Kemp signs bills on transgender athletes, school safety

Transgender students born male can no longer participate on female teams in Georgia s schools and colleges now that Gov Brian Kemp has signed a ban passed by the General Assembly On Monday Kemp inked his signature on seven bills including the Riley Gaines Act of It is named after a Kentucky college swimmer who lost to a transgender competitor at an NCAA competition held at Georgia Tech three years ago This commonsense regulation is about what is fair and safe for our children Kemp disclosed House Speaker Jon Burns R-Newington stated the issue is not partisan Rather he commented it s about right and wrong The House of Representatives backed a similar bill but Senate Bill emerged as the final version Burns and the top Republican on the Senate side Lieutenant Gov Burt Jones made it a top priority Jones a feasible candidate for governor did not attend the bill signing ceremony but revealed in a written declaration that Georgia lawmakers had kept a promise to female athletes Just like President Trump is delivering on promises made in D C In early February Trump signed an executive order affecting schools and transgender athletes His Keeping Men Out of Women s Sports order withholds federal funding from schools that do not oppose male competitive participation in women s sports as a matter of safety fairness dignity and truth Critics contend Georgia s Senate and House measures were overkill a massive effort against rare instances of transgender participation in sports But proponents including Frontline Procedures Action a fundamentalist Christian advocacy group that helped draft them argued that allowing transgender students born male to compete against females was both unfair and dangerous given the variance in physical strength Despite hours of testimony no evidence was presented of instances in Georgia s elementary or high schools where a major concern was caused by transgender participation Critics noted that lawmakers named their provision after a college athlete from another state Georgia now joins more than two dozen states with a similar prohibition The law applies to any competitions that involve populace schools and colleges and includes participating private schools and colleges It allows the state to financially punish institutions that willfully fail to comply including withholding direct funding as well as funds for scholarships loans and grants It also allows lawsuits and monetary damages against such institutions The law also prohibits transgender athletes born female from participating on male teams though there was no considerable testimony about problems caused by their participation in sport Kemp also signed House Bill a sweeping school safety measure that requires that routinely updated digital campus maps be shared with first responders that schools equip staff with mobile panic alerts and that aspirant records be transferred within five business days of a candidate s change of schools It would also allow children ages - accused of committing a terroristic act on campus to be tried as an adult with prospective prison time and convictions that would go on their records for life Kemp also signed House Bill to enter an interstate compact on licensing school psychologists House Bill to give school staff time off to donate organs House Bill for screeners and advocacy plans for students with dyslexia Senate Bill to encourage school districts to authorize charter schools and Senate Bill to address chronic absenteeism The post Kemp signs bills on transgender athletes school safety appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta