Leah Boggs, general counsel for the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet, testified this year that 67 inmates are currently receiving cross-sex hormones and that no gender-transition surgery has happened.
But Republicans suggested the Corrections Department was working toward a policy that would permit those treatments. Proponents of Senate Bill 2 — a number designating the legislation as high priority — argued passage of the measure was "common sense" and necessary to ensure that taxpayer dollars aren't spent on the treatments.
Democratic opponents repeatedly questioned how the bill affecting a small number of people warranted the time and debate. They also raised the prospect of costly legal challenges and warned against the government getting between inmates and medications prescribed by physicians.
The bill ultimately passed the chamber 31-6 and now moves to the Kentucky House.
