During Thursday’s White House press briefing, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki threatened Alabama legislators behind a recently passed bill prohibiting transgender conversion therapy for minors under 19.
Alabama lawmakers passed the bill deemed the Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act (SB184) by a 66-28 vote.
Governor Kay Ivey (R-AL) signed the bill into law on Friday.
However, before the Governor’s signature, Psaki singled out Alabama lawmakers by declaring they had been “put on notice” by the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services.
She also pledged that President Joe Biden would hold them accountable.
Two of the lawmakers that led the way on this and other legislation passed to protect children responded to Psaki in statements given to Breitbart News.
Alabama State Rep. Wes Allen (R), a candidate for Alabama’s open Secretary of State office this election cycle, dismissed Psaki’s remarks.
“I have gotten calls today about the fact that Jen Psaki criticized my passage of the Vulnerable Child Protection Act in the Alabama legislature yesterday,” Allen said in a statement. “First and foremost, I was elected to represent my district, and Psaki has not been elected by anyone to represent anyone and secondly, I could not care less what Psaki and the Biden Administration think about me.”
The Alabama Legislature also passed legislation that required public school students use the bathroom assigned to the gender listed on their birth certificate. In addition to that provision, an amendment was added to that bill by Alabama State Sen. Shay Shelnutt (R) that mimics Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law.
The House sponsor of that bill, Alabama State Rep. Scott Stadthagen (R), also rejected the White House’s rhetoric and advised the Biden administration to “stay in their lane.”
“The Tenth Amendment is clear on the role of the federal government as opposed to the state government,” Stadthagen said to Breitbart News. “The federal government has no constitutionally defined role in this matter, so the Biden administration should stay in their lane and fix the messes they have caused at our border instead of focusing on legitimately passed bills in Alabama.”
Source: Breitbart
