The House has passed an amended version of a bill that would require grade-school and high-school athletes to compete in sports according to their birth gender.
That’s how the House originally passed HB 1298. The Senate made it into a study. But in conference committee, the House language was added back, and the study was kept.
Rep. Kathy Skroch (R-Lidgerwood) was on that conference committee – and she urged the House to pass it.
"This is a bill in good form, and which is important in protecting female athletes of North Dakota," Skroch said.
Rep. Mary Schneider (D-Fargo) called the bill “cruel.”
"It's unkind, it's un-Christian, it's unjustified, it's unnecessary, it's unconstitutional," Schneider said. "It's unfortunate that we will harm a very vulnerable group of children -- those with the highest rates of depression and suicide, while we send a message to other kids that it's okay to discriminate."
The bill passed 69 to 25. The conference committee report now goes to the state Senate, for further work.
