AUSTIN — A pastor at a Dallas-area megachurch says Texas Gov. Greg Abbott contacted him and nine other churches, urging them to drum up support for a hotly debated "bathroom bill" currently bottled up in the Legislature.

Robert Morris, of Gateway Church in Southlake, instructed his congregation over the weekend to pressure state lawmakers to advance a bill prohibiting schools and local communities from creating ordinances designed to protect transgender Texans using public bathrooms.

"The governor said 'please ask your people to call their state rep by Monday,'" Morris said, according to the Quorum Report, which broke the news. "We don't want to be disrespectful to anyone, but this is so boys do not go into girls' locker rooms. And girls do not go into boys' locker rooms."

Under House rules, Monday is the last day for House committees to report that chamber's bills. As of Monday afternoon, the committee had not voted on the bill. The bill's author told The Dallas Morning News he was disappointed his bill had failed, but insisted there are plenty of other ways the Legislature could consider the issue this year.

“I still think the concept has some legs,” Rep. Ron Simmons, R-Carrollton. “It’s still an issue the state needs to address, for sure."

Morris said the measure is "being held up right now" by Republican House Speaker Joe Straus, who opposes it.

Texas' Senate already passed a bill requiring transgender people to use public restrooms corresponding to their birth-certificate sex. A separate House version hasn't advanced, however, after it was debated earlier this month.

Abbott did not return requests for comment on Morris' statements.

Morris was part of Donald Trump's presidential campaign's evangelical advisory board. His North Texas congregation tops 40,000 people and he also has a large online audience.

Staff writer Lauren McGaughy contributed to this report.