Utah Legislature Overrides Governor’s Veto of Bill Banning Biological Males From Female Sports
The law defines “sex” as “the biological, physical condition of being male or female, determined by an individuals genetics and anatomy at birth.”
The Utah House overrode Gov. Spencer Cox’s veto of a bill that bans biological males from participating in female sports.
The bill, H.B. 11, “imposes limits on participation in female sports by requiring schools and local education agencies to designate athletic activities by sex” and “prohibiting a student of the male sex from competing against another school on a team designated for female students.”
The law defines “sex” as “the biological, physical condition of being male or female, determined by an individuals [sic] genetics and anatomy at birth.”
The Republican-controlled House voted 56-18 to overturn Cox’s veto. The Senate quickly followed with a 21-8 vote.
Cox tweeted on Tuesday he expected the legislature to overturn his veto. He wrote, “Because the bill was substantially changed in the final hours of the legislative session with no public input and in a way that will likely bankrupt the Utah High School Athletic Association and result in millions of dollars in legal fees for local school districts with no state protection, and for several reasons below, I have chosen to veto the bill.”
I know most won’t read past a headline but please read my veto letter—especially if you disagree with me. The veto will be overridden on Friday and then we will have a special session to fix a few things. Trans sports is a terribly difficult issue. Please be kind to everyone. 1/ pic.twitter.com/5991MF2xqa
— Spencer Cox (@SpencerJCox) March 22, 2022
Full letter here: https://t.co/CNm0SVxg8T
— Spencer Cox (@SpencerJCox) March 22, 2022
Four Republicans from the Utah state House and Senate changed their vote on H.B. 11 when it came to overturning Cox’s veto.
Republican Rep. Mike Winder did not choose to overturn the veto mainly because of the costs that schools could face from lawsuits.
As a fiscal conservative I cannot vote for a bill to throw away tax dollars in a losing lawsuit or to cost the state in economic opportunities all while only serving as a message of hate while being mired in court. I agree w/ @SpencerJCox. Utah can do better!
— Mike Winder (@mike_winder) March 25, 2022
The Utah Legislature attended a special session to address those concerns. The DeseretNews reported:
Also on Friday, the Utah Legislature convened a separate special session called by the governor to make changes to HB11, specifically to address concerns that the bill would leave the Utah High School Activities Association and school districts financially vulnerable to costly lawsuits.
During the special session, the House voted 58-15 and the Senate 22-5 to approve HB3001, a bill that indemnifies school districts and the activities association from lawsuits associated with HB11. The bill included a one-time appropriation of $500,000 from the Utah attorney general’s budget for litigation costs.
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Comments
“The law defines “sex” as “the biological, physical condition of being male or female, determined by an individuals genetics and anatomy at birth.”
Doesn’t this bill enforce current law, law suits or no? That ‘message of hate’ stuff is just trash.
The doctor tells you that you have four little tumors and one of them is cancerous. There is really no need to do anything. And anyway cancer is a good thing.
That is basically what the governor of Utah said when he vetoed the bill.
Good for them. Maybe this will lead to other veto overrides.
“Trans sports is a terribly difficult issue”
No it’s not Guv! Take the “feels” out of it and leave the biology in it and there you go! Just because some guy “feels” like he’s a woman doesn’t change the science.
Let the boys play with boys and the girls play with girls. How they dress shouldn’t have anything to do with it.
I thought Trans Sports was plural for Pontiac mini-van?
I had one of those once. Had to replace the tranny after 50 miles. The tranny was so tired she gave up running and decided to become a swimmer. “There’s more glory in swimming,” she said.
Internets winner!
I would argue Trannie sports are not the problem, standing up to the Leftists and having courage to fight them is.
Bingo! Can’t allow fighting back.
I am very glad, a little spark of fighting back
Mike Winder is saying the quiet part – ‘Economic Opportunities’ – out loud. This fight is good to have for a number of reasons beyond just stopping the injustice being committed against girls. The Republicans who won’t support this kind of legislation are the same Republicans who are on the payroll of big business.
This also underscores the indisputable reality that Big Business is hostile to traditional American values.
I wonder if this guy is as zealous about rooting out fraud, waste and abuse in the budgets he votes for?
This Mike Winder character?
The Winder name is VERY well-known in the Salt Lake area: https://web.archive.org/web/20190112221635/https://www.winderfarms.com/ as the only dairy delivery in the 80s and 90s. Lots of Winders, and all connected to the prosperous and well-known business.
In jr. high, he ran for SPO president, with his two buddies as VP and SEC. I remember this clearly because their assembly “vote for me” skit was “Mike, Clint, and Nate!” chanted over and over and over for the full 2 minutes they were allotted. Three times since there were 3 of them.
In high school, he was on our church’s youth committee with me. Nice kid, but always a touch “I am gracing you with my presence and I am using this experience to enhance my future” (instead of using the experience to help others).
I lost contact with him until about 10 years ago when he was caught lying to the press https://www.deseret.com/2011/11/11/20389531/west-valley-city-mayor-admits-using-false-identity-to-write-news-stories
His sister Amy was running for governor 2 years ago. I had received an email from her saying that a private entity had promised to match any donations if made in a certain period. That raised my flags, and at the county executive committee meeting on 7 March 2020 (yes, I remember the date – that week is very clear in my memory, and probably yours as well as being the last “normal” week”) I saw a booth with one of her minions. I guess she was at the larger meeting in SLCounty. I asked WHO is the private entity offering her money; I had sent an email asking but had no response. The minion hemmed and hawed and finally admitted he had no idea, but that she would be good for the education system.
—-
My point here – Mike Winder is another political class family with an elite “I know better than you” attitude.
Thanks for listening to my rant 🙂
Sounds like Spencer Cox is transitioning or is he just coming out of the closet?
Time to “override” the governor’s ass out of office on a rail.
Follow the Science.
There are some complexities to address that need to be done.
For example, a female that wants to become male will be taking hormones and may get body alterations that provide advantages in certain sports. Can she still compete with her biological sex?
I think that’s already covered by the well-established doping regs
To Governor Cox, I say: we will be kind – just as kind as the trans offenders have been to women’s sports.
It’s not…at least not in a way that isn’t ripe for lawsuit.
The doping regs in most states do not mention “gender transition therapy” or whatever you want to call it.
Therefore, you need to codify into law either way whether that is allowed or disallowed. Once codified into law either way, it’s much harder to bring legal challenge as it would take a court that can overturn state law to even deal with such a case.
Onward to Indiana….
https://www.wvxu.org/politics/2022-03-22/indiana-gop-override-holcomb-veto-anti-trans-sports-bill
In Hoosierdom, vetoes can be overriden with simple majorities. Current IN House makeup: 71-29 GOP, IN Senate makeup: 39-11 GOP. Literally dozens of IN House and Senate GOP’ers could flip and override would still pass. Bottom line: Override is effectively a done deal.
The “Courts” will negate the law…. there must be at least one Prog judge (they) waiting to have their 15 minutes of fame.
It will be interesting to see the twisted logic they’ll have to use to overcome biology.
TIRC (This is Romney Country) hats on discount.
As an actual conservative (not Randian/Libertarian) I 100% approve this use of government to preserve one of the most important values in our culture against the onslaught of corporate America, Academia, and our other non-government centers of power.
Thank you Utah State legislature continue producing victories and continue acting against your “MUH GOVERNMENT BAD MUH GOVERNMENT BAD MY GOOOOVEVEEEEERMEEENNT BAAAAAADD COOOOPROOOORATE GOOOOOD CORPORATE GOOD” governor and his cronies.
Laugh of the
dayweek:“As an actual conservative…”
Elementary school is that way asshole.
Glad to know in addition to being an asshole you are a squish who wants less government so private entities could eliminate the difference between men and women without the Utah State legislature having a say.
By the way if you think non-right wingers are anti-trans movement you aren’t just brainless you are exactly the kind of deluded fool who thought Germany would win in 1945.