After sustained national outcry, Texas’ bathroom bill is likely dead

It’s beginning to look like Texas is unlikely to pass their much ballyhooed bathroom bill. While the legislation has been a priority for the state’s ultra-conservative Lt Governor and the religious right, sustained opposition from sports teams, corporations, activists, and even law enforcement, seems to have worked.

While Lt Governor Dan Patrick controls the state senate, House Speaker Joe Straus, a moderate Republican and closely allied with the business community, has repeatedly said the law isn’t needed. Governor Greg Abbott put the bill on the agenda for the special summer session of the legislature, but time is running out.

“I’d say the chances are definitely getting smaller,” Republican state Rep. Ron Simmons of Carrollton, who filed two bathroom bills during the special session, told The Texas Tribune.

The state senate quickly passed a version of the transgender discriminatory law after being called back into session, but Straus has refused to even assign the bill to a committee. He did the same thing during the regular session as well. Similar bills brought forward in the House were assigned to a committee, but so far have been pointedly ignored by the committee chairman, Republican Byron Cook.

Still, proponents of the law haven’t given up hope. They plan to try to attach the bill as an amendment to other legislation. Since any amendment has to be germane to the law it is bundled with, finding a vehicle they could attack it to would be incredibly difficult.

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