North Nevada News

In a recent tweet, Nevada state Sen. Ira Hansen (R-Sparks) attacked state Democrats for hastily approving an amendment to a bill without holding a hearing.

"#nvleg Dem abuse of power: Took a bill w/ unanimous support & dropped a floor #BudLightAmendment w/out any hearing at the last minute in the last waning days of the session fining NV school boards $5k/day that try to block boys from girls’ bathrooms, locker rooms, and sports," the senator said in the tweet.

Amendment 674 of Assembly Bill (AB) 423 advanced in the State Senate with 12 Democrats voting in favor, one Democrat excused and all eight Republicans voting against it; a recent Daily Caller report said. The measure in its updated form would allow the Nevada Department of Education to fine school boards $5,000 per day if they attempted to block transgender girls from "school facilities or activities," according to the amendment's text.

Hansen argued for the removal of the amendment, referring to the lack of hearings. He also said that he saw the amendment as a method to deny school boards the right to prevent biological males from going into biological female locker rooms, bathrooms or sporting events.

“I would call this amendment the Bud Light Amendment," Hansen said, referring to an earlier controversy surrounding Bud Light partnering with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney for a promotion. "That is a major controversy across this state. There’s an enormous backlash across this country on this very issue, and to do this as a floor amendment and not have any hearings, and put it on a bill that originally was fine is absolutely an abuse of the process."

The amendment's sponsor, state Senator Fabian Doñate (D-Carson City), responded to Hansen's criticisms by reading a portion of the text.

"A board of trustees shall not adopt a policy that limits the access of a pupil because of race, religious creed, color, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, ancestry, familial status or sex, to school facilities or activities," Doñate quoted the text, adding that it was "pretty much what the amendment says."

Erin Phillips, Power2Parent president, also expressed displeasure over the amendment.

“Local school boards are tethered to the local community and the parents who are the stakeholders," she told the Daily Caller. "Adding a fine to local school boards to hold them hostage to a radical ideology is unacceptable. Denying the reality of gender in sports and private spaces is disadvantaging our daughters and erasing every gain Title IX afforded women. Dems are forcing ideology on them families that is unpopular and unsafe.”

In an update, the Arizona Legislature rejected Amendment 674 on May 30 by voice vote, a KLAS report said. AB423 has returned to the Senate for reconsideration without the amendment.