Texas House panel blocks transgender sports bill
A bill to ban transgender girls from playing on girls’ sports teams died in committee in the Texas House on Tuesday, severely damaging its chances of passing during this legislative session.
The House Public Education Committee fell one vote short in passing Senate Bill 29, which had come under intense opposition from LGBTQ rights groups and provoked a stern warning from the NCAA that future championship games — and the hundreds of millions of dollars in business they bring — could be moved away from states where such legislation is enacted.
Because the bill failed to get out of committee, the full Texas House will not be able to even consider SB 29 on the floor.
State Rep. Harold Dutton, a Democrat from Houston, had predicted the legislation’s failure two weeks ago. On April 22, Dut
ton said he would not bring a similar bill, House Bill 4042, up for a vote because it didn’t have enough support. But on Tuesday, he allowed SB 29 to go to a vote where it was defeated when only six of the 12 members present voted for the bill. It needed seven to pass.
“Senate Bill 29 failed to pass,” Dutton announced after the votes were counted.
Before that vote, state Rep. James Talarico, D-round Rock, spoke out against the bill saying it would only hurt transgender kids in Texas.
“There is no other purpose to this bill than to hurt kids,” Talarico said. “I didn’t come here to hurt kids.”
Supporters of SB 29, authored by Sen. Charles Perry, R-lubbock, have insisted it is about protecting girls from having to compete in scholastic sports with biological males.
In mid-april, the NCAA issued a nationwide statement affirming its support for transgender athletes and warning it would monitor anti-transgender legislation and weigh future NCAA championship locations based on whether locations are “free of discrimination.”
The NCAA has major financial commitments in the state. The men’s basketball Final Four is scheduled to be in Houston in 2023 and in San Antonio in 2025. Dallas hosts the women’s Final Four in 2023, and the College Football Championship is set for Houston in 2024.
Despite that, the Senate voted 18-12 last month to pass SB 29.
In order for a bill to become law, identical versions must pass both chambers of the Legislature before Gov. Greg Abbott can decide whether to allow it to become law.
There are just 27 days left in the legislative session. While the bill appears dead, there are still legislative maneuvers that could bring it back to life in the closing weeks.