AUSTIN (AP) – Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is giving his first clear support for a “bathroom bill” that supporters say is similar to North Carolina’s recent compromise but opponents still reject as discriminatory.
Abbott on Tuesday said he’ll work on a bill with the Republican-controlled Legislature before it adjourns in May. His significant endorsement follows months of relative silence over a state Senate measure that would require people to use public bathrooms that correspond with the sex on their birth certificate.
But Abbott is now backing a House version that sets aside that language. It instead bans cities from adopting nondiscrimination ordinances that would apply to restrooms.
The NCAA is again letting North Carolina host championship events under that state’s newly revised bathroom bill. On Tuesday, the NCAA awarded Texas several future championship sites.
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