Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives are so hampered by their own egos and infighting that only 27 bills passed both chambers of Congress in 2023. And that’s if you count the Veterans Affairs clinics they named, plus commissioning a commemorative coin.
Just because Republicans at the national level can’t stop tripping over their own Johnson, that doesn’t mean that state legislatures can’t keep cranking out the pure, unfettered bigotry and revenge that fuels the GOP. From east to west, anywhere rural Republicans have a lopsided advantage over the blue residents of their state, the GOP is running the sausage factory at full speed.
The Republican legislative excavation machine never stops trying to set the bar ever lower, so here are five bills—either under consideration or freshly introduced—that would simply make the world worse.
1. Missouri’s proposed “social transition” law.
Missouri is a frequent contender for the worst legislature in the country, and it doesn’t disappoint this week. That’s because House Bill 2885 would make it a felony for teachers to do anything to suggest they were tolerant of trans students, such as addressing students by their preferred pronouns. And that’s not the end of it.
Any teacher found guilty of the class E felony of “contributing to social transition” would have to register as a sex offender. Under Missouri law, that means they would never again be able to go near a public school, a park, or a long list of other areas. They’d absolutely lose their jobs. Plus they would have their residence, vehicles, phone numbers, and email accounts on a public list visible to anyone. They would turn over DNA and fingerprints. And they would have to appear annually before the county sheriff to have a mug shot taken and inform state and local officials every time they change addresses, vehicles, or jobs. And they would not be allowed to celebrate Halloween (no, really).
As mentioned above, it’s also a felony. Meaning that it’s subject to up to four years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
2. Utah’s teachers-as-cops law.
Deciding that the best way to handle school shootings is by having more people shooting in schools is almost routine for red states at this point. Since the whole pretense of the National Rifle Association-backed party is that more guns equals more safety, it’s only natural that putting a gun in every school desk makes things better.
But Utah’s H.B. 119 goes above and beyond the usual AR-for-the-teacher law. This would give teachers and schools almost complete immunity from anything that happens when they fire their guns on campus.
If teachers get immunity, and schools get immunity, then who is responsible if a teacher unloads on a student? Good question. But since Utah already allows teachers to carry guns into classrooms and already has a stand-your-ground law with no duty to retreat, students should probably just think twice about turning in late homework.
3. Tennessee's ban on … certain flags.
The home of faster, redder, and more bigoted legislation came through again by passing the anti-pride-flag bill H.B. 1605, which now must also pass the state Senate and be signed by the governor to become law. The final House bill didn’t include a proposed amendment that would prevent teachers from flying Confederate flags in the classroom. But considering that Tennessee passed H.B. 1023 just last year to protect Confederate flags and memorabilia, that’s only as expected.
Unlike guns in Utah, both Tennessee teachers and schools would be subject to civil action if they were caught with a flag not on the approved list.
However, the new bill does allow schools to fly flags that are official school flags, so school administrators, get busy. And think rainbow.
4. Georgia bill would jail librarians if they allow kids to check out LGBTQ+ books.
Right now, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is so been-there, done-that, already in the walk-back phase, but Georgia legislators are just getting ready to put some teeth into their bigotry with Senate Bill 154.
This bill would jump right past civil prosecutions and allow librarians who distributed material deemed “harmful to minors” to face criminal prosecution. It’s one of three bills that are part of what’s been called an “anti-LGBTQ riptide in Georgia.” A second bill would require libraries to email parents if a student tries to check out a book on their proscribed list, so kids just trying to figure out who they are could find themselves outed to their parents by the school librarian.
And then the librarian could potentially go to jail.
5. Idaho says only imported terrorists count.
Idaho is home to some of the most militant of the militant fringe, so it’s understandable that some of the state’s residents might not like being labeled terrorists just because they went on a Nazi march, threatened people in the street, or stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Those concerned they could end up on a no-fly list can take heart from S.B. 1220. The bill would change the state’s definition of “terrorist” to omit the people responsible for most U.S. terrorism. Instead, it would limit the use of the term to those who commit violent crimes while connected to federally designated foreign terrorist organizations, such as the Islamic State group, which is commonly known as ISIS. The new definition would completely exclude such famous Idahoans as Ammon Bundy and his militia pal Eric Parker. Who would want to do this? Well, it’s not exactly a big mystery.
And now, Parker, head of the Real Three Percenters of Idaho, a militia movement group, is casting himself as a key architect of Senate Bill 1220, an Idaho bill to change the state’s definition of terrorism.
The first downballot primaries of 2024 are here! We're previewing some of Tuesday's biggest races on this week's episode of "The Downballot" with Daily Kos Elections editor Jeff Singer. Singer highlights major elections in four states, including the battle for second place in California's Senate contest; whether Democrats will avoid a lockout in a critical California House district; if the worst Republican election fraudster in recent years will successfully stage a comeback in North Carolina; and how Alabama's new map will affect not one but two House races.
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