House committee reports HB 578, ‘Restoring Biological Truth Act,’ to the floor after contested hearing

A Louisiana House committee on an unspecified date voted to report HB 578, the "Restoring Biological Truth Act," to the House floor after a hearing that featured sharp opposition from civil‑rights and health‑care groups.

Speaker Pro Tem Mike Johnson, who brought the bill on behalf of the governor's office, told the committee that the legislation "provides a uniform statutory definition of *** in the Louisiana law" and is intended to replace inconsistent uses of the word "gender" across the Revised Statutes so that the law uses a single defined term. Johnson said the bill "does not eliminate any anti‑discrimination protection," does not prohibit medical treatment, does not create new crimes and is primarily intended as "a definition and terminology clarification." He asked the committee for favorable passage.

Gary Evans, deputy executive counsel to Governor Jeff Landry, said the governor supports the bill and that the measure moves a definition the body already adopted two years ago into the general construction section of the code. "The definition that is used in this bill has already been passed by this body," Evans said, adding the change is meant to reduce confusion by applying a single definition across statutes.

Opponents urged the committee to defer. Melissa Flournoy, board chair of 10,000 Women Louisiana, said the 59‑page measure "does not help anyone, does not make anyone safer, does not save anyone money," and warned that state agencies would face significant unfunded costs to revise forms, software and training. "There is no fiscal note on the bill and there's no direct appropriation for this implementation," Flournoy said, urging lawmakers not to create a "Bureaucrats' Full Employment Act."

Sarah Whittington of the ACLU of Louisiana said the bill's systematic replacement of the word "gender" with the bill's defined term would not be "simple" in effect and could "ultimately encourage ***‑based discrimination," placing women and institutions that receive federal funds at risk. "This inherently is going to be an anti women's rights bill," Whittington said, and she flagged potential conflicts with federal protections she characterized as tied to references to gender in federal guidance.

Peyton Rose Michelle, executive director of Louisiana Trans Advocates, said the bill "is simply to erase trans people from law" and warned it would complicate legal and administrative processes for people and agencies. Sarah Jane Guidry, director of policy for Crescent Care, a federally qualified health center, told the committee that keeping 'gender' language helps providers "help our trans patients be able to find the care that aligns with who they are."

Representative Chennabare, a committee member who identified herself as a woman, said she believes defining the bill's term as male and female is important to protect women's athletics and other contexts and said she did not see the sponsor's intent as directed to harm anyone.

After discussion and the adoption of a technical amendment set (40‑27), Representative Edmondson moved to report HB 578 as amended to the floor. Vice Chair Laverde objected to reporting, and the clerk called the roll. The clerk recorded six yeas and one nay; the chair announced HB 578 "is reported favorably as reported as amended" and the bill will go to the House floor.

The hearing record includes multiple organizations registering opposition or support for the bill; several advocates entered written testimony or cards into the record but did not speak.

The committee adjourned without further action on the bill. The bill's fiscal impacts were described by opponents as "not specified" in the hearing record, and committee discussion did not produce a fiscal note or a detailed cost estimate for required administrative changes.