'Bathroom bill' clears Texas Senate but still faces hurdles

Republican state Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, author of Senate Bill 6, prohibiting transgender-friendly bathrooms, gathers her notes before she presents the bill on the floor of the senate for debate at the state capitol in Austin, Texas. (Ralph Barrera/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

AUSTIN, Texas – The Texas Senate has passed a North Carolina-style "bathroom bill" that targets transgender people, but the proposal still faces big obstacles from becoming law.

The 21-10 final vote on Wednesday came over opposition from big business, the National Football League and hundreds of people who packed the Texas Capitol last week during 13 hours of public testimony.

The measure would require people to use public bathrooms that correspond with the sex on their birth certificate.

The hot-button issue was a Senate priority. But Republican House Speaker Joe Straus has publicly and repeatedly denounced the proposal as bad for business. He has stopped short of declaring the bill dead on arrival but his opposition is significant.

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott also hasn't taken a clear public stance on the bill.