AUSTIN — Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and a Brenham state senator on Thursday unveiled the details of a long-awaited bill that would require transgender Texans to use public bathrooms that correspond with their sex assigned at birth, setting the stage for what is expected to be a bruising cultural clash when the Legislature convenes next week.

Sponsored by Republican Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, Senate Bill 6, dubbed the Texas Privacy Act, would prohibit city and county officials from adopting ordinances that prevent private businesses from making policies for their bathrooms and dressing rooms. It also would bar local officials from considering such anti-discrimination measures when awarding government contracts.

Another part of the proposed legislation would require each locker room or restroom in government buildings, public schools and universities to be designated for use based on biological sex.

The bill, which allows schools to make special accommodations, would authorize the attorney general to levy a civil penalty if local governments and school districts do not follow the regulations.

The controversial bill, which Patrick has called a top priority for state lawmakers, is certain to develop into a high-profile fight in the Texas Legislature, pitting conservative Republicans against a coalition of Democrats, business interests and civil rights groups who say the measure is discriminatory, will harm businesses large and small, and will put the state at a competitive disadvantage for economic development.

“This is a significant step for the majority of Texans who are alarmed by misguided efforts to shatter our expectations of security and privacy, especially for our children,” said Kolkhorst. “Senate Bill 6 may have my name on it, but the responsibility falls on all of us to protect citizens and ensure that their personal and private rights are secured.”

She said the bill is in response to the Obama administration’s letter to school districts last year that offered guidance on protecting the rights of transgender students.

How such a law would be enforced, however, is a topic that has spurred controversy.

Saying there would be no bathroom police, Kolkhorst explained, “There is a civil penalty for schools and other government entities who fail to provide the appropriate designation required by the legislation. This is enforced by the Texas attorney general and is imposed only on the public entity, not an individual. On the criminal side, the enforcement of this bill relies on individual reporting.”

Attorney General Ken Paxton, whose office could prosecute offenses should the bill become law, on Thursday lauded the proposal.

Gov. Greg Abbott’s office did not respond to requests for comment on the bill.

Patrick has argued that sexual predators may use trans-friendly bathroom policies to target potential victims. However, there never has been a reported case in Texas of someone using a nondiscrimination ordinance to go into a women’s restroom and commit an assault. Under the bill, criminal penalties would be increased by one degree if the offense was committed “on the premises of a bathroom or changing facility.”

The bill is expected to get a lukewarm reception in the Texas House after Speaker Joe Straus said in November that it is not a pressing concern for him.

A broad coalition of Democrats, Republicans, LGBT groups and business leaders — including the state’s most powerful business lobby — oppose the measure they say is discriminatory and will hurt Texas businesses of all sizes.

The Texas Association of Business released a study in December that concluded the state’s economy could take an $8.5 billion hit and put at least 185,000 jobs at risk if such a bill becomes law. The study said the measure would devastate Texas’ tourism and travel industry, and make it harder for businesses to attract workers from other places.

On Thursday, Texas Values, a right-wing group with close ties to Patrick, argued that states with similar so-called “bathroom bills” have not faced economic hardships because of them. The lieutenant governor also offered a defense of the bill by citing a poll that he commissioned showing support for it from various demographic groups.

However, with San Antonio set to host the NCAA Final Four in 2018, there have been concerns raised about such a bill following the negative impact a transgender bathroom bill had in North Carolina.

After North Carolina passed its version of a restroom law, the NCAA moved seven college basketball championship games out of the Tar Hell State, the NBA canceled its All Star Game and the Atlantic Coast Conference withdrew its college football championship and woman's college basketball tournament, along with other events. Large companies such as PayPal and Deutsche Bank also dropped expansion plans in the state.

Transgender bathroom bills under consideration in several states, including Indiana, failed in the weeks and months following the business reaction to North Carolina's measure, but Patrick, who said he had been working on the bill since September, has repeatedly shrugged off suggestions that major sporting events would stay away from Texas if his proposed bill became law.

“The Super Bowl is still set for 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 7,” he said. “We are the 10th largest economy in the world, and that’s not going to change.”

The bill also drew opposition from civil rights groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, the American Federation of Teachers’ Texas branch, and Equality Texas.

“If the lieutenant governor is truly worried about the safety of women and children, he would cease his assaults on women’s well-being, repair Texas’s moribund CPS program, and see to the millions of uninsured children whose lives and futures have been compromised by our lawmakers’ warped priorities,” said Rebecca Robertson, the ACLU’s legal and policy director.

Houston Chronicle reporter Cindy George contributed to this story.



