Latest news with #SenateBill185
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Georgia House Democrats walk out in protest over bill banning gender-affirming care for inmates
The Brief Georgia House Democrats staged a walkout during the debate on Senate Bill 185, which bans gender-affirming care for state prison inmates. Senate Bill 185 is part of a series of Republican-backed legislation targeting transgender individuals, including bills affecting state employees and youth. The bill passed the House with a 100-2 vote and now awaits Governor Brian Kemp's decision for approval or veto. ATLANTA - Georgia House Democrats staged a dramatic walkout Wednesday as lawmakers debated a bill that would ban gender-affirming care for state prison inmates. It marks a growing tensions over a slate of Republican-backed legislation targeting transgender residents. What we know The protest occurred during a debate over Senate Bill 185, which passed the House in a 100-2 vote. All Democrats abstained by leaving the chamber. The backstory SB 185, sponsored by Sen. Randy Robertson, a Republican from Cataula, would prohibit the Georgia Department of Corrections from providing gender-affirming care to incarcerated individuals. According to Robertson, about five people currently incarcerated in Georgia receive such care. What they're saying According to Robertson, there are currently about five people who are incarcerated in Georgia who receive this care. Big picture view This is one of several transgender Senate bills making their way through the legislature this session. Senate Bill 185 would ban gender-affirming care for state prison inmates. Republican lawmakers have also introduced transgender bills to prohibit gender-affirming care for state employees, prevent medical professionals from prescribing puberty blockers to children and teens and a bill to ban biological males from participating in girls' sports. What's next The bill now goes to Governor Brian Kemp's desk for his signature or veto. The Source FOX 5's Deidra Dukes has been covering the 2025 Georgia Legislative Session.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Georgia Democrats' frustration with anti-transgender bills boils over into a walkout
ATLANTA (AP) — Boxed into what they saw as an unsavory vote on outlawing spending on gender affirming care for transgender prisoners, Georgia Democrats chose a third option Wednesday. They walked out. Chants of 'Take a walk!' echoed under the gold dome of the state Capitol from dozens of House Democrats who said they're exhausted by a blizzard of bills attacking transgender people. The bill at hand, Senate Bill 185, would ban state prison spending on 'sex reassignment surgeries,' hormone replacement therapy, or other surgeries 'intended to alter the appearance of primary or secondary sexual characteristics.' The 100-2 vote, which sent the measure to Gov. Brian Kemp for his signature or veto, was a chance for Republicans to embarrass Democrats on an issue that the GOP believes is unpopular with voters. After Donald Trump hammered Democratic nominee Kamala Harris on her support for transgender people, including those in prison, during the campaign he has issued a series of executive orders trying to reverse President Joe Biden's support for transgender rights. The walkout reflected a broader frustration at other measures. Until this year, Georgia had moved cautiously on measures against transgender people, even as other Republican-led states pushed much farther. Georgia lawmakers in 2022 passed a law that allowed the state high school athletic federation to rule out participation by transgender girls in high school sports. But top Republicans including House Speaker Jon Burns and Lt. Gov. Burt Jones made it a priority this year to outlaw such participation in high school sports and add a prohibition on participation by trans women in college sports. That measure, Senate Bill 1, has received final passage. In 2023, Georgia Republicans passed a law that banned gender confirming surgeries for those younger than 18. But unlike other states, they allowed youths already on hormone therapy to continue, and allowed puberty blocking drugs for those younger than 18. This year, Senate Republicans have pushed to outlaw hormone therapies and puberty blockers for those younger than 18. House members have watered down Senate Bill 30 to still allow access to drugs if two physicians approve. Its fate remains unclear with the session scheduled to end Friday. Georgia would move toward the forefront of anti-transgender legislation with a bill to outlaw state employee health insurance plans and the Medicaid health plan from paying for gender-affirming care. That measure is being pushed by Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Blake Tillery, a Vidalia Republican and possible candidate for statewide office in 2026. It's also awaiting final action. The Movement Advancement Project, an LGBTQ rights group, counts as many as 14 other states that ban transgender benefits in public employee health insurance. It also says there are as many as 10 states where Medicaid excludes transgender-related care. In Georgia, lawsuits by employees, Medicaid recipients and prisoners led the state to settle lawsuits and grant transgender care benefits to each group. Opponents say the measures violate protections of the U.S. Constitution and legally binding agreements made when the state settled the suits. Republicans claim rewriting state law will let the state annul those settlements. House Democratic Caucus Chair Tanya Miller of Atlanta attacked Republicans before the walkout over the prison care bill, noting testimony showed maybe five state inmates were seeking gender affirming care. 'What is going on with my colleagues that they have become obsessed with what is happening in transgender citizens' pants and their underwear and their bedroom and their medical robes, when they talk to their doctors, when they deal with their families?" Miller asked. House Majority Leader Chuck Efstration, a Republican from Mulberry, said the Democratic walkout equals "support for taxpayer-funded sex change surgeries for state prisoners.' 'To see members flee the chamber because they are unwilling to actually represent their constituency, put the vote on the board and let it be known to all Georgians where they stand is incredibly disappointing,' Efstration said. The drama in Georgia came as transgender issues are debated in other states. In California on Tuesday, a committee blocked bills meant to limit transgender athlete participatio n even after Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom said he believed allowing trans athletes to compete in sports matching their gender identity was unfair. Nevada saw its high school athletic federation vote to limit students to sports aligning with their birth sex. Colorado is considering a bill that would define it as discrimination to refer to a transgender person by their gender or name from before they transitioned. House Minority Leader Carolyn Hugley, a Columbus Democrat, dismissed Georgia Republicans' actions as 'political theater.' 'People sent us here to do great work,' she said. 'They did not send us here to bully people, to ostracize people, to discriminate against people.'
Associated Press
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Georgia Democrats' frustration with anti-transgender bills boils over into a walkout
ATLANTA (AP) — Boxed into what they saw as an unsavory vote on outlawing spending on gender affirming care for transgender prisoners, Georgia Democrats chose a third option Wednesday. They walked out. Chants of 'Take a walk!' echoed under the gold dome of the state Capitol from dozens of House Democrats who said they're exhausted by a blizzard of bills attacking transgender people. The bill at hand, Senate Bill 185, would ban state prison spending on 'sex reassignment surgeries,' hormone replacement therapy, or other surgeries 'intended to alter the appearance of primary or secondary sexual characteristics.' The 100-2 vote, which sent the measure to Gov. Brian Kemp for his signature or veto, was a chance for Republicans to embarrass Democrats on an issue that the GOP believes is unpopular with voters. After Donald Trump hammered Democratic nominee Kamala Harris on her support for transgender people, including those in prison, during the campaign he has issued a series of executive orders trying to reverse President Joe Biden's support for transgender rights. The walkout reflected a broader frustration at other measures. Until this year, Georgia had moved cautiously on measures against transgender people, even as other Republican-led states pushed much farther. Georgia lawmakers in 2022 passed a law that allowed the state high school athletic federation to rule out participation by transgender girls in high school sports. But top Republicans including House Speaker Jon Burns and Lt. Gov. Burt Jones made it a priority this year to outlaw such participation in high school sports and add a prohibition on participation by trans women in college sports. That measure, Senate Bill 1, has received final passage. In 2023, Georgia Republicans passed a law that banned gender confirming surgeries for those younger than 18. But unlike other states, they allowed youths already on hormone therapy to continue, and allowed puberty blocking drugs for those younger than 18. This year, Senate Republicans have pushed to outlaw hormone therapies and puberty blockers for those younger than 18. House members have watered down Senate Bill 30 to still allow access to drugs if two physicians approve. Its fate remains unclear with the session scheduled to end Friday. Georgia would move toward the forefront of anti-transgender legislation with a bill to outlaw state employee health insurance plans and the Medicaid health plan from paying for gender-affirming care. That measure is being pushed by Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Blake Tillery, a Vidalia Republican and possible candidate for statewide office in 2026. It's also awaiting final action. The Movement Advancement Project, an LGBTQ rights group, counts as many as 14 other states that ban transgender benefits in public employee health insurance. It also says there are as many as 10 states where Medicaid excludes transgender-related care. In Georgia, lawsuits by employees, Medicaid recipients and prisoners led the state to settle lawsuits and grant transgender care benefits to each group. Opponents say the measures violate protections of the U.S. Constitution and legally binding agreements made when the state settled the suits. Republicans claim rewriting state law will let the state annul those settlements. House Democratic Caucus Chair Tanya Miller of Atlanta attacked Republicans before the walkout over the prison care bill, noting testimony showed maybe five state inmates were seeking gender affirming care. 'What is going on with my colleagues that they have become obsessed with what is happening in transgender citizens' pants and their underwear and their bedroom and their medical robes, when they talk to their doctors, when they deal with their families?' Miller asked. House Majority Leader Chuck Efstration, a Republican from Mulberry, said the Democratic walkout equals 'support for taxpayer-funded sex change surgeries for state prisoners.' 'To see members flee the chamber because they are unwilling to actually represent their constituency, put the vote on the board and let it be known to all Georgians where they stand is incredibly disappointing,' Efstration said. The drama in Georgia came as transgender issues are debated in other states. In California on Tuesday, a committee blocked bills meant to limit transgender athlete participatio n even after Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom said he believed allowing trans athletes to compete in sports matching their gender identity was unfair. Nevada saw its high school athletic federation vote to limit students to sports aligning with their birth sex. Colorado is considering a bill that would define it as discrimination to refer to a transgender person by their gender or name from before they transitioned. House Minority Leader Carolyn Hugley, a Columbus Democrat, dismissed Georgia Republicans' actions as 'political theater.' 'People sent us here to do great work,' she said. 'They did not send us here to bully people, to ostracize people, to discriminate against people.'
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Georgia Senate OKs bill to outlaw gender-affirming care for inmates in state custody
Democratic Sens. Kim Jackson, left, and Elena Parent watch votes come in for the Senate's gender-affirming care ban for inmates. Jackson opposed the bill and Parent voted for it. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder A bill banning gender-affirming treatments for inmates in state custody passed the Georgia Senate Monday. Senate Bill 185's sponsor, Cataula Republican Sen. Randy Robertson, said there are three lawsuits ongoing from inmates seeking gender-affirming care and he wants to nip the issue in the bud. 'When you see the tsunami coming, a lot of people wait until it's at the shore, to start sandbagging and evacuating everybody and doing what you need to do,' he said. 'I think if you look at the temperature that not only are we experiencing here in the United States, and obviously by these three lawsuits, people are attempting to do this, and it is the responsibility of this body and the body across the way to make sure we are prepared for what comes down the road, because as someone who understands crisis management and other things, you don't wait.' The bill passed with some bipartisan support, with several Democrats joining all Republicans voting in favor of the bill, and others simply not voting. Sens. Sonya Halpert, Ed Harbison and Elena Parent crossed party lines to support the bill, while Sens. Tonya Anderson, Jason Esteves, Randal Mangham and Nikki Merritt did not vote. Roswell Republican Sen. John Albers gleefully pointed out the disunity among the Democrats. 'Let's be honest, you as Democrats, in your own caucus are divided on this issue,' he said. 'Throughout the last several votes, some of you voted with us, and others took a walk and did not vote at all. The overwhelming number of Georgians and Americans, both Republicans and Democrats, support this bill and the others. Candidly, if you vote against this bill, you are politically tone deaf.' Parent proposed an amendment that would have allowed some inmates to continue taking hormones they had already been taking. 'I don't believe that taxpayers should be responsible for funding the surgeries outlined in lines 68-69 and 71-72, including gender affirming surgeries, cosmetic procedures, or prosthetics,' Parent said. 'But on the other hand, I believe that denying transgender prisoners access to gender affirming hormones that they are already taking, and in some cases may have been taking for years, is cruel and unnecessary.' The Senate voted down the amendment. Halpern characterized the bill as a distraction. 'Not one tax dollar in Georgia has ever been spent on sex change surgeries for inmates, so let's not pretend this is about fiscal responsibility,' she said. 'This bill simply makes explicit what is already the practice in Georgia, and yet here we are debating this as if it were some looming crisis, as if Georgia's prisons were on the verge of becoming gender-affirming care centers at the taxpayer's expense. Let me be clear, that is not the reality here in Georgia.' 'But I am also a pragmatist,' she added, 'and the simple truth is that I cannot in good conscience support taxpayer-funded medical procedures for prisoners that we do not provide to law-abiding citizens who are struggling every day to afford basic health care.' Democrats who opposed the bill characterized it as cruel and unconstitutional. 'I know good and well that public polling does not support gender-affirming care for people who are incarcerated,' said Stone Mountain Democratic Sen. Kim Jackson. 'But I am keenly aware of our history, a history in which public opinion has often not been on the right side of justice, a history in which public polling has often sided with the majority and further isolated and forsaken the minority. I know this is not politically popular, but I stand here today urging my colleagues to vote no on this bill, to vote no as a sign of your commitment to humanity. Vote no for dignity. Colleagues, I beg you, do not let public polling persuade you to do something that you know in your heart is fundamentally unconstitutional, and quite frankly, is downright immoral.' Sen. Josh McLaurin, a Sandy Springs Democrat, said the bill could be seen as a violation of the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution. 'The Eighth Amendment being the one that says no cruel and unusual punishment,' he said. 'I.e. you can't deny medical care while you're incarcerated because you don't have the means to go get your own care. You're stuck. So the state has to provide your health care. And the study committee in question was the safety and welfare of all individuals in the Georgia Department of Corrections. And yet, this bill just exempts medical care from one group of those individuals.' Robertson said he welcomes prospective lawsuits. 'People came to the committee and said this will open up more opportunity for individuals to sue, and my response to that is I'm fine with that,' he said. 'Every piece of legislation that comes out of this building is subject to being challenged in court. We say it many times, you can write the best piece of legislation you want, but until it is evaluated and pressure-tested by a man or woman wearing a black robe, then you really don't know how good the legislation is.' The Senate separately passed a bill Monday banning puberty blocking medications for minors. The Senate has previously passed anti-transgender bills including bills to ban gender-affirming treatments from transgender state employees and their children on the state health care plan and to keep transgender girls off girls' school sports teams. The House has passed its own transgender sports ban. The bills have until April 4 to make it to the governor's desk. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
