Utah lawmakers to meet Friday to override Gov. Cox's veto on bill to ban transgender girls in female school sports

[buh buh biden]

Utah legislative leaders on Tuesday announced their plan to meet this
Friday for an override session minutes after Gov. Spencer Cox vetoed a
bill that would prevent transgender girls from participating in school
sports that match their gender identities.

In a letter addressed to Senate President Stuart Adams and House Speaker
Brad Wilson, Cox defended his decision to veto the proposed legislation.

[Read more: Gov. Spencer Cox’s statement on vetoing the transgender
sports]

“I know both of you are committed to these same ideals and that we have
worked very hard together to resolve the many issues surrounding
transgender student participation in sports. Unfortunately, HB11 has
several fundamental flaws and should be reconsidered,” Cox wrote.

Wilson, in a statement, said he expects the Utah Legislature will have
enough votes to override Cox’s veto.

“Governor Cox made his intention to veto the bill clear from the day it
was passed so his action today was expected,” Wilson said. “Members of the
Legislature, including the sponsor, have worked tirelessly for more than a
year to find the best way to approach a complex issue and I anticipate
that we will have sufficient votes to override the veto. Ultimately, the
Legislature recognizes the value of girls athletics and our members want
to ensure girls have the level playing field to compete that was created
by Title IX.”

House and Senate Republicans met Monday evening to discuss a potential
veto override. Senate Republicans were overwhelmingly in favor of holding
a veto override session. The House GOP caucus also seemed inclined to
support a veto override attempt, according to legislative sources.

The same day, Cox called for a special legislative session surrounding the
legality and financial issues of HB11 slated for Friday.

An expedited timeline ahead of conventions
Lawmakers may have elections in mind by acting quickly. When HB11 passed
on the final hours of the 2022 session, support was below the two-thirds
threshold needed to successfully override Cox’s veto. However, many
legislative Republicans are facing stiff competition in their re-election
bids, and those opponents are using HB11 against them. County conventions
begin on Saturday. A Friday override of Cox’s veto would neutralize the
issue as a campaign wedge.

State Rep. Kera Birkeland, R-Morgan, who sponsored HB11, on Tuesday said
she was disappointed by Cox’s veto of the bill and said she hoped the Utah
Legislature would continue to fight for women’s sports.

“High school girls across the state have expressed their concerns, and we
owe it to them to listen. Sports are their opportunity to overcome
obstacles and break barriers. But in order to do that, they need a fair
playing field,” she said in a statement.

During the final day of the legislative session earlier this month, McCay
introduced a last-minute amendment to the bill that sought to prevent
transgender girls from participating in female school sports. Following
the amended bill’s passage in both chambers, Cox immediately vowed to veto
it, citing that the proposed legislation had not gone through proper
debate.

“It is important to note that a complete ban was never discussed, never
contemplated, never debated and never received any public input prior to
the Legislature passing the bill on the 45th and final night of the
session. For this reason, many legislators who might have otherwise
supported the policy felt compelled to vote against it,” Cox said in his
letter.

McCay said that he believes the House and Senate can each find four votes
to flip to gain the two-thirds majority support required to override Cox’s
veto of HB11.

https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2022/03/22/utah-lawmakers-meet/