The Louisiana Senate voted Monday to pass a controversial bill to ban gender-affirming health care for transgender minors, advancing the measure even after it was defeated by a GOP-controlled state Senate committee last month.
The measure, House Bill 648, seeks to bar health care providers from administering gender-affirming medical care to patients younger than 18 under the threat of having their professional licenses revoked.
The bill died late last month in a state Senate committee, with Sen. Fred Mills (R) casting the deciding vote. In a rare occurrence, Louisiana senators this month voted to recommit the bill to another committee, giving it a second chance at life.
House Bill 648 was passed Friday by the state Senate Judiciary “A” Committee, a majority Republican committee that typically debates legislation and issues pertaining to the criminal justice system.