Cook, Straus take Parting Shot at GOP supported Privacy Act with Fake Committee Report

rainbow flag Cook and Straus with GOP logo (620-240)

Privacy opponents this week released their final report on why they feel Texas must allow boys into girls’ showers, restrooms, and locker rooms in schools and government buildings.

Exactly one week after more than 90 percent of Texas Republican Primary voters approved a measure supporting the privacy and safety of women and children in government-owned intimate spaces, privacy opponents released their summary which relies on liberal media reports and outright falsehoods about the state of the economy in Texas.

Outgoing Rep. Byron Cook and outgoing Speaker Joe Straus’ so-called “economic competitiveness” committee report follows up on two invitation-only hearings (with few female voices) that attacked the 85th Legislature’s Texas Privacy Act and other conservative reforms.

The Texas Privacy Act, SB 6, had the support of the Texas Senate, Gov. Greg Abbott, and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick before being blocked by House leadership. Not only did SB 6 never get a House committee vote or a House floor vote, but several of Cook’s House colleagues were not allowed to address the committee including, but not limited to, Rep. Matt Krause and Matt Rinaldi (each of whom easily won their primaries last Tuesday). In addition, several business owners and community leaders were denied a chance to address the impromptu committee. This does not appear to be a genuine attempt to study an issue or to gauge the opinion of Texans.

Despite propaganda pushed by liberal media elites and LGBT advocates, conservative family values continue to play a key role in Texas’ strong economy. Gloom-and-doom predictions about the Texas economy have been continually proven false, and this report does nothing to change the fact that Texas has been No. 1 for business for 13 years in a row. Just last week Gov. Abbott accepted the state’s 14th “Governor’s Cup” from Site Selection magazine for top performing state for business and job creation – the sixth such award given to Texas in a row. Forbes magazine again ranked Texas as No. 1 for business and North Carolina, which passed their own privacy legislation, as runner-up.

(It’s also important to note that Houston – the only jurisdiction to vote on the matter, as well as Texas’ largest city – protected privacy and still hosted a Super Bowl, an NCAA tournament, and sent its baseball franchise to the World Series.)

“The will of the people of Texas is abundantly clear when over 90 percent of Republican primary voters support keeping men out of women’s showers, locker rooms, and restrooms in public schools,” said Nicole Hudgens, Policy Analyst for Texas Values. “It is disappointing that outgoing Republican leaders deliberately chose to only listen to liberal, elite voices, rather than their Texas constituents.”

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