It’s the House’s turn today to consider whether to overturn the governor’s veto of a bill that bans transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports. 70 votes are needed in the lower chamber after the Senate narrowly voted to override the governor’s veto of Senate Bill 156. Political Analyst Bernie Pinsonat says if lawmakers vote upon party lines, the 68 Republicans in the House need two votes and there are two independent representatives attending the session.
“If they don’t get both then they need a Democrat, but as we witnessed in the Senate, no Democrat voted to overturn the governor,” said Pinsonat. “It’s going to be a monumental battle for Republicans to get it with the governor doing everything he can to hold any Democrat from crossing the line and helping Republicans.”
Governor John Bel Edwards vetoed 28 pieces of legislation from the 2021 legislative session, but the anti-transgender legislation is likely the only one that may be overridden.
“The legislature didn’t think it was worth the fight or the energy they’d have to expend or the misery to override the veto. Transgender had all the energy and that was the only one that mattered,” said Pinsonat.
Pinsonat said if the transgender veto is overridden, it will not make Edwards a complete lame duck for the remainder of his term, but it could make it more difficult for him.
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