Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said once that he was proud to be “maladjusted” to the injustices of his time:
But I must honestly say there are some things in our nation and the world to which I am proud to be maladjusted and wish all men of goodwill would be maladjusted until the good society is realized.
In that spirit, on this day as we pause to celebrate Dr. King’s legacy, let’s get ready to stay maladjusted. Here are the hearings and bills we’re watching this week, with opportunities to show up and speak out.
Discriminating against trans students
On Tuesday, Jan. 20, at 9 a.m. in Room 516 of the Blatt Building, the House Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, & Special Laws Subcommittee will continue hearing public testimony on a bill that discriminates against transgender students in public K-12 schools and colleges.
House Bill 4756 would force trans students to use restrooms, locker rooms, and dormitories that do not match their gender. Any school that does not enforce this rule would have its funding slashed by the state.
We know what happens when governments seek to exclude trans students in this way: Many of them forego using the bathroom altogether, at risk to their own health. In a recent survey of transgender and nonbinary young people, 67% reported “holding it” when they needed to use the bathroom, and 38% abstained from drinking or eating to avoid using these facilities.
Only those who signed up to speak at the previous hearing on Jan. 14 will be able to speak at this meeting. You can send written comments to [email protected]. If the bill receives a favorable report in this subcommittee, it will come up for a vote before the full House Judiciary Committee on Jan. 20 at 1:30 p.m. in Blatt Room 110.
Censoring teachers, shortchanging students
On Tuesday, Jan. 20, at 10 a.m. in Room 110 of the Blatt Building, the House Medical and Health Affairs Subcommittee will consider a bill that would censor teachers and stifle classroom conversations.
House Bill 4757 would allow parents to exempt their children from any classroom instruction if it conflicts with their “beliefs or practices regarding sex, morality, or religion.” The bill would also put a gag order on discussions of "gender roles or stereotypes" unless a teacher gives parents 5 days' advance notice.
This bill would create mountains of paperwork for teachers and hand a gift to nationwide teacher harassment organizations like Moms for Liberty, who would be able to search school curricula online for any material that offends their sensibilities.
Arrive early to sign up for public comments, or send written comments to [email protected].
(Even more) attacks on reproductive freedom
After receiving a 3-2 favorable report in a subcommittee last week, a bill criminalizing medications used for abortions will receive a full House Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday, Jan. 20, at 1:30 p.m. (or 30 minutes after House adjournment, whichever is later) in Room 110 of the Blatt Building.
House Bill 4760 would criminalize possession of mifepristone and misoprostol, which are used for medication abortion as well as for managing miscarriages and other conditions.
No further public comment will be allowed at this hearing, but you can send written comments to [email protected]
On Wednesday, Jan. 21, at 10 a.m. in Room 308 of the Gressette Building, the Senate Medical Affairs Subcommittee will consider a bill that would replace the word “fetus” with “preborn human” in state law.
Senate Bill 717 would also require all obstetricians to give state-produced brochures from a newly created Healthy Mother and Healthy Newborn Ombudsman Office to patients "as early as possible during pregnancy."
Arrive early to sign up for public comments or sign up via this online form. Send written comments to [email protected] with the bill number in the subject line. A livestream is not currently available, but check here for updates.
Keeping voters out of primary elections
On Wednesday, Jan. 21, at 12 p.m. in Room 516 of the Blatt Building, the House Constitutional Laws Subcommittee will consider a bill that would restrict the right to vote.
House Bill 3310 would require all voters to register with a political party in order to vote in primary elections. Independent or unaffiliated voters would only be allowed to vote in a primary if a political party decides to open its primaries to them.
Under the current system of extreme partisan gerrymandering, many elections — particularly for state legislative office — are effectively decided in the primaries. Locking voters out of the most important elections in these districts will reduce voter participation and weaken representative democracy.
You can join us at the subcommittee hearing or submit written comments to [email protected]
