Utah Gov. Spencer Cox gave his approval today to SB16, a bill banning transgender surgeries for Utah children and teens, and HB215, which tied a $6,000 pay raise for school teachers to an $8,000 private school voucher program.
SB216 also places an indefinite moratorium on treatments including puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for minors. The bill was sponsored by Sen. Mike Kennedy, R-Alpine, a practicing family physician, and passed by the Utah Legislature on a final 20-8 vote by the Senate.
"Legislation that impacts our most vulnerable youth requires careful consideration and deliberation," Cox said in a statement about SB216. "While not a perfect bill, we are grateful for Sen. Kennedy's more nuanced and thoughtful approach to this terribly divisive issue.
"We will continue to push the Legislature for additional resources to organizations that work to help this important Utah community. While we understand our words will be of little comfort to those who disagree with us, we sincerely hope that we can treat our transgender families with more love and respect as we work to better understand the science and consequences behind these procedures.
The governor's approval of the bill was anticipated after he said last week that the bill was a "very reasonable approach." A sit-in was held in front of the governor's office following the approval of the bill urging him to veto it."This bill strikes a good balance," he said. "More than 90% of parents support Utah schools and so do we. Our top priority this session has been a significant increase in teacher compensation and education funding.
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