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Committee advances bill banning government from compelling employees to use preferred pronouns
Summary
The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced Senate File 77 after testimony from state agencies, employers and advocacy groups. The bill prohibits government entities from requiring employees to use another person’s preferred pronouns; committee amendments removed statutory damages and governmental‑immunity carveouts before a final committee vote.
The Senate Judiciary Committee on an unspecified date considered Senate File 77, a bill titled in committee as "Compelled speech is not free speech," which would prohibit the state and its political subdivisions from requiring an employee to refer to another employee using the other person’s preferred pronouns.
Senator Hutchings, the bill sponsor, described the measure as “plain and simple,” saying, “The government shall not compel someone to say something they do not want to say.” She told the committee the bill would prohibit a government employer from making the use of preferred pronouns a condition of employment or a prerequisite to receiving grants, permits, contracts or licenses.
State and public‑sector witnesses gave mixed views. Dr. Ben Moritz,…
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