Senate Bill 150 — which placed new regulations on transgender students, limited the teaching of sex ed, and barred what's known as "gender-affirming care," among other provisions — became a defining political flashpoint in 2023.
This year, House Bill 304 tweaks what lawmakers considered a grammatical error in the bill — a loophole hinging on a single word that allowed local school districts, such as Fayette County, to bypass language meant to bar kids 5th grade and below from learning about human sexuality or STDs. HB 304 would make that a requirement, as bill authors say they originally intended.
It would also tack on language mandating that schools inform parents if their child identifies as transgender.
"And if teachers and administrators don't out those trans kids within 48 hours, parents can sue the teachers for the school," Chris Hartman is with the Fairness Campaign. "That's the type of thing that really concerns me."
The bill's sponsor, Republican Rep. Shane Baker of Somerset, argues the additional language is meant to facilitate and support parental rights and involvement children's lives.
Hartman says he doesn't think there's a great deal of momentum behind the new changes just yet, but it remains relatively early and SB 150 passed late in the last session.
