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Committee adopts amendment and advances bill limiting certain genital surgeries; some members opposed
Summary
The Judiciary Committee adopted amendment 1-889 s to House Bill 712, clarifying definitions and limits on referrals for genital surgery, and moved the bill forward as amended; several senators expressed concern about parental rights and data cited in testimony and indicated they would oppose the underlying bill despite the amendment.
The Judiciary Committee adopted amendment 1-889 s to House Bill 712 and moved the bill forward as amended.
Committee discussion of the amendment focused on technical clarifications. Sponsors said the amendment refines definitions, leaves intact certain surgical exceptions subject to existing statute 03/1932, and places disciplinary jurisdiction with the state board that licenses the provider. The amendment also narrowed the language about referrals so that the provision applies to actual provision of surgery rather than informal phone referrals.
Senator Prentiss said she would not support the underlying bill despite improvements in the amendment, citing concerns that the bill would undermine parents’ rights in medical decision-making for minors. She also said the Department of Insurance data presented to committee conflicted with statements in testimony about the number and locations of procedures performed between February 2017 and 2023 and called for deeper record-level verification.
Another senator, expressing concern about the existence of procedures in two hospitals, said even one occurrence raised a policy concern. After debate, the committee adopted the amendment by voice vote and moved HB 712 forward as amended.
The transcript records a voice vote adopting the amendment and a subsequent voice vote on the motion to move the bill forward “as amended.” No roll-call tallies were read aloud in the recorded segment. The sponsor who will take the bill out of committee was identified as Senator Burtz.
