North Dakota Bill Permitting Public School Teachers To Ignore Preferred Pronouns Heads To Governor’s Desk
Alexa Schwerha on April 28, 2023
A North Dakota bill that would allow public school teachers to ignore pronouns that do not match a student’s biological sex heads to Republican Gov. Doug Burgum’s desk for final approval, The Associated Press reported.
Lawmakers voted 40-6 to pass the bill in the state Senate on Thursday, the AP reported. The bill bars government entities from “requiring or prohibiting” employees use preferred pronouns or designate them in a work-related setting. The bill also prohibits transgender students from using a restroom that does not correspond with their biological sex unless they have approval from a parent or legal guardian, and prohibits school districts from hiding a student’s gender identity from a legal parent or guardian.
House Bill 1522 cleared the state House chambers on Tuesday in a 68-22 vote; it would go into effect immediately upon Burgum’s signature, but could also become law if he does not sign it within three days if the lawmakers override the veto, the AP reported.
Burgum vetoed a similar bill last month because “the teaching profession is challenging enough without the heavy hand of state government forcing teachers to take on the role of pronoun police,” he wrote in his veto letter, according to the AP. Lawmakers did not have enough votes to override the veto, but the state Senate then inserted the pronoun language from the old bill into the current bill.
Republican state Rep. Karen Rohr speculated that Burgum will sign this bill because it uses language that he “would have no objections to signing,” according to the AP. It is “also consistent with the governor’s statement that parents should be involved when these situations arise,” she said.
Burgum signed a bill into law earlier this month that prohibits transgender individuals from using bathrooms, locker rooms or showers in college dorms or correctional facilities, the AP reported. He also signed a bill making it a crime to conduct sex change procedures on minors, and another mandating K-12 and college athletes compete on teams that match their biological sex.
The governor “doesn’t comment on bills before they reach his desk,” Mike Nowatzki, Burgum’s communications director, told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Rohr did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
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