((Texas Tribune– The Texas State Affairs Committee in the Senate approved on Monday again to propose a “bathroom bill” that would restrict sexually transformed people to use bathrooms in government buildings and schools that are appropriate to their gender.
Senate Bill 7 He is one of the two draft laws currently submitted in the Legislative Commission in Texas after a ruler. Greg Abbott Put the rulings on the agenda of the private session. The draft law will impose people only to use toilets in government buildings and schools that match their specified gender at birth. Similar restrictions will be placed on prisons and women’s shelters based on biological sex, which is also determined by the draft law.
Supporters of SB 7 and similar legislation frame the draft law as a way to protect women from discomfort and predation in private spaces. The author of the draft law, Senator May MiddletonR-Galveston said that the draft law was common, which supported “biological and written facts.” To do this, Middleton said that the bill has greater enforcement capabilities than previous bills: SB 7 is a fine of $ 5,000 for the first time to agencies or schools where violations occur, which exceeds $ 25,000 for subsequent violations.
On Monday, an alternative committee submitted a ruling that the fifteenth court of appeal has an exclusive jurisdiction for any civil action submitted by the draft law, and added its own definitions to males and females.
More than 100 people registered to testify both on SB 7 for the draft law and against it, with a testimony from both sides at times it became emotional on fears or remembering harassment and abuse.
During the testimony, opponents of the draft law said they are afraid that law enforcement attempts will develop to discriminatory and monitoring that affects both women in Cisgender and Transgeter. The draft law does not specify what agencies or schools will need to ensure the application of the law, except that they “take every reasonable step to ensure” violations.
“I will not lose access to the bathroom. I will lose access to the future in the state, I have worked hard to build it.” “I will have to use the male toilet in the workplace that see me a threat or risk of harassment or worse.”
Those who testify against the draft law also said that it would lead to an unjustified suffering for transformed people, and that legislators were waste time that could be used to alleviate the victims. Flood of the country of the hill.
Supporters of the bill confirmed that he would protect women, and that they felt insecure to exchange bathrooms or changing rooms with sexually transformed people.
“Women and girls deserve to have privacy in their own spaces, and to absorb less than 1 % of the population who believe they can change their gender is not enough for women and girls at risk.”
Defenders of family violence, who also witnessed, said that the language in the draft law has changed those shelters collected with spaces such as toilets because they are concerned that they would prevent victims from seeking help.
If passed, SB 7 will join a large number Other bills It is scheduled to enter in September, which will also affect how the state’s converts can live their lives. The greatest obstacle will face the bill in the house, because the lower room has never passed the bathroom bill from the ground. While the house has An identical bill To SB 7 deposited with the majority of the signed room as authors, a Similar view Support during the regular session remains a little movement.
The bathroom bills historically faced many less obstacles in the Senate, where Lieutenant is a rulerDan PatrickFor years, it has expressed support for similar proposals. The Senate Law 240, which was identical to SB 7, was passed through the upper chamber during the regular session before died in the House of Representatives.
If you reach the bill at home, it is still possible to leave without touching, as in most Democrats in the room Escape Sunday in an attempt to break the quorum and the struggle Re -divide the republican circles efforts. This step can be made in any bills for two weeks that remained in the private session.