Texas' lieutenant governor renews defense of 'bathroom bill'
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Texas' lieutenant governor is renewing his defense of a so-called "bathroom bill" now that the NCAA is putting North Carolina back into consideration for championship events.
Republican Dan Patrick said Tuesday he believes it is now "abundantly clear" that efforts to require people in Texas to use public bathrooms that correspond with the sex on their birth certificate are not in conflict with NCAA goals.
The NCAA offered a lukewarm endorsement of a compromise "bathroom bill" in North Carolina after the state last week repealed elements of the original 2016 law that led to seven championship events moving elsewhere.
Patrick says the Texas proposal mirrors North Carolina's compromise law. But the Texas bill still faces strong opposition in the House and hasn't been publicly endorsed by Gov. Greg Abbott.
AP-WF-04-04-17 1852GMT