Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Health topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Senate approves civil-liability measure for harms tied to conversion efforts after amendment narrows language
Summary
The Senate passed House Bill 1322, authorizing civil claims for harms arising from conversion‑therapy efforts by licensed professionals; supporters framed it as protecting patients, while opponents raised constitutional and litigation‑exposure concerns. The chamber adopted amendment L28 to remove extraneous language before passage.
House Bill 1322, which establishes a civil remedy against certain licensed professionals for harms tied to conversion-therapy efforts, passed the Senate on May 4 after the adoption of amendment L28.
Senator Mullica, a sponsor, described the bill as intended to ensure that "licensed health care professionals" who cause trauma or harm through certain conversion efforts can be held accountable and that victims have an avenue for relief. "You have the right to be protected," Senator Mullica said on the floor.
Opponents, including Senator Zamora Wilson, argued the measure risks constitutional problems after recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings and could create unlimited liability and lengthy statutes of limitation; they warned it might chill clinicians and parental choice in care. Senator Zamora Wilson called aspects of the bill an "unconstitutional workaround" and flagged concerns about broad third-party liability.
Floor amendment L28 removed subsections that sponsors and advocates agreed were extraneous (substantial causation language, third-party liability and expert‑testimony language) so the bill would focus on two central goals: preserving prohibition of conversion therapy for minors and providing a time-limited cause of action for harmed people. After amendment, the Senate passed the bill.
What’s next: The bill proceeds to enrollment. Legal challenges or clarifying rulemaking could follow if the law is enacted and litigated.
