South Dakota Transgender Bathroom Bill Officially Flushed
Pierre, S.D. - South Dakota's House of Representatives has failed to override Gov. Dennis Daugaard's veto of a bill that would have required transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms corresponding to their gender at birth.
The override attempt needed two-thirds support in the chamber, and did not get it in Thursday's vote.
The override attempt came two days after Daugaard vetoed the bill, saying it didn't address any pressing issue and the matter was best left to school districts. The governor also warned it could invite litigation.
A successful vote in the House was only one step in an override. The Senate would have had to follow suit, and support for the bill was less in that chamber.
The primary sponsor of vetoed legislation that would have limited the bathrooms that South Dakota transgender students could use says he plans to return next year with a similar bill.
Republican Rep. Fred Deutsch says he's hopeful such a bill could pass through the Legislature next session.
Deutsch had asked his colleagues Thursday not to try to override the veto, saying it should "die a dignified death." After the failed House vote, he said supporters should come back with a "better, stronger bill." The override needed 47 votes in the house and only captured 39.
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