Senate President Stanley Rosenberg has tentatively circled May 12 as the day the Senate will debate a bill to extend anti-discrimination protections to transgender individuals in public accommodations, he said Tuesday.
Rosenberg, appearing on Boston Public Radio, said the Senate will debate the bill regardless of whether the Judiciary Committee, controlled by a majority of House members, acts by May 2 to report out the legislation.
“The Senate will not agree to any more extensions on this,” said Rosenberg.
The Amherst Democrat and Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz are hosting a panel at the State House Tuesday afternoon to mark the Transgender Day of Visibility. “Be there or be square,” he said.
Asked by the radio show’s hosts whether he agreed with Rep Denise Provost’s reading of the politics when she said House Speaker Robert DeLeo was holding off on a vote until after House members know if they will face re-election challenges next month, Rosenberg said, “I never try to predict other people’s motives or intentions.”
He also said he’s “very hopeful” Gov. Charlie Baker would sign the bill if it reaches his desk, but said he has never had a conversation with Baker about it during his almost weekly closed-door meetings with DeLeo and the governor.