AUSTIN, Texas — A pair of Republican Texas lawmakers have introduced two pieces of anti-gay legislation, one which would cut funding for schools and universities that have policies in place that support LGBT students, faculty, or staff, and another measure that would allow discrimination based on religious beliefs.
State Rep. Drew Springer filed House Bill 1568 last week, a measure that would reduce a school district’s healthcare funding by 7.5 percent if they offer domestic partner benefits to anyone other than an employee or a dependent of an employee.
Springer said his bill comes in response to the Pflugerville School District in suburban Austin, which began offering insurance benefits to same-sex couples in domestic partnerships.
Pflugerville Superintendent Charles Dupre said the decision to extend benefits to the partners of same-sex employees came out of discussions about workplace diversity.
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“We can talk about being inclusive and talk about valuing people, but if you have people in your organization who feel like you have practices that are discriminatory, then why don’t you make some of these changes that will make me feel included?” Dupre said.
Pflugerville’s benefits took effect January 1.
“Our tax-dollars are for educating kids, not for enacting policies that attempt to get the state to recognize homosexual relationships,” Springer said in a press release. “To think Pflugerville has sued the state for more funding, while at the same time bankrolling a lifestyle most Texans do not agree with is quite disturbing to me.”
Chuck Smith, the Executive Director of Equality Texas told LGBTQ Nation on Monday that his group sees Springer’s bill as overreaching.
“He is not directly affected by this school district’s actions, Smith said. “Locally elected officials are in the best position to make local decisions about what benefits are needed to hire and retain the best educators. They don’t need big state government coming in and pulling the strings.”
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House Bill 360 states that colleges requiring a religious organization to accept any member regardless of “status or beliefs” violates the First Amendment, “including the rights of free exercise of religion and of freedom of association.”
Elliott Griffin, Krause’s chief of staff, told media outlets that the bill was undergoing revision to narrow its focus, but that the core of its intent would be unchanged.
A similar measure recently passed in the Virginia General Assembly.
