District of Columbia, South Carolina | April 22, 2021
Sen. Tim Scott to deliver Republicans joint address to Congress
District of Columbia, South Carolina | April 22, 2021
Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) will deliver his party’s response to President Biden’s joint address to Congress next week, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy announced on Thursday.
Why it matters: The pick is a big deal in the post-Trump GOP as Republicans navigate what the future of the party will look like. Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate, is widely seen as a rising star in the party who is well-liked by pro-Trump Republicans as well more moderate members.
- The selection comes as Scott is working closely with Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) on a potential bipartisan police reform deal in the wake of the Derek Chauvin trial.
What they’re saying: “Sen. Tim Scott is not just one of the strongest leaders in our Senate Republican conference. He is one of the most inspiring and unifying leaders in our nation. As Sen. Scott likes to say, he is living his mother’s American dream, and he has dedicated his career to creating more opportunity for our fellow citizens who need it most,” McConnell said….
(Excerpt from Axios)
Arkansas, Michigan, South Carolina, Texas | April 13, 2021
Anti-Transgender Legislation Surging in States
Arkansas, Michigan, South Carolina, Texas | April 13, 2021
The possibility that the Equality Act which was introduced, as H.R. 5 may pass Congress, has caused many state legislatures to respond and pass legislation to create legal protections for their state constituents.
Most recently, the Arkansas General Assembly passed HB 1570, the Save Adolescents From Experimentation (SAFE) Act and was adopted into law recently after overriding Governor Asa Hutchinson’s veto.
In 2020,19 state bills were introduced to protect the vulnerable from gender experimentation and many more bills protecting children from the transgender rights lobby have been introduced in the 2021 legislative sessions of several states.
Texas introduced SB 1311 and Michigan SB 218 which are among bills broadly labeled SAFE Act bills or gender reassignment bills address the following three concerns according to the Family Research Council:
- “Gender transition” is an experiment; no “treatment” can change a person’s genetic composition, and no studies have demonstrated long-term benefits.
- The government should not force taxpayers to fund it, insurers to cover it, or children to be subjected to it.
- The SAFE Act would provide legal remedies for minors who have been permanently disfigured and/or sterilized.
Most recently, a South Carolina Democrat, state Rep. Cezar McKnight, introduced the “South Carolina Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act”. This measure would ban minors from being able to receive transgender surgeries or medical treatments.
The bill states in part: “…no person shall engage in, counsel, make a referral for, or cause any of the following practices to be performed upon a minor if the practice is performed for the purpose of attempting to alter the appearance of or affirm the minor’s perception of the minor’s gender or sex…”
IFA’s Pray for Americas Leaders webcast on April 15th will feature the author of Arkansas Save Adolescents From Experimentation (SAFE) Act and discussing this trend in state legislation. Pray with us Live on Thursdays at 12:15 pm ET —IFApray.org/LIVE or (713) 775-7430.
IFA Contributing Writer