Arkansas bathroom bill condemned as too extreme is revamped

By ANDREW DeMILLO
Associated Press

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — An Arkansas bathroom bill that had been criticized as the most extreme in the country has been revamped to address concerns it would criminalize transgender people using public restrooms matching gender identity. The House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday endorsed the bathroom bill after it was amended. The bill allows someone to be charged with a misdemeanor for using a public restroom of the opposite sex when a minor is present. It was changed to make it only a crime if the person enters the restroom for sexual purposes. The proposal now heads to the full House. The bill was revised after hours of testimony from members of the transgender community and their families.