Texas Republicans to offer revised version of transgender bathroom bill

Republican lawmakers in Texas are expected to present a revised version of the controversial bathroom bill when it goes before the State Affairs Committee of the Texas Senate on Tuesday.

The modified version of Senate Bill 6, or the Texas Privacy Act, will include a "legislative findings" section that would write into statute the reasoning provided by the bill's lead author, Republican state Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, in pushing for the measure. The revised bill will no longer include a section that would have increased the penalties for certain crimes committed in bathrooms or changing facilities, according to the Texas Tribune.

The measure would require people to use bathrooms in public schools, government buildings and public universities based on the gender on their birth certificate.

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said that Senate Bill 6 is different from the highly controversial House Bill 2, which was signed into law in North Carolina last year, The Christian Post reported.

"Their bill was taking on the city of Charlotte over protected class issues," said Patrick, referring to the North Carolina law. "Our bill does not deal with protected class in the LGBT community regarding employment, housing etcetera," he continued.

The NFL has already stated that it might take the legislation into account when it decides on hosting future events such as the Super Bowl in Texas. Patrick and Kolkhorst told reporters on a conference call last week that businesses should take note of the differences between House Bill 2 and Senate Bill 6 before they start threatening to retaliate against the legislation.

Patrick maintained that the Texas bill is intended at keeping sexual predators pretending to be transgender people from entering adult bathrooms.

Senate Bill 6 would allow people who have undergone a medical sex change and have updated their birth certificates to access bathrooms and locker rooms that correspond with the gender on their updated documents.

"The focus of the bill is not to discriminate against anyone who goes through that process of having their sex changed medically, that a judge approves," he said. "The purpose of this bill is [to go after] sexual predators," he added.

The Texas bill would also allow schools to provide special accommodations for transgender students.

"The bill also allows schools districts to make personal accommodations upon request by those preferring an alternate arrangement. In that way, this will allow school districts for those special situations where with transgenders to make personal accommodations," Kolkhorst said.

More than half the Senate have expressed support for Senate Bill 6, but it is expected to face opposition in the Texas House.