With all the protests from the public, loss of tourism, and major companies threatening to leave the state because of HB2, known as the bathroom bill, it apparently took the threatened loss of the all-star basketball game to force the North Carolina legislature to take another look at what they hath wrought.
According to a report by WBTV, the state House is considering a number of major changes to the law. Tops on the list is the creation of a new version of “papers please.” The state would allow an individual to apply for a “certificate of sex reassignment” following reassignment surgery. Presumably, they then would have to produce the document if challenged.
“An individual who (i) was born in another state or territory of the United States that does not provide a mechanism for amending a current certificate of birth or issuing a new certificate of birth to change the sex of an individual following sex reassignment surgery and (ii) resides in this State at the time of the written application may request a certificate of sex reassignment from the State Registrar,” the legislation reads. “The State Registrar shall issue a certificate of sex reassignment upon a written application from an individual accompanied by a notarized statement from the physician who performed the sex reassignment surgery or from a physician licensed to practice medicine who has examined the individual and can certify that the person has undergone sex reassignment surgery.”
The draft bill also amends portions of HB2 related to protections for employees by adding specific references to federal statutes that provide special protections for certain groups of people. Other changes in the draft legislation increase the penalties for suspects convicted of committing certain offenses in a multi-person bathroom or changing facility.
A source familiar with the inner workings of the House Republican Caucus, where legislation is typically discussed prior to being introduced for debate by the full body, said caucus members had not yet been briefed on the legislation.
Charlotte is scheduled to host the 2017 NBA All-Star Game. According to the news report, a spokesman for the league said the revisions to the legislation would “go a long way” to satisfying the NBA’s concerns about HR2 and could be enough to keep the game in Charlotte.
The proposed legislation also increases penalties for anyone who commits “certain crimes” in bathrooms, showers, and locker rooms. It also restores the right to sue for employment discrimination.
The full text of the draft legislation uncovered by WBTV is available here.