House Speaker Clay Schexnayder, R-Gonzales, in the House chamber during the legislative session, Wednesday, June 7, 2023, at the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge, La.
Speaker Clay Schexnayder opens the special session of the Louisiana House of Representatives on Tuesday, July 18, 2023 at the State Capitol building in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
House Speaker Clay Schexnayder, R-Gonzales, in the House chamber during the legislative session, Wednesday, June 7, 2023, at the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge, La.
Speaker Clay Schexnayder opens the special session of the Louisiana House of Representatives on Tuesday, July 18, 2023 at the State Capitol building in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
The Louisiana House voted Tuesday to override Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards’ veto of a ban on youth access to some gender-affirming health care, moving Louisiana closer to joining a list of states that have curtailed health care for transgender people.
NEW: Louisiana Legislature overrides John Bel Edwards’ veto of trans youth health care ban
State Rep. Gabe Firment’s House Bill 648 would ban doctors from prescribing hormone therapy and puberty blockers to minors, and from administering gender-transition surgical procedures. It would cease care for the small number of Louisiana teens already receiving some of those treatments, which all major American medical groups agree are safe and effective when provided in developmentally appropriate ways.
Gov. John Bel Edwards vetoed the bill following the Legislature’s regular session that ended in June.
The Senate must still support overriding Edwards’ veto for the House’s vote to become official. Two-thirds of both chambers need to support an override for it to be successful — that totals 70 members in the House and 26 in the Senate — meaning any member who is absent is effectively a vote against an override.
Firment’s bill was instrumental in drawing lawmakers back to Baton Rouge for the veto-override session.
In the House, the successful override of that bill’s veto followed a string of defeats for Republicans, who tried and failed to override vetoes of three other bills sponsored by GOP lawmakers before Firment rose to ask the chamber to support his measure.
The House voted to override the governor’s veto of HB 648 on a 75-23 vote.
Two House Republicans — Paula Davis of Baton Rouge and Joe Stagni of Kenner — did not return for the session. Davis was in South Carolina to be with her daughter while she underwent surgery, she said in a text message, adding that she supported the session and the effort to override the veto of House Bill 648.
Stagni, one of the only Republicans to oppose the ban on gender-affirming care was on vacation out of the state with family. He said that his presence would not have affected the outcome of the session.
Edwards also handed down vetoes on two other anti-LGBTQ+ bills: HB 81 and HB 466, which would restrict students’ ability to use alternate pronouns and outlaw talk of gender and sexuality, respectively.
The House tried and failed to override the veto of HB 81 Tuesday, failing to do so on a 67-29 vote.
The veto-override session convened at noon Tuesday and could last up to five days, though lawmakers expect it to conclude earlier than that.
James Finn covers state politics in Baton Rouge for The Advocate | The Times-Picayune. Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @rjamesfinn.
After a day of high drama and emotional outbursts from spectators, the Legislature struck down Gov. John Bel Edwards’ veto of a ban on youth access to gender-affirming health care, aligning Louisiana with a growing list of states that have restricted medical treatment for transgender people.
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