LINCOLN, Neb. (WOWT) – Nebraska state senators spent most of their time Friday debating LB575, dubbed the “Sports and Spaces Act,” only to have it fail on the cloture vote, likely killing the bill for the session.
The Unicameral adjourned for the day shortly thereafter.
The bill aimed to restrict transgender youth from accessing preferred bathrooms; require gender-specific sports in schools; and compel trans student-athletes to compete according to their birth-assigned sex.
Speaker John Arch of La Vista addressed senators at the beginning of the day, laying out reasons why the tight timeline left on the session meant lawmakers wouldn’t be able to attach bills that hadn’t advanced to priority bills, reserving amendments for process-related actions.
Senators have only three more days left to get through the current session. They will convene on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday next week, then again for their final day on April 18 to address any vetos that might have come from the governor’s office in the meantime.
During LB575 debate on Friday, State Sen. Carol Blood of Bellevue asked State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of Omaha, who sponsored the bill, to talk more about how the topic became a concern for Nebraskans.
“Really, this isn’t a problem that most people were concerned about in your district until you opened the doors to the information,” Blood said.
Kauth said that her opinions do reflect those of her constituents as well.
“They do not feel comfortable being compelled to address a man as a woman,” she said.
Kauth opened the floor debate Friday by saying LB575 was intended to protect what was achieved by Title IX, which protects female athletes from discrimination. She said that proposed changes to Title IX will take away opportunities from female athletes, from scholarships to NIL deals, and puts them at risk of physical harm.
“Bills like 575 are not needed to protect kids,” said State Sen. Megan Hunt of Omaha, calling the bill “state-sanctioned bullying” of youth who already are accepted by their peers. “… When states propose laws against your very existence, and you hear elected leaders and public officials speak about you like you’re not even human, what do you expect? Of course these kids in a mental health crisis. And what have we done this session to help them with that?”
In particuar, she said, framing trans girls as a danger to other girls opens the door to other anti-trans legislation, and sets them up for parental and societal rejection as well as the denial of medical care.
“Sen. Kauth’s open is a reminder that we can never underestimate the danger of the imagination of a bigot,” Hunt said.
Amid her remarks, State Sen. Loren Lipencott of Central City called attention to the name-calling. State Sen. R. Brad von Gillern also mentioned the issue of “decorum” when making his comments on LB525.
“If you’d like to censure me, please go ahead,” Hunt responded. “This is the only thing I have to do yet for the year.”
State Sen. Lynne Walz of Fremont pointed out that other organizations have a clearer focus on the issue, specficially referencing the Nebraska School Activities Association’s Gender Participation Policy, which State Sen. Merv Riepe of Ralston had passed out to the legislative body.
“I feel that we already have a policy in place that works,” she said. “It’s thoughtful. It’s effective. It’s been effective, it continues to be effective, and I believe it will continue to be effective in the future. … Why do we not just codify what’s already in policy?”
State Sen. John Frederickson of Omaha said that “LB575 does not solve any issues. At best, it makes a handful of adults who know very little about my community feel good about themselves and a whole bunch of kids — regardless of how they identify — feel like crap.”
State Sen. Wendy DeBoer of Bennington, who described herself as “decidedly not sporty,” questioned why the Unicameral was taking up precious time debating “rules about kids sports.”
“We are taking our time, which we have heard is very limited, and our intellectual labor and working on this issue instead of trying to figure out how to get property tax relief, instead of trying to figure how to get our revenue package right?” she said.
As the Nebraska Legislature ticks down the final days of this session, bills that have been designated as a priority are the only ones advancing toward floor debate.
LB575 advanced out of the Education Committee on Thursday on a 5-2 vote. with an amendment in place, AM2049, which prohibits girls on cross-sex hormones from competing against other girls. But Glenvil Sen. Dave Murman’s staff said then that there was talk of changing the amendment on the floor.
Gov. Jim Pillen commented on LB575 during a Thursday afternoon news conference, calling it “common sense Nebraska values.”
“There’s nobody that wants their daughter to be in a locker room with a boy and there’s nobody that wants their son to be in a locker room with girls. It’s just not right, not the way we see it in Nebraska,” he said.
This is a developing story. Stay with 6 News for updates.
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