Rep. Nancy Mace (R.C.) introduced a bill Monday that would ban transgender women from entering Capitol facilities that match their gender identity.
The resolution would ban members, officers, and employees of the House of Representatives from accessing same-sex establishments in accordance with their gender identity, and would be the first such resolution publicly proposed by Rep.-elect Sarah McBride (D-Delaware). It was submitted just one week after he left his name in history. A transgender person elected to Congress.
The bill charges House Sergeant-at-Arms William McFarland with enforcing the ban, but the House's top law enforcement officer does not want to know who can use Capitol facilities, according to text previewed by The Hill. It is unclear how they will determine who cannot use it.
State laws that prohibit transgender people from using public restrooms that match their gender identity often rely on anonymous complaints, an unreliable enforcement mechanism. LGBTQ Rights Activist of the Month flooded the tip line It is intended to alert Utah officials to potential violations of the state's bathroom ban, which involves thousands of false complaints.
“This is a blatant attempt by far-right extremists to distract from the fact that there are no real solutions to the realities facing the American people,” McBride said in a statement. “We should be focusing on lowering the costs of housing, health care, and child care, not manufacturing culture wars.”
“The people of Delaware sent me here to make the American Dream more affordable and accessible, and that's what I'm focused on,” she said.
Mace is currently consulting with leadership on how to bring the bill to the floor, a person familiar with the matter told The Hill.
Lawmakers had originally planned to bring the bill to the floor Monday night as a privileged resolution, which would have required leadership to vote on the bill within two days of enactment, the person said.
But Mace has withdrawn those plans as he continues to negotiate with leadership on the best way to pass the bill, the people said. Mace is calling for the bill to be included in the rules package for the 119th Congress, or brought to the floor for a vote as a separate rule outside the package.
But if the bill is not included in the rules package for the 119th Congress or brought to the floor as a standalone rule, Mace will force a vote on the bill, officials said.
The House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on proposed rules for the next Congress in early January, and a majority vote will be required for passage. Republicans are poised to win a razor-thin majority once the next Congress adjourns.
Updated at 7:13pm ET.
