Save Women’s Sports Bill Blocked By Democrat Chair
Late last night, Public Education Chair Harold Dutton ruined any chances of SB 2, the Save Women’s Sports bill, moving forward in the special session after giving a political posturing speech indicating that he was refusing to call the bill up for a vote.
The Save Women’s Sports issue has been on the Republican Texas Governor’s special session call twice this year, making it clear that it is a priority to pass for Gov. Abbott. The Republican-controlled Texas Senate, led by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick was able to pass the Save Women’s Sports bill successfully in both special sessions and even in the regular session; however, the bill continues to die once it arrives at the Texas House Public Education committee chaired by Democratic chairman Harold Dutton with Republican Dan Huberty often expressing opposition. The issue of keeping biological males out of female sports was voted into the Republican party platform. Despite, the Texas House is led by Republican leadership, Speaker Dade Phelan, the Save Women’s Sports issue, which has had over 70 coauthors each session, never makes it to the House floor for a vote because it always stalls in the left-leaning House Public Education committee. It is questionable as to why a Republican speaker sends the Save Women’s Sports bill to a committee with a slim Republican majority, chaired by a Democrat, with a few of those Republican members showing their lack of support of protecting female sports in disloyalty to their party’s platform. Save Women’s Sports bills have successfully passed in 8 other states in the country and there have been similar bills introduced in 37 states.
“Thanks to the political posturing of a Democrat chair and wayward Republican Dan Huberty, the efforts to protect female sports is dead once again in Texas. The Texas Senate, Lt. Gov. Patrick, and Gov. Abbott have all done their part to pass this priority legislation to protect girls in sports, but Republican Speaker Dade Phelan’s House has failed to deliver on this issue again with Republican Dan Huberty refusing to support common-sense legislation.”
-Mary Elizabeth, Senior Policy Analyst