Nathaniel Ledbetter and Greg Reed to lead Alabama Legislature moving forward
On Tuesday, Gov. Kay Ivey congratulated State Rep. Nathaniel Ledbetter and State Sen. Greg Reed for their elections to the top two leadership positions in the Alabama Legislature. “Congratulations to our state’s new Speaker of the House @RepLedbetter24, and to @SenatorGregReed on his re-election as Senate President Pro Tem,” Gov. Ivey said on Twitter. “I look forward to working with both of you to serve the people of Alabama in the days and years ahead.” Ledbetter is the former Mayor of Rainsville. He was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2014. He was elected with broad bipartisan support with 102 votes in an uncontested election in the Alabama House of Representatives during Tuesday’s organizational session of the Alabama Legislature. Former Speaker of the House Mac McCutcheon presided over the election of his successor. McCutcheon did not seek re-election. “With 102 votes, the honorable Nathaniel Ledbetter is elected Speaker,” McCutcheon said. Then he administered the oath of office to Ledbetter. “First of all, I would like to thank my wife of 42 years,” Ledbetter said. “I would like to thank my two sons.” He also acknowledged his grandchildren. “One thing I want to recognize is that we have so many people from DeKalb County. I think thirty or forty drove four hours to be here today.” “I pledge to you to work as hard as I am able,” Ledbetter said. “We have some of the finest people in the world serving in this body, working for our shared goal to make an already great state even greater.” “From time to time, we will have different ideals,” Ledbetter said. “But I understand that the speaker’s gavel is not a weapon but a tool.” “When I was growing up in DeKalb County, I did not even know that the Speaker of the House was, but I know now,” Ledbetter said. “This was probably the greatest honor I have ever received in my life.” Greg Reed was first elected to the Alabama Senate as part of the 2010 Republican wave election that took control of the Alabama Legislature after 135 uninterrupted years of Democratic Party domination. Reed was elected to the Alabama Senate in 2021 and was re-elected to the position by the members of the Senate on Tuesday. State Rep. Chris Pringle (R-Mobile) was elected Speaker Pro Tem 103 to 0 in an uncontested election. Pringle served as an aide to both Congressmen Jack Edwards and Sonny Callahan. He was first elected to the Alabama House of Representatives in 1994 and served through 2002. He returned in 2014 and is now serving in his fifth term. “It has been a long time, a long journey, but I can tell you that I have enjoyed every minute of it,” Pringle said. Republicans have commanding supermajorities in both Houses of the Alabama Legislature. Pringle was joined by his mother and his girlfriend. John Treadwell was selected as the new Clerk of the House on Tuesday. State Rep. Anthony Daniels returns as the House Minority Leader. State Rep. Scott Stadthagen replaces Ledbetter as the House Majority Leader. State Sen. Clay Scofield returns as the Senate Majority Leader. Both bodies passed rules for their individual bodies to operate under for the next four years. The two Houses will meet in a joint meeting on Wednesday to pass joint rules. The Legislature will return in March for the 2023 regular session, where the Legislature will pass the 2024 budgets and consider new legislation. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Alabama Legislature to hold organizational session Tuesday
The Alabama Legislature will be in session on Tuesday. This two-day session is not to pass legislation but rather to organize for this new quadrennium. Both bodies will pass rules for the Legislature to operate under moving forward and set their leadership. Most attention is focused on the Alabama House of Representatives, where a number of changes are coming. Both Speaker of the House, State Rep. Mac McCutcheon, and Speaker Pro Tem. State Rep. Victor Gaston did not run for re-election in 2022. The House is expected to elect state Rep. Nathaniel Ledbetter as the new Speaker and State Rep. Chris Pringle as the new Pro Tem. During the last legislative session, Republicans had a 77 to 28 filibuster-proof supermajority over Democrats. That is unchanged in 2023, so the Republican choices for the top leadership positions in the House are virtually a lock to be elected on Tuesday. Ledbetter is the former Mayor of Rainsville and was the Majority Leader during the previous quadrennium. He is in his third term in the state legislature. State Rep. Scott Stadthagen will be the new Majority Leader. He is serving in his second term in the Legislature. State Rep. Anthony Daniels will return as the House Minority Leader. Ledbetter has already announced his staff hires and committee chairs. This is one of the least experienced groups of House members in many years. Two-thirds of the House members are in their first or second term. This is the biggest change in the body since Republicans took control of the Legislature in 2010 after 135 straight years of Democratic Party domination. In the Alabama Senate, Lieutenant Governor Will Ainsworth was re-elected in a landslide. Ainsworth serves as President of the Senate as one of his office’s primary responsibilities. The inauguration for his second term will be on Monday. State Sen. Greg Reed will return as Senate President Pro Tempore. State Sen. Clay Scofield was also re-elected and likely will continue as the Senate Majority Leader. Republicans had a filibuster-proof 27 to 8 supermajority in the Alabama Senate during the last legislative session, and that supermajority returns. Both Reed and Scofield are returning for their fourth term in office. State Sen. James T. “Jabo” Waggoner returns as the dean of the Legislature. Waggoner was first elected to the Legislature in 1966. He is expected to continue to chair the powerful Senate Rules Committee. Both the House and the Senate will update their rules for the next four years. This is just an organizational session, and no actual legislation will be introduced or passed during these anticipated two days. The state legislature will return on March 7 for the 2023 regular legislative session. A regular legislative session is constitutionally limited to just 30 days. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Change in 24-hour notification rule concerns some activists
Some conservative activists have expressed concerns about a proposed rule change in the Alabama House of Representatives rules that would change the amount of time that the public and House members receive before a House Committee can consider a bill. Under the rules used during the last four years, a House committee had to give 24 hours public notice before a bill could be considered in committee. The new rule would change that to just four hours. Some conservative groups have expressed alarm that this will limit the public’s input in the legislative process. Alabama Today spoke with a member of the House off the record about the proposed rule change. The member pointed out that the 24-hour rule was regularly worked around by the House to begin with. While the rule was on the books, how the House actually operated is that a committee chairperson would ask to be recognized on the floor of the House at some point during floor proceedings. The chair would then ask the body for a motion “to suspend the rules” so that the committee could meet and consider legislation. Sometimes those meetings would occur later that day, and sometimes those committee meetings would be held while the body was in session. Sometimes, the committee met immediately. This interpretation of how the House (and the State Senate) functions is correct. Committees often meet inside that 24-hour notice window, often inside a four-hour window, and sometimes with just five minutes’ notice. Capitol Press Corps members would have to pick up their laptops and scramble from the House floor press room to the committee meeting somewhere on the eight floors of the State House building. A motion to suspend the rules so that a committee can meet is a regular occurrence and is usually made by voice vote without opposition. Alabama Today was told that the GOP nominee for the Speaker of the Alabama House, Rep. Nathaniel Ledbetter, and the new House Majority Leader, Rep. Scott Stadthagen, have heard the concerns of members and the public and are reportedly concerned about the overuse of the motion to suspend the rules to avoid the notification requirement and the change from 24-hour notice to four hours notice was proposed with the intent of continuing to provide House committees with the flexibility to operate, but while having some real world actual public notice requirements. Members have been asked by the leadership to refrain from speaking publicly on the proposed rules changes so that leadership can more thoroughly explain this and other proposals. Changing the rules of a legislative body is a normal part of the legislative process. Every four years, the Alabama House and Senate review their rules and attempt to update them during the organizational session of the Alabama Legislature at the start of a new quadrennium. The U.S. House of Representatives is about to consider its own new set of House rules for the 118th Congress that differ somewhat from the rules put in place by the 117th Congress. At the federal level, there has been a change in the Speaker of the House from Nancy Pelosi to Kevin McCarthy. In the Alabama House of Representatives, Ledbetter is the presumed Speaker replacement for Rep. Mac McCutcheon, who retired from the Legislature. Since Republicans have a 77 to 28 majority in the Alabama House of Representatives, the Republican choice for Speaker will likely be the new Speaker. State Rep. Chris Pringle is the GOP choice to be the Speaker Pro Tem., replacing Rep. Victor Gaston, who also retired. The House will vote on new leadership and changes to the rules when it meets on Tuesday for the organizational session. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Nathaniel Ledbetter announces planned committee chair appointments
Rainsville Republican Nathaniel Ledbetter is expected to be elected as the next Speaker of the House in the Republican-dominated Alabama House of Representatives. On Wednesday, Ledbetter announced his first picks for Committee chairs. The Alabama House Republican Caucus has already chosen Ledbetter as their Speaker-designate but can’t formally elect a Speaker until the full House gavels in for an organizational session in January. Since Republicans occupy 77 of the 105 seats in the Alabama House of Representatives, it is a foregone conclusion that the party’s pick will be the next Speaker. Under the rules of the Alabama House of Representatives, the Speaker picks the committee chairs – normally from his or her own party. “I am confident that each of these members will serve our state well and invite new ideas and fresh perspectives to the committees they chair,” Ledbetter said in a statement. “All of them possess unique skills, talents, experiences, and abilities that make them uniquely qualified to chair the committees they will be assigned to lead.” The powerful House Rules Committee sets the proposed special order calendar for legislation that the body is to consider. Chairman Mike Jones did not return to the legislature. Ledbetter has chosen Rep. Joe Lovvorn to chair the Rules Committee. He is a retired firefighter and currently works as a realtor and small business owner. Lovvorn previously served as chair of the House Technology and Research Committee, which means that Ledbetter will be appointing a new chair for that committee as well. State Rep. Rex Reynolds will be the new Chairman of the House Ways and Means General Fund Committee. Former Chairman Steve Clouse has returned to the House, but he challenged Ledbetter for the open Speaker position when outgoing Speaker of the House Mac McCutcheon announced his retirement. Reynolds is retired law enforcement. He is the former Police Chief of Huntsville. State Rep. Danny Garrett will be returning as the House Ways and Means Education Budget Committee Chairman. Garret is a former CFO of two different publicly traded manufacturing companies and is a former Trussville Board of Education member. State Rep. Jim Hill will be returning as Chairman of the powerful House Judiciary Committee. Hill is a retired St. Clair County Judge. He works for the Moody-based law firm Hill, Gossett, Kemp & Hufford. Committee Chairs are very powerful because they set the agendas for what bills will and will not be considered in their committees and when. In the case of the Education and General Fund budget committees, the chairs have enormous influence over the budgets that pass out of their committees. Rep. Chris Pringle has been chosen by the House Republican Caucus as their designee to fill the role of Speaker Pro Tem, replacing Rep. Victor Gaston, who also did not seek re-election. Scott Stadthagen is replacing Ledbetter as House Majority Leader. The House Democratic Caucus has already elected Rep. Anthony Daniels to return as House Minority Leader. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Personnel Update: Tracey Arnold named Chief of Staff for Alabama House Majority
On Thursday, Alabama House Majority Leader Scott Stadthagen announced that he has named Tracey Arnold as the Chief of the Staff of the Alabama House of Representatives Majority Caucus. Arnold is a twenty-year veteran of Alabama legislative operations. She will begin transitioning to her new role immediately. Arnold has served in Executive Assistant and Committee Clerk roles during her tenure in the Alabama State House. For the last five years, she has served as the Committee Clerk for the powerful House Rules Committee. “Tracey will be a great asset to the caucus and to each of our members, both newly elected and veteran legislators,” Stadthagen said in a statement shared via email with Alabama Today. “Her knowledge of the entire legislative process and of the needs of caucus members is unparalleled. Her institutional knowledge, work ethic, and commitment to doing everything she does with accuracy and integrity will serve the members and the taxpayers well.” Arnold is a native of Montgomery and a graduate of Faulkner University. She said that she is excited about her new role. “This is going to be a new challenge, but it is one I am looking forward to,” Arnold said. “Working with the Majority Leader to serve the entire caucus and, effectively, the entire state is an honor,” Arnold said. “I am ready to roll up my sleeves and get to work.” The Alabama House of Representatives will be led by a new leadership team. Stadthagen was elected by the House Republican Caucus to serve as Majority Leader on November 10. State Rep. Nathaniel Ledbetter, the previous Majority Leader, was elected to be the next Speaker of the House. Speaker Mac McCutcheon did not run again. The House Republican Caucus elected Chris Pringle as Speaker Pro Tem. The current Pro Tem – Victor Gaston – also did not run for re-election. Pringle was recently re-elected to his second term in the Alabama House of Representatives. Republicans successfully defended their commanding supermajorities in both Houses of the Alabama Legislature during recent midterm elections. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Paul DeMarco: Republicans hope Nathaniel Ledbetter, Scott Stadthagen will bring new conservative leadership to the Alabama House of Representatives
So the Alabama general elections are behind us, and new lawmakers are being sworn in to serve in the Alabama House of Representatives and Senate. There will be 31 freshmen in the House and six in the Senate. In addition, this past week, Republicans elected new leadership that will take over when they convene in 2023. With the selection of Nathaniel Ledbetter as Speaker of the House and Scott Stadthagen as the next Majority Leader for the GOP Caucus, there is hope that after the last four years, Ledbetter and Stadthagen will lead a more conservative House of Representatives. These two men earned the confidence of their colleagues to lead. Their selection is a sign that conservative values have a better shot of moving the state forward. Alabama proved again this election cycle that it is one of the most Republican states in the country. However, legislators have been accused of not truly reflecting the conservative values of Alabama citizens. Whether it was the redistricting process undertaken behind closed doors without input from citizens, the efforts to weaken the criminal justice system, or blocking conservative bills, Republicans hope the House will do better in the next four years with new leadership. All of the newly elected first-time Republican representatives campaigned on conservative principles such as being fiscally conservative and making public safety a priority. Liberal advocacy groups are chomping at the bit to open the prison doors, legalize recreational marijuana, and spend every penny taxpayers send to Montgomery. The new leadership and legislators should say no to all of these attempts at the Statehouse. We will see if the new leadership and freshman lawmakers follow the will of the voters who elected them and change the direction of the Alabama House of Representatives. Alabama voters will be watching. Paul DeMarco is a former member of the Alabama House of Representatives and can be found on Twitter @Paul_DeMarco.
Scott Stadthagen elected House Republican Majority Leader
The voters went to the polls on Tuesday and, by an overwhelming majority, voted to give the Alabama Republican Party control of state government for another four years. While Republicans did not grow their supermajority, they fought off Democratic and Libertarian challengers across the state with no net losses. The members of the caucus met on Thursday to decide on new leadership going forward. State Rep. Scott Stadthagen was elected by the members of the Republican House Caucus to serve as the body’s next Majority Leader. He replaces Rep. Nathaniel Ledbetter, who was elected Speaker of the House at the same meeting. Current Speaker Mac McCutcheon did not run for reelection as he is retiring. A full third of the Caucus will be first-term members. Stadthagen will serve as leader of the Caucus as it ushers in 26 new Republican members. The new Majority Leader says that he is looking forward to the advantages that the large incoming class could bring to the new quadrennium. “I have had the opportunity to speak with each of the newly elected members, and I am excited by the new ideas they bring to the table,” Stadthagen said. “There is value in bringing fresh sets of eyes with new suggestions for policy into our caucus. I am excited about it.” Stadthagen expressed confidence that the institutional knowledge and experience that veteran members have will be an asset to both the new members and to the House of Representatives as a whole. “The men and women who are returning to serve the people of our state in the Alabama Legislature after being re-elected are returning with the knowledge that the people of their districts voted overwhelmingly to re-elect them,” Stadthagen explained. “Having that vote of confidence from the constituents that you work so hard to serve is a big motivator. We will not forget the faith that the people of Alabama have put in us. They are counting on the Republican caucus. We won’t let them down.” Stadthagen promises to maintain a direct line of communication with all of the members of the caucus, newly elected as well as returning members, to ensure that each member is getting the support they need to represent their district to the best of their ability. “I am committed to staying in close contact with all of the caucus members to be as helpful as possible,” Stadthagen promised. “That is the role I was elected to do, and I take it very seriously. I want to help make this quadrennium as productive as possible for every legislator and for the people of the State of Alabama.” This will be just Stadthagen’s second term in the Alabama House of Representatives. He was re-elected on Saturday with 99.1% of the vote. He and his wife, Amy, have one daughter. Chris Pringle, one of the most senior remaining members of the Caucus, was named Speaker Pro Tem and will serve as Speaker if Ledbetter is absent or unable to perform his duties. The outgoing Pro Tem Victor Gaston also did not seek reelection. Now while the House Republican Caucus has chosen Ledbetter and Pringle to lead the House, they still need to be selected by the full body of the House when it is next in session. That will likely occur during an organizational session in January. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Republicans pick Nathaniel Ledbetter to be next House speaker
Republicans on Thursday selected Alabama state Rep. Nathaniel Ledbetter of Rainsville to be the next speaker of the House of Representatives. Republicans elected the DeKalb County lawmaker as their nominee. House members will officially elect a new speaker at the January organizational session. Caucus support essentially assures Ledbetter of the position since Republicans hold 77 of the 105 House seats. He will replace House Speaker Mac McCutcheon, who did not run for re-election. Ledbetter was elected to the Alabama Legislature in 2014. He served as GOP majority leader. He is the former mayor of Rainsville. “The members of the House Republican Caucus are a talented group of men and women who support the conservative principles and traditional values that most Alabamians share, and I am honored beyond measure to be chosen as their nominee for Speaker of the House,” Ledbetter said in a news release. “If elected Speaker, I will work hard to preside fairly and ensure that all voices have an opportunity to be heard in the committee rooms and chamber of the Alabama House.” The caucus nominated Rep. Chris Pringle of Mobile for speaker pro tem nominee. Republicans picked Rep. Scott Stadthagen of Decatur as majority leader. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
Scott Stadthagen: Joe Biden and his war on women
Last week, I watched in disgust as President Joe Biden vowed to expand Title IX to include biological males in female sports under the label of “transgender acceptance.” The truth is that Biden is not attempting to expand Title IX; he is launching a war to destroy it. For nearly 50 years, the participation in women’s sports has increased exponentially, largely due to Title IX. Female athletes are now competing at the professional level in basketball, golf, and soccer, just to name a few. Thousands of female athletes are receiving a college education as the result of athletic scholarships. All of these opportunities will be harmed by any edict mandating that biological men, posing as women, be allowed to compete in women’s sports. These men will rob female athletes, not only of victories, but of scholarship opportunities. The number of girls who will be unable to pursue a college education due to being “beaten out” by a biological male posing as a female is yet unknown, but it will happen if Biden gets his way. Last year, I sponsored and passed legislation to protect the integrity of women’s athletics in Alabama. The bill, which was signed by the Governor and is now law in our state, prohibits the intrusion of biological males in women’s sports. In Alabama, we are doing everything possible to protect women’s rights from a Democrat Party and a Presidential Administration that seems hell-bent on ending fair competition in women’s sports. In Alabama, we will fight to ensure that doesn’t happen, and I am ready to take on that fight for my daughter, my constituents, and for the love of sports. Scott Stadthagen is a Representative for Alabama House District 9.
Lawmakers advance transgender bathroom bill
Alabama lawmakers advanced legislation Tuesday that would bar transgender students from using school bathrooms and locker rooms that correspond to their current gender identity. The Senate Governmental Affairs approved the House-passed bill with little debate. The legislation now moves to the full Alabama Senate, where it could receive final approval in the final three days of the legislative session. Republican supporters said it would address an ongoing problem in public schools, but opponents said the measure targets vulnerable trans youth to score political points. The bill would mandate K-12 schools require students to use multiperson restrooms and locker rooms that match the sex on their original birth certificate. Republican Rep. Scott Stadthagen, the sponsor of the bill, said during House debate on the bill that schools are being asked to accommodate transgender students who request to use the bathrooms that align with their gender identity. “It’s a problem that was brought to my attention the last fall. The bill is short and sweet. It says whatever your original birth certificate states as your gender, that is the bathroom you use in K-12 schools,” Stadthagen told the committee on Tuesday. Opponents of the bill, including the mother of a 13-year-old transgender boy, disputed claims that the bill is about safety, saying there is no evidence of males dressing as females to attack girls in the bathroom. She said the bill targets trans youth for the sake of politics. “This bill is an embarrassment to the state of Alabama and endangers our gender-expansive youth … Transgender children struggled for years to understand their identity and using the restroom is the most basic of human rights,” Vanessa Tate Finney told the committee. Similar policies in other states have resulted in litigation. The U.S. Supreme Court last year rejected a Virginia school board’s appeal to reinstate its transgender bathroom ban, handing a victory to transgender rights groups and a former high school student who fought in court for six years to overturn the ban. The full 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently heard arguments in the case of a transgender student in Florida who was blocked from using the boy’s bathroom. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Alabama lawmakers advance transgender bathroom bill
Alabama lawmakers advanced legislation Wednesday that would ban transgender students from using school bathrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity. The House Education Policy Committee approved the bill that mandates K-12 schools statewide require students to use multiperson facilities that match the sex on their original birth certificate. The bill now moves to the full House of Representatives, where more than 45 Republicans in the 105-member House have signed on as co-sponsors. The bill would not allow schools to address matters with transgender students on a case-by-case basis. “I am trying to prevent any males who were born males from going into female bathrooms,” Republican Rep. Scott Stadthagen of Hartselle told the committee. “It’s a safety issue. I for one, as a father, do not want a male, who is born male, in my daughter’s bathroom.” Stadthagen maintained that the bill is about safety and preventing sexual predators from being able to enter school bathrooms. But opponents said the proposal blatantly discriminates against transgender youth and puts them at risk, under the guise of safety. “This is basically a safety privilege transfer. If someone in K-12 is going to identify as gender-expansive, this bill is putting them in harm’s way of being attacked and bullied, as well as sexual assault,” said Carmarion D. Anderson, the director for Human Rights Campaign Alabama. “We should take a really deep look at what the sponsor’s intent of this bill is and why he’s putting in forward, and in my personal opinion, it’s for political scores so he can climb the charts here at the Statehouse,” said Anderson, who is a transgender woman. Stadthagen, in urging committee support for the bill, described an assault that happened in a bathroom. But when pressed by a committee member if the attacker was transgender, he responded that, “I’m not saying anything about trans in my bill.” Similar policies in other states have resulted in litigation. The U.S. Supreme Court last year rejected a Virginia school board’s appeal to reinstate its transgender bathroom ban, handing a victory to transgender rights groups and a former high school student who fought in court for six years to overturn the ban. The full 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is scheduled to hear oral arguments later this month in the case of a transgender student in Florida who was blocked from using the boys bathroom. Republicans on a South Dakota Senate committee last week rejected a similar bill that would have banned transgender students from using school restrooms that match their gender identity. The Alabama bill is the second targeting LGBTQ youths to advance in legislative committee this year. A Senate committee last week advanced a bill that would outlaw the use of puberty-blockers, hormonal treatments and surgery to assist transgender youth 18 and younger in their gender transition. Last year, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed into law a bill to block transgender girls from playing on female sports teams at public schools. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Alabama Gov. Ivey signs ban on transgender athletes
Republican Gov. Kay Ivey on Friday signed legislation restricting transgender students from participating in K-12 sports, making Alabama the latest conservative state to ban transgender girls from playing on female sports teams. Ivey’s office announced in an email that she had signed the bill that says a public K-12 school “may never allow a biological male to participate on a female team.” Asked if the governor had a comment on the decision, spokeswoman Gina Maiola said she could confirm the governor signed the bill but did not elaborate. Supporters of the bill, HB 391, say transgender girls are born bigger and faster and have an unfair advantage in competition. Opponents argue the bills are rooted in discrimination and fear and violate the federal law barring sex discrimination in education. “HB 391 is nothing more than a politically motivated bill designed to discriminate against an already vulnerable population. By signing this legislation, Gov. Ivey is forcefully excluding transgender children. Let’s be clear here: transgender children are children. They deserve the same opportunity to learn valuable skills of teamwork, sportsmanship, and healthy competition with their peers,” Human Rights Campaign President Alphonso David said in a statement. The Alabama House voted 74-19 for the bill sponsored by Republican Rep. Scott Stadthagen of Hartselle. The Alabama Senate voted 25-5 for the legislation. “I want to thank Governor Ivey for her leadership and for protecting the rights of Alabama’s female athletes. Standing up for what is right is not always easy, but it is always the right thing to do,” Stadthagen said Friday. During Senate debate on the bill last week, Republican Sen. Garlan Gudger of Cullman said it is “unfair for biological males to compete and beat females in high school sports.” He said the bill is needed to protect the integrity of female athletic programs. Across the country, Republican legislators have been hard-pressed to come up with actual instances in which a transgender girl’s participation has caused a problem on a girls sports team. The Associated Press recently reached out to two dozen state lawmakers sponsoring such measures around the country as well as the conservative groups supporting them and found only a few times it’s been an issue among the hundreds of thousands of American teenagers who play high school sports. Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves last month signed a bill to ban transgender athletes from competing on girls or women’s sports teams. Idaho last year became the first state to pass such a ban, but it faces a legal challenge. Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly on Thursday vetoed a bill banning transgender students from girls and women’s school sports. She said the GOP-backed measure is a jobs killer that harms children. Critics of such bills are worried that the measures could cost states from hosting sporting events. Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton said last week that the bill will give Alabama a “black eye” as the state tries to recruit industries and sporting events to the state. “We are spending too much time on craziness like this,” Singleton said. As similar bills crop up across the county, the NCAA, which regulates college athletics in the U.S., expressed support for transgender athletes and warned that championships will only be held in locations “free of discrimination.” “We will continue to closely monitor these situations to determine whether NCAA championships can be conducted in ways that are welcoming and respectful of all participants,” the NCAA statement read. The NCAA currently requires transgender women to get drug treatment to lower their testosterone levels before they can compete in women’s sports. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
