Watch as House committee debates "bathroom bill" alternative

Setting aside the Senate's proposal, the House State Affairs Committee on Wednesday will debate a measure some are hoping will serve as an alternative approach to bathroom regulations. 

The committee will take up House Bill 2899 by Republican state Rep. Ron Simmons of Carrollton, which will be revised during the hearing to ban municipalities and school districts from enacting or enforcing local policies that regulate bathroom use. After largely avoiding discussions on the issue, this will mark the first public debate in the House on proposals to regulate bathrooms. 

Like Senate Bill 6, the proposal has drawn criticism from LGBT advocates and the Texas business community who have warned that the legislation is discriminatory and could come with detrimental economic repercussions. Citing public safety and privacy concerns for women, the Texas Republicans behind bathroom-related measures say such policies are necessary.

Read more about the Simmons proposal here. You can listen to transgender Texans explain in their own words why it's already complicated for them to navigate public restrooms here.