St. Paul, MN - Today, the Minnesota House of Representatives debated House File 12, a Republican-sponsored bill that only serves to bully trans kids and make it more difficult for all kids to play sports in Minnesota. House Democrats were unanimous in their opposition to the bill, which did not receive enough votes to pass the Minnesota House.
State Representative Pete Johnson (DFL - Duluth) voted against the legislation and released the following statement:
“When it comes to supporting our kids, there should be no shortage of common-ground, bipartisan solutions. Instead, House Republicans are wasting legislative time on divisive and harmful bills that have no chance of becoming law. Trans kids have been included and playing sports here in Minnesota, without issue, for more than a decade. This bill is an ugly, misguided stunt that would provide scrutiny to the bodies of young girls, and does nothing to actually protect or support girls' sports. I was proud to vote against it, and I’m eager to work on the bipartisan solutions Minnesotans care about.”
The bill failed on a vote of 66-67. House Republicans then moved to lay it over for future consideration. Video of today’s floor debate can be found on the House Public Information YouTube channel.
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