Senate Republicans commandeered legislation involving nurses Tuesday and refashioned the measure as a ban on transgender services for youth.
The move under Georgia’s Gold Dome triggered an hour of by-now familiar debate, with Democrats opposed and Republicans in favor. That is how the final vote went, as well, with the heavily amended House Bill 54 passing 30-18 along party lines.
When the bill passed the House unanimously last year, on the final day of the legislative session, it was about nurses and home health care. When the clock reset this year, the second half of the biennial assembly of lawmakers, it was sitting in the Senate and ripe for the taking.
So, on Tuesday, the Senate took the bill, and changed it to its core, using it as a vehicle to prohibit puberty blockers and other interventions for youth experiencing gender dysphoria.
Afterward, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, a Republican running to be Georgia’s next governor, said Senate Republicans had stood with the majority in acting “to protect our youth.” He added that he “will always fight for Georgia values and the safety of our kids.”
Democrats dismissed the amendment as an election year ploy to grab attention.
“This is a real easy playbook for you all to run, but I want you to know, maybe it worked in 2024, I think voters are tired of it,” said Sen. Josh McLaurin, D-Sandy Springs, who is running to succeed Jones in the lieutenant governor’s office.
The measure now returns to the House, where the original version dealing with nurses was backed by House Speaker Pro Tem Jan Jones, R-Milton, the second-ranked member of that chamber.
