COLUMBIA, S.C. — While North Carolina has been in the national spotlight after its Legislature passed House Bill 2, a South Carolina senator is pushing a bill that is almost exactly the same.
Upstate Sen. Lee Bright, R-Spartanburg, introduced Senate Bill 1203 this week that would require transgender people to use public bathrooms based on their biological sex.
However, GOP state Sen. Wes Hayes of Rock Hill told Channel 9 that Bright's bill is probably unnecessary.
That's because in 1999, the state passed a religious freedom act that protects the religious rights of business owners.
That law could prevent a city in South Carolina from doing what Charlotte did, Hayes said.
"What we currently have on the books in South Carolina addresses this issue, and we don't necessarily need to pass another bill," Hayes said.
Republican Rep. Ralph Norman of York said if Bright's bill did come up for a vote, he'd support it.
"If it's anything like Gov. (Pat) McCrory's bill, I'll support it 100 percent," Norman said.
Norman is concerned about protecting the majority of the state's population when it comes to using the bathroom in public.
He believes HB2 is not discriminatory because anyone could claim to be transgender and walk into a public bathroom.
"What about that 12-year-old girl who goes in the bathroom and she gets raped by someone claiming to be transgender? Is the report going be made front page news? That boy who goes in and gets molested, is that going to be front page news?" he said.
Norman questioned how you know if someone's telling the truth about why they choose one bathroom over another, and how it would be policed.
It's very unlikely Bright's bill will be voted on this year, or even debated because of Senate rules that provide a May 1 deadline for bills to come to the Senate floor.
The South Carolina Senate is dealing with a budget and roads bill, which have top priority this session.
Gov. Nikki Haley spoke out on the debate this week, saying this is not an issue in South Carolina because no one has complained. She also mentioned the 1999 law that could make any further legislative action unnecessary.
Channel 9 reached out Thursday to local county council members and economic development leaders in York County for comment, but did not heard back.
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