Powerful Texas Republican sees tough road for 'bathroom bill'
Source: Reuters
POLITICS | Fri Mar 24, 2017 | 5:27pm EDT
Powerful Texas Republican sees tough road for 'bathroom bill'
By Jon Herskovitz | AUSTIN, TEXAS
The Republican speaker of the Texas House of Representatives said on Friday a bill to limit bathroom access for transgender people would face a tough time in the chamber, where there are worries of an economic hit to the state if it became law.
Speaker Joe Straus, who sets the Republican-dominated House's legislative agenda, stopped short of saying the measure was doomed. He made his remarks at a University of Texas forum in Austin.
"I dont feel a great deal of fervor to promote that bill in the House," Straus said.
Analysts expect Straus to send Senate Bill 6 (SB 6) to a committee led by one of his political supporters, who will keep it tucked away. The measure would then die when the current session ends in late May.
"Straus is signaling very clearly that SB 6 is dead," said Mark Jones, a professor of political science at Rice University in Houston.
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