A Senate panel has rejected a bill that prevents transgender students from using a bathroom they identify with.
The committee voted to send the bill to the 41st day on a 6 to 1 vote, effectively killing the bill. However, its possible that the bills sponsor, Representative Fred Deutsch of Florence, may smoke out the bill. He was referring to a legislative maneuver that can be used to force a bill from committee to the Senate floor.
Deutsch says the bill was brought in response to the Vermillion School Board’s transgender student bathroom policy.
The bill would create a private cause of action for individuals against school districts. It would require the state to represent schools and cover any legal fees.
A similar bill reached Governor Dennis Daugaard’s desk in 2016. He vetoed the bill after meeting with transgender students.
