North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) on Monday signed a bill into law that requires public school teachers to inform a student’s parents if they identify as transgender.
House Bill 1522 also prohibits K-12 students from using restrooms that correspond with the gender they identify as, and it bans schools from adopting policies that require or prohibit “any individual from using a student’s preferred gender pronoun.”
The legislation went into effect on Monday with Burgum’s signature.
Burgum previously vetoed a similar bill in March but said the version he signed into law on Monday excludes the “concerning language” that spurred his veto.
Burgum said:
House Bill 1522 largely codifies existing practices while reaffirming the First Amendment right to free speech, requiring restroom accommodations, balancing the rights and interests of students, parents and teachers, and not including the concerning language from the previously vetoed and sustained SB 2231.
However, the law would have gone into effect without Burgum’s signature because the Republican-controlled legislature approved the bill with veto-proof majorities in both chambers.
Burgum also signed two other bills into law on Monday related to transgender issues.
With Burgum’s signature on House Bill 1474, North Dakota became the latest state to codify the definition of “male” and “female” based on biology and one’s sex at birth.
House Bill 1297 also bans North Dakota residents from amending the sex designations on their birth certificates “due to a gender identity change.”
Burgum’s signature on these bills comes weeks after he signed laws that criminalize transgender surgery for minors and prohibit transgender athletes from competing in girls’ sports.
Jordan Dixon-Hamilton is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jdixonhamilton@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter.
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