Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick is doubling down on his support for the controversial 'bathroom bill,' denouncing a report opposing the bill released by the state's largest and most respected business group as 'bogus,' News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
Patrick is a huge backer of S.B. 6, which would limit the use of public and school restrooms to the gender listed on the person's birth certificate. Patrick told 1200 WOAI's Joe Pags and the bill does not discriminate against transgender individuals, because they can go to a judge and get their birth certificate gender altered to reflect their new 'sexual identity.'
Patrick pointed to a study by the non partisan site 'Politifact,' which described a Texas Association of Business study warning that approval of D.B. 6 would cost the state $8.5 billion and more than 100,000 jobs as 'mostly false.
'"I hope all of the media sources that printed that bogus TAB report will at least do a story showing that report has been shown not to be valid," Patrick said.
Politifact reported that the TAB report, for example, included the potential loss of Sunday's Super Bowl game in Houston, which took place before the law was even voted out of committee, let alone approved and took effect. LGBT groups did lobby the NFL, unsuccessfully, to move the Super Bowl after Houston voters rejected a local Non Discrimination Ordinance that protected transgender bathroom use last year. Politicfact also called one figure cited in the TAB report, which predicted a '15%' loss of tourism and related business if the bathroom bill were to be approved, was a 'misprint' and should have read '0.5%.'
"Funny thing about the report, they predicted that we might lose the Super Bowl," Patrick said. "I guess they weren't watching yesterday."
Patrick called the TAB report 'fear mongering,' and pointed out that last Sunday's Super Bowl was the most successful ever for the NFL, regardless of who was allowed to use which restrooms.
In fact, Patrick pointed out that if an organization like the NFL or the NCAA, which is set to hold the Men's Final Four in the Alamodome next year, rents a public facility, it is allowed under S.B. 6 to set whatever bathroom usage policies it chooses during the time the rental agreement is in force.
Several business groups in San Antonio and other states have spoken out strongly against S.B. 6, warning of a loss of tourism business as well as damage to large convention and event locations.But Patrick pointed out that North Carolina, which approved a similar bill last year, was recently rated as the second strongest state economy in the USA by a major business magazine, stronger than Texas.
"Those who have been resistant to supporting the bill because of economics, they have lost their argument,' it's gone," Patrick said. "So the question now is, why are they supporting the bill?"
The TAB released a new report, warning the NCAA is 'on the verge' of withholding major events from North Carolina for 'the next several years.'
The NCAA has not commented on the potential fate of next year's Final Four or other college sporting events due to the potential approval of S.B. 6.
Patrick has claimed that moves to remove athletic events from Texas if the bill is passed are 'extortion,' asking 'what is next---they will remove events from Texas if we don't repeal Campus Carry?'
House Speaker Joe Straus has indicated that the bathroom bill is not a priority in his chamber, and Gov. Abbott didn't mention it at all in his State of the State speech last week.
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