Congresswoman Bynum’s Statement on Voting Against H.R. 28

Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Janelle Bynum (OR-05) released the following statement after she voted against H.R. 28:

“Our country is literally on fire, our insurance system is on the brink of collapse, and families still don’t have enough to get by. Meanwhile, this bill is apparently a top priority for House Republicans – an issue that impacts the small minority of our student athletes. This isn’t what I was sent here to work on.

“As a sports mom and as a former state legislator, my focus is and always has been ensuring sports are a place for kids to have fun and compete fairly. I’ve written laws in Oregon to that end and I’ll have real conversations with anyone on fairness in sports, but that is not the focus of today’s bill. Instead, this bill goes too far, allowing kids as young as four years old to be subjected to genital examinations and allowing parents and lawmakers to bully our student athletes. It gives a green light to bullies and perverts. No thanks.”

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