(The Center Square) – The Senate will not discuss a bill debated for several hours by the Alaska House of Representatives, a spokesperson for the Senate Majority told The Center Square on Monday.
House Bill 183 would require only biological females to participate on female sports teams. The bill passed after a raucous debate that lasted most of the day Saturday and part of Sunday.
Noah Hanson, spokesman for the Alaska Senate Majority, said the Senate has no intention of bringing the bill up in an email to The Center Square.
The House and Senate worked through the weekend, with the House spending about 17 hours debating House Bill 183, which had more than 100 amendments. The bill passed by a vote of 22-18 during a Sunday session that ran until 10:18 p.m.
Riley Gaines, a former NCAA swimmer who lost to a transgender male, praised the bill on Monday in a post on X.
“Great news!!! Despite the theatrics and a 17 hour filibuster from Alaska House dems, HB 183 (women’s sports bill) passed in a 22-18 vote. Good for @akgop and bill sponsor Rep Allard for holding the line. Now the bill heads to the Senate,” Gaines said in the post.
While House Bill 183 is dead, lawmakers have a plethora of bills to consider in the next three days. A conference committee is meeting Monday to discuss the differences between the House and Senate versions of the operating and mental health budgets.
Another bill still on the table addresses a recent court ruling on funding for correspondence school materials.
House Bill 400 would clarify what materials can be paid for with state funds and remove the current language from the statute. The bill is on Monday’s House Finance Committee calendar.
Anchorage Superior Court Judge Adolf V. Zeman ruled last month that the funding for the programs is unconstitutional but said in a separate ruling it would not go into effect until June 30.
The Alaska attorney general’s office appealed to the Alaska Supreme Court and requested an expedited hearing. It will take place on June 25
