Alaska House opposition attempts to filibuster bill restricting trans girls in sports

Rep. Jamie Allard, R-Eagle River (left) and Rep. David Eastman, R-Wasilla (right) talk with Rep. Justin Ruffridge, R-Soldotna, about an amendment to House Bill 183 on Thursday, May 9, 2024. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)

A coalition of Democratic, independent and Republican lawmakers in the Alaska House of Representatives has stymied a bill that would prohibit transgender girls from playing on girls school sports teams. 

Legislators opposed to the bill have introduced dozens of amendments, and after debate on a single amendment stretched for more than an hour Thursday, lawmakers voted to table further discussion until Saturday.

Transgender girls are already prohibited by regulation from joining girls teams, but socially conservative Republicans in the House are seeking to turn that regulation into law, making it more permanent. 

If Thursday evening’s pace were to continue Saturday, it would take more than four consecutive, continuous days of debate to get through all of the amendments and advance the bill, denying action on any other priorities in the meantime. 

The Legislature’s regular session is scheduled to end on Wednesday.

“There is no potential deal for us to stop in any way, shape or form. We are going to demand that all of our amendments be heard. We are going to demand that we have adequate debate on all amendments,” said Rep. Andrew Gray, D-Anchorage and an opponent of the bill.

“It was a great democratic process that allows people to bring amendments forward to debate them. It’s concerning as the process becomes dilatory, but we have respect for the institution and respect the rights of members to offer their amendments and debate them,” said House Majority Leader Dan Saddler, R-Eagle River and a supporter of the bill.

Proponents say students whose sex at birth was female might be endangered or at least at a competitive disadvantage against transgender girls, while opponents say the bill is discriminatory and unconstitutional under both Alaska’s constitution and the federal Constitution.

While a transgender girl has competed in Alaska high school athletics before, none are openly competing today. 

The issue nonetheless remains a high priority for Republicans, following a nationwide trend. 

Rep. Dan Ortiz, I-Ketchikan, said on Friday that is worried that the debate will take time and attention away from higher priorities.

“I’m just dismayed that we’re spending time on this particular bill, at this particular time in this session, when we have so many other issues that have far more importance,” he said.

There’s the looming Cook Inlet natural gas shortage, he said, a court ruling that upended the state’s correspondence education system, crime legislation and more.

“If we step back and think about the situation, I think it’s clear that this is not the way that we should be spending our time at this particular point in the session,” he said.

Parliamentary rules could be used to limit debate, dismiss amendments or otherwise advance the bill to a final vote more quickly.

Rep. Sarah Vance, R-Homer and a supporter of the bill, said she thinks that may happen.

“I think we’re gonna have to limit debate, just like we often do with the budget, so that everyone has an opportunity to speak, but can do so and in a timely manner,” she said.

But it wasn’t immediately clear whether there would be sufficient support to limit debate or otherwise rule amendments out of order.

On Thursday, it appeared that three members of the House’s majority caucus — Democrats Neal Foster of Nome and CJ McCormick of Bethel, as well as independent Bryce Edgmon of Dillingham — were prepared to support some opposition amendments and possibly oppose the bill itself. 

That would leave the 20 Republican members of the majority caucus reliant on the support of Rep. David Eastman, R-Wasilla. Eastman is not a member of either caucus.

“I feel that there are mechanisms that the majority might explore that could force a vote. But I mean, we would be pulled along kicking and screaming,” Gray said.

Some of the amendments awaiting introduction carry dates that indicate they were prepared weeks or months ago. 

“We’ve been thinking about this bill for a long time,” Gray said.

House Minority Leader Calvin Schrage, I-Anchorage, said he doesn’t consider the opposition’s actions to be a filibuster.

“All of the amendments in there are legitimate, genuine amendments. If we want to promote girls’ sports, we think there are better ways to do that. And those should all be considered as part of the discussion,” he said.

If the House were to pass the bill, it would still have to pass in the Senate.

Schrage said he expects that members of the House majority will allow the debate to continue if they want to proceed with the bill. 

“Of course, they could always go to some sort of Soviet-style meeting and just dispense with all minority amendments in consideration, and thus ignore all of our constituents and those who have weighed in on the bill as well,” Schrage said. “They could in theory do that and manipulate and corrupt the process to achieve the result they want. I hope they don’t do that.”

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