INDIANAPOLIS—On Tuesday, House Republicans stated their intent to override the Governor’s veto of House Bill (HB) 1041, the bill to ban trans girls from playing in K-12 sports in Indiana, on Technical Corrections Day, May 24. Senate Democratic Leader Greg Taylor (D-Indianapolis) released the following statement from his caucus:

“Technical Corrections Day is meant to fix technical errors in recently passed bills. Its purpose is not to fuel the flames of culture wars by pushing through a veto override on hateful legislation just to garner votes from specific factions of an extreme political base. Are these really the priorities of the Republican Supermajority?

“We know that the passage of this bill will mean a lawsuit from ACLU, who has already promised to sue. Lawsuits against similar legislation in other states have so far been successful. All this move does, besides further establishing Indiana as a regressive, unwelcoming state, is waste taxpayer dollars on top of the wasted time that will be spent discussing this bill on May 24. It’s ridiculous to put on this charade just so Republicans can double down on discriminating against children to score political points with their base.

“We already know, and the Governor has publicly stated, that there is no evidence that the standards of fairness in girls’ competitive sports are not currently being met in our state. Overriding the veto of HB 1041 will only be another embarrassing chapter for Indiana. The memory of some lawmakers is short—they seem to have already forgotten the stain left on our state by the nationally condemned RFRA, as they continue to pass bills that discriminate against Hoosiers and turn people and businesses away from our state. “