for NPR and PBS
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Morrisey signs bill ending DEI, approves legislation prohibiting youth gender surgery
hinton – Ending Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and prohibiting gender transition surgeries and hormone blockers for minors were on Wednesday's agenda when West Virginia's governor spoke in Summers County and signed two bills into law. During a ceremony in Summers County, Gov. Patrick Morrisey signed Senate Bill 474, which ends Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs in West Virginia. The governor also signed Senate Bill 299, which prohibits hormone blockers and gender transition surgeries for children under the age of 18. 'I pledged to root out DEI and eliminate the woke virus in West Virginia, and today, we're following through on that promise,' Morrisey said. 'We will lead with common sense, treat every citizen the same under the law, and protect children from making life-altering decisions at a young age.' The governor was joined by legislators and supporters at the Summers County Memorial Building for the ceremonial signing. He highlighted his previous actions to end DEI and other woke policies in the state, which includes issuing an executive order and signing the Riley Gaines Act (HB 456) which defines the terms men, women and mother in the State Code and allows for single-sex spaces in locations such as locker rooms, changing rooms and domestic violence shelters. Morrisey first described the efforts to create Senate Bill 474 and how it addressed Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policies. 'When I gave my inauguration speech, I pledged to root out DEI and eliminate the woke virus from the schools,' Morrisey said before signing Senate Bill 474. 'Now, I can report to you that we are following through with that promise and that's a wonderful reason to be here today. DEI is dead in the Mountain State.' Senate Bill 474 eliminates diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, trainings, activities, offices and officers from the executive branch, primary and secondary schools, and institutions of higher education of the state and requires higher education institutions to reallocate any unexpended funds that would have been used on diversity, equity and inclusion projects. 'I want everyone to understand that every person should be treated with dignity and view people equally both under the eyes of God and the rule of law,' Morrisey said before signing the legislation. 'Treat everyone equally under the eyes of God and the rule of law.' Morrisey then spoke about the purpose of Senate Bill 299. The legislation prohibits physicians, physicians assistants and advanced practice registered nurses from providing gender reassignment surgery or gender altering medication to a person under 18 years of age, and prohibits telehealth service providers from prescribing or dispensing gender altering medication to a person who is under 18 years of age. 'This concept that young men can just change and morph into becoming young women, I think that puts women at a particular disadvantage and threatens their safety,' Morrisey said. 'That's why I was very happy to sign that Riley Gaines Act. It's a law to protect women and preserve women's spaces.' In 2023, the Legislature passed legislation banning gender reassignment surgery and providing gender altering medications, but it left a loophole 'that you could drive a truck through,' Morrisey said. 'Let's step back for a moment,' he said. 'We don't even let our kids go in to purchase alcohol, tobacco, sign up for the military, so we sure as hell should not let our kids mutilate their bodies as well. I think that's just common sense. While most of Europe and other countries have ended this barbaric practice on minors, unfortunately it's still taking place in many parts of America.' Critics called hormone blockers gender affirming care, Morrisey said. 'And that was being used by doctors to continue mutilating our kids. Senate Bill 299 closes that loophole and officially ends the practice of child mutilation in the state of West Virginia,' he said. The governor issued a statement earlier about members of female track and field teams having to compete against males. 'I am hearing that high school track coaches in West Virginia are threatening to force girl track and field athletes to compete against a boy or face suspension – which could remove their opportunity to participate in the state championships,' Morrisey said. 'This cannot stand.' 'I believe what is going on right now in West Virginia – with boys playing sports against girls – to be abhorrent and contrary to law,' he said. 'While we wait for the Supreme Court to issue their ruling in this case, I'm calling on all coaches involved to let these brave athletes take a stand for what is right without unfair punishment. As we all work toward removing the wrongly-decided injunction in upcoming months, I ask for all tournament officials to keep a full set of results so that true winners of each event may be recognized when the Supreme Court rules in our favor.' Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Georgia Legislature approves transgender athlete ban
Georgia lawmakers on Monday sent legislation to bar transgender student-athletes from participating in girls' and women's sports to Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, who is expected to sign the measure into law. Georgia's Senate Bill 1 would require middle schools, high schools and colleges to restrict participation in sports and access to multioccupancy facilities like restrooms and locker rooms on the basis of students' 'reproductive biology and genetics at birth.' It employs narrow definitions of male and female that are based on an individual's capability to produce either 'human sperm' or 'human ovum.' Also known as the 'Riley Gaines Act,' named after the conservative activist who regularly campaigns against the inclusion of transgender girls in sports, the bill easily cleared both chambers of the state Legislature with support from Republicans and Democrats. 'Such a tremendous honor. There are few causes more worthy than protecting opportunities for the next generation,' Riley Gaines wrote on the social platform X after Georgia state House lawmakers passed the bill Monday. The lower chamber passed the measure in a 100-64 vote, with three Democrats voting with all Republicans to send it to Kemp's desk. Another 'Riley Gaines Act' applying rigid definitions of male and female in state code became law this month in West Virginia. In a statement on Monday, Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns (R) said the Legislature in passing the bill 'sent a clear message — biological men are not welcome in girls' sports or spaces here in Georgia.' The state's Lt. Gov. Burt Jones (R) called the measure's success in the general assembly 'a historic step toward achieving a critical goal for this session.' Jones, along with Gaines, attended a signing ceremony in Washington in February for one of President Trump's executive orders to ban transgender athletes from girls' and women's sports. Georgia's state Legislature, which is controlled predominantly by Republicans, in 2022 adopted a similar law creating a commission with the authority to ban transgender athletes from competing on sports teams that match their gender identity. The Georgia High School Association, the state's governing body for high school sports, passed a rule the same year mandating students' participation in athletics will be determined by their original birth certificate. LGBTQ and civil rights groups have largely opposed efforts to restrict or ban transgender athletes from participating on sports teams that best align with their gender identity, alleging they discriminate against trans young people and open the door to abuse. In January, House Democrats dubbed a GOP-backed measure to ban trans athletes from girls' and women's athletics nationwide the 'Child Predator Empowerment Act.' At least 25 states since 2020 have enacted laws barring transgender athletes from competing on teams that match their gender identity. Four of those laws — in Idaho, West Virginia, Utah and Arizona — are blocked by federal court orders. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
01-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Georgia legislature approves transgender athlete ban
Georgia lawmakers on Monday sent legislation to bar transgender student-athletes from participating in girls' and women's sports to Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, who is expected to sign the measure into law. Georgia's Senate Bill 1 would require middle schools, high schools and colleges to restrict participation in sports and access to multioccupancy facilities like restrooms and locker rooms by students' 'reproductive biology and genetics at birth.' It employs narrow definitions of male and female that are based on an individual's capability to produce either 'human sperm' or 'human ovum.' Also known as the 'Riley Gaines Act,' after the conservative activist who regularly campaigns against the inclusion of transgender girls in sports, the bill easily cleared both chambers of the state Legislature with support from Republicans and Democrats. 'Such a tremendous honor. There are few causes more worthy than protecting opportunities for the next generation,' Gaines wrote on the social platform X after Georgia state House lawmakers passed the bill Monday. The lower chamber passed the measure in a 100-64 vote, with three Democrats voting with all Republicans to send it to Kemp's desk. Another 'Riley Gaines Act' applying rigid definitions of male and female in state code became law this month in West Virginia. In a statement on Monday, Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns (R) said the Legislature in passing the bill 'sent a clear message—biological men are not welcome in girls' sports or spaces here in Georgia.' The state's Lt. Gov. Burt Jones (R) called the measure's success in the general assembly 'a historic step toward achieving a critical goal for this session.' Jones, along with Gaines, attended a signing ceremony in Washington in February for one of President Trump's executive orders to ban transgender athletes from girls' and women's sports. Georgia's state Legislature, which is controlled predominantly by Republicans, in 2022 adopted a similar law creating a commission with the authority to ban transgender athletes from competing on sports teams that match their gender identity. The Georgia High School Association, the state's governing body for high school sports, passed a rule the same year mandating students' participation in athletics will be determined by their original birth certificate. LGBTQ and civil rights groups have largely opposed efforts to restrict or ban transgender athletes from participating on sports teams that best align with their gender identity, alleging they discriminate against trans young people and open the door to abuse. In January, House Democrats dubbed a GOP-backed measure to ban trans athletes from girls' and women's athletics nationwide the 'Child Predator Empowerment Act.' At least 25 states since 2020 have enacted laws barring transgender athletes from competing on teams that match their gender identity. Four of those laws — in Idaho, West Virginia, Utah and Arizona — are blocked by federal court orders.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Georgia governor expected to sign 'Riley Gaines Act,' which bans trans athletes from entering girls' sports
The Georgia legislature passed a bill Monday along mostly party lines to prohibit transgender girls – or biological males – from participating in girls' sports. S.B. 1, also known as the "Riley Gaines Act of 2025," requires middle school, high school and college student athletes to compete on sports teams that align with their biological sex. Restrooms, locker rooms and sleeping quarters will also be restricted to only allow biological boys in the spaces designated for boys and biological girls in the spaces designated for girls. Georgia House Passes 'Riley Gaines Act' That Aims To Prohibit Trans Athletes From Competing In Female Sports The bill now heads to Republican Gov. Brian Kemp's desk, and he is expected to sign the legislation. The measure was a priority for House Speaker Jon Burns and Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, both of whom are Republicans. "The General Assembly sent a clear message—biological men are not welcome in girls' sports or spaces here in Georgia," Burns said, according to Fox 5 Atlanta. Read On The Fox News App Jones said the General Assembly "made a historic step toward achieving a critical goal for this session, the protection of women's sports," according to the outlet. "I want to thank all of the brave women and girls who shared their personal stories and helped shape this legislation," Jones continued. "Their courage is commendable and ensures that the rights of female athletes are preserved and protected by law. I look forward to standing with Gov. Brian Kemp, Speaker Jon Burns and female athletes with their families around the state when the 'Riley Gaines Act of 2025' is signed into law." The bill is named after Riley Gaines, a former collegiate swimmer who was put into the public spotlight when she criticized the participation of biological males in girls' sports after she competed against Lia Thomas, a transgender swimmer who Gaines and other female athletes were forced to share a locker room with. Controversial Transgender Swimmer Lia Thomas Vows To Fight Trans Athlete Bans Amid National Shift On Issue "Such a tremendous honor. There are few causes more worthy than protecting opportunities for the next generation," Gaines wrote on X after the bill passed the Georgia House and Senate on Monday. More than 25 other states already prohibit biological males from participating in girls' sports. The measure was passed on Transgender Day of Visibility, in which transgender people and their supporters march and hold community gatherings and rallies against legislation targeting LGBTQ+ article source: Georgia governor expected to sign 'Riley Gaines Act,' which bans trans athletes from entering girls' sports
