JEFFERSON CITY 鈥 Gov. Mike Parson is threatening to call lawmakers into a special session next month if they fail to approve a plan to restrict transgender athletes and gender-related care for adolescents.
As the clock ticks down on the Legislature鈥檚 May 12 deadline, Parson said the transgender issue is a top priority that needs to be resolved as soon as possible.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not going to walk away from this building鈥 without a law on the books, Parson told reporters at a news conference Thursday.
Following the lead of other Republican states, the GOP-led House and Senate aimed at addressing concerns about transgender health care for minors.
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But, neither chamber has given an affirmative vote to those plans amid disagreements over the severity of the restrictions.
Parson鈥檚 threat is designed to pressure lawmakers to send something to his desk.
鈥淚t鈥檚 unfortunate what you鈥檙e seeing out there. Look, both of those bills are going to get done,鈥 Parson said.
Transgender rights have become a flashpoint in state legislatures this year for Republicans. At least 11 states have put policies and laws in place that limit or prohibit the use of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and surgeries for people under 18.
In Jefferson City, a Senate compromise allows current patients to continue with treatment, and contains a four-year expiration date on prohibitions of puberty blockers and hormone therapy, which would apply to future patients. The House legislation contains no such exceptions.
A requires transgender athletes to play on sports teams aligning with the sex on their birth certificate.
That legislation is less restrictive than the Senate version, only applying to athletes in sixth grade and above.
Senate Majority Leader Cindy O鈥橪aughlin, R-Shelbina, flatly said 鈥渘o鈥 Thursday when asked if the Senate would pass the House bill, putting the onus on the House to act on the Senate bill.
鈥淲e鈥檝e done our work,鈥 said Senate President Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia. 鈥淭he House is gonna pass our bill.鈥
Some rank-and-file lawmakers say a special session is unlikely.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think that鈥檚 going to happen. I think it is going to pass right here in the House. I believe we鈥檒l pass the Senate version and go home happy,鈥 said Rep. Jim Murphy, a south 狐狸视频 County Republican.
House Speaker Dean Plocher, R-Des Peres, didn鈥檛 dismiss the possibility that the House would take up Senate bill.
But, he said, 鈥淚 think we passed a better package.鈥
While proponents have said they are trying to protect minors from life-altering medical decisions they might later regret, opponents have characterized the push as an attack on the transgender community, part of a wave of similar legislative efforts in other red states.
Parson said he is not interested in pursuing laws that would apply to transgender adults, such as , who was appointed to the position by Parson in January.
鈥淲hen you鈥檙e an adult, you鈥檙e an adult,鈥 Parson said. 鈥淵ou have rights to do what you want.鈥
Rowden said he opposed Bailey鈥檚 rules affecting care for adults.
Bailey鈥檚 rule, which was set to go into effect Thursday, is the subject of a lawsuit. A 狐狸视频 judge is expected to rule Monday on whether the implementation of the rule should be delayed pending the outcome of the legal challenge.
House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, said her caucus would fight whatever proposal lands in the House, but acknowledged that signs point to the Senate bill coming up in the final days of the session.
鈥淭his whole discussion is disgusting,鈥 Quade said.
Updated at 2 p.m.