LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – An Arkansas Senate committee moved closer to approving a bill requiring that people in public schools and government buildings use bathrooms that correspond to their birth gender, despite fears the move could lead to boycotts.
Republican Sen. Linda Collins-Smith wants restrooms or locker rooms in government buildings limited to members of only one sex if multiple people use it. A similar law in North Carolina prompted the NBA and NCAA to move major sporting events out of the state.
A committee member who had backed a separate “bathroom bill” was absent Wednesday, leaving Collins-Smith unsure whether her bill would pass the committee. She removed the measure from consideration and the committee chairman placed it on Monday’s agenda.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson has said Arkansas does not need legislation like North Carolina’s.
