Castle Country Radio is conducting weekly Legislative updates with Representative Christine F. Watkins while the general session is taking place this year. She will give a brief report on the dealings taking place on the hill twice a week, so she took time on Thursday to speak over the telephone about the first week.

Things have taken off already this week as this year features a new House Speaker who wasted no time in getting the session going. “Our former House Speaker resigned to run for office, so we got a new speaker. We all let him know that we felt like too much pressure was at the end, when we weren’t doing enough at the beginning of the session. Well, I’m telling you, it was like drinking from the fire hose the last two days and we’re all saying that. Everybody feels that change, and it’s kind of a welcome change; let’s get going, we only have 45 days, lets get things done that we want to get done,” said Representative Watkins.

The big discussion this week have been House Bill 257, Sex-Based Designations for Privacy, Anti-Bullying, and Women’s Opportunities. This bill establishes a standard regarding distinctions on the basis of sex and applies the standard in certain facilities and opportunities where designations on the basis of sex address individual privacy, bullying, and women’s opportunities. “What she’s trying to do in this bill is create clear definitions and boundaries for restrooms in public buildings like schools and universities and state-owned buildings. If you were born a woman, even if you transgendered, and you’re trying to become a man or woman, changing all of those things that we know is happening in the world today. That you still have to use the restroom for the sex that you or the gender that you were born with,” explained Representative Watkins. The bill’s sponsor is also requiring any buildings being built in the future and possibly retro fitting now to incorporate private bathrooms in their buildings/designs.

The bill is moving along to become law as Representative Watkins explains, “It went through committee yesterday. I did not go and watch it I was still trying to catch up, like I said. But the room was packed, there’s a lot of people who feel like they’re being discriminated against in this case. We really are trying to make it so that everyone is more comfortable in this world, and something that we didn’t have to face 20 years ago or even 15 years ago. But as more people decide to that they want to be something different, in a sense we are protecting the majority,” stated Representative Watkins.