Yes! It's DEAD - at least until the next session of the Texas State Legislature. Joe Straus, Speaker of the House in Texas, "ran out the clock" on the bathroom bill and the current special session came to an end without taking action. So it's "game over" for the present.
Joe Straus is an interesting politician. He's a conventional, fairly conservative, business-oriented Republican. For whatever reason, Straus heard and understood our message. In the past, he has spoken about the the emotional harm that results from stigmatizing trans people. He was quoted as saying (with regards to the trans-scapegoating bathroom bill) that he didn't want to have anyone's suicide on his conscience.
The lunatic tea-party fringe of the Republican Party is firmly in control of the Texas State Senate, and has passed the proposed ban many times. But it can't be enacted without the concurrence of the House. In addition to the anti-trans religious zealots, there's also a more rational, business-oriented wing in the Texas Republican Party. Most business-oriented Republicans observed what happened with this legislation in North Carolina and had no interest in repeating that cycle in Texas.
As Speaker of the House, Straus adeptly pulled all the right parliamentary strings to delay the bill, "ran out the clock," and let the bathroom bill die at the committee level.
Finally, trans people have a Republican leader to brag about! Thank you, Joe Straus!
Here's some more information:
Texas bathroom bill dies as state House adjourns special session: reportBY MAX GREENWOOD - 08/15/17 11:12 PM EDT
The
Hill.comhttp://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/346740-texas-bathroom-bill-dies-as-state-house-adjourns-special-session-reportTexas legislation that sought to limit bathroom access for transgender people is dead, at least for now.
The Texas House adjourned its special legislative session Tuesday without taking action on the measures, which had been opposed by civil rights groups, moderate Republicans and business leaders, Reuters reported.
Texas House Speaker Joe Straus, a Republican, said that reviving the measure in the next session is not a priority for the chamber, according to Reuters.
Modify message