LINCOLN- Sen. Kathleen Kauth fell two votes short of advancing a proposal that would define K-12 school bathrooms and sporting teams as male or female based on students’ sex at birth. LB575 fell 31-15, after two conservative lawmakers who originally signed on to the bill when it was introduced last year did not vote for the measure: State Sens. Tom Brandt of Plymouth and Merv Riepe of Ralston.

Riepe, who had said his vote would be a “mystery” until the very end, condemned Friday’s last-minute effort on a bill that was advanced to the floor just one day prior, while Brandt questioned how the bill’s policies would be enforced and paid for. With the failed vote, the bill is effectively dead for the year. Speaker John Arch said there is not enough time to try to combine bills, which could have been a next step to give LB575 another chance on a different bill in the final week.

Kauth said the measure will return in 2025 and could include restrictions on collegiate athletics. Kauth said her bill was about protecting women’s sports and protecting the dignity and privacy of all school-aged children in the most intimate places. “Women and girls are going to start refusing to participate in sports knowing that the deck is stacked against them,” Kauth said.

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