Missouri Governor Mike Parson says he'll hold lawmakers in Jefferson City, or call a special session if they don't pass legislation banning transgender medical treatments for minors, and barring transgender students from girls sports. "We need to get across the finish line. We're not going to walk away from this building and those are two priorities I think for most people in this state whether you're Democrat or Republican," the Governor said Thursday.
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A spokeswoman for Parson confirmed to the Associated Press that he plans to call a special legislative session if lawmakers fail to pass bills on transgender issues by the May 12 end of their regular session.
Parson’s last-minute push comes amid widespread support for those bills in both the GOP-led House and Senate but disagreement over the best approach.
House and Senate leaders on Thursday assured reporters that the policies will get passed. But a legislative game of chicken over whether the House or Senate version becomes law has delayed a final vote.
“The House is going to pass our bill,” Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden said. “We’ve done our work, and everything else is hypothetical.”
House Speaker Dean Plocher says they passed better legislation.
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In the Senate, where the Democratic minority holds more negotiating power, lawmakers agreed to allow kids whose gender-affirming treatment is already underway to continue receiving that health care. The Senate ban would expire in 2027.
The House version does not include exceptions for in-progress treatments and would not expire unless repealed by future lawmakers or by citizens through an initiative petition.
“I can’t use the word that one is better than the other, because this whole discussion is disgusting,” Democratic Minority Leader Crystal Quade said. “But I will tell you that the work that the Senate Democrats did in putting the grandfather clause in there and the sunset, is important.”
The Senate passed legislation to ban transgender girls from playing on girls sports teams from kindergarten through college, both at public and private schools. The law would expire in 2027.
The House version would apply to student athletes beginning in grade 6 and would not expire.
Both chambers still have a couple weeks to iron out differences before a special session would be called.