If the bill passes, another fight could ensue between the Indiana American Civil Liberties Union and Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, Wednesday’s testimony revealed.

Two representatives of the Indiana chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, Kit Malone and Katie Blair, testified against the bill. Prior to their testimony, a representative of the Indiana Attorney General’s Office said the AG supports the bill and would recommend putting college athletes back into its scope. The representative said Davis asked that she come in support of the bill.

Blair said the ACLU would sue if the bill goes through.

“We are no stranger to going toe to toe with the state when they tried to pass unconstitutional laws just like this one, and we’ll do it,” Blair said.

Blair said the ACLU’s callout for LGBTQ advocates to come to the Statehouse, released less than 48 hours prior to the hearing, yielded a crowd of 148. Blair also presented a binder to all members of the committee containing a letter of opposition signed by 150 businesses and letters from transgender athletes.

At the January House committee vote, opponents of the bill reacted loudly to testimony and shouted in protest following the vote. Prior to the start of Wednesday’s meeting, committee chairman Sen. Jeff Raatz, R-Centerville, warned the packed room to maintain decorum. He told the group that signs and video recording would not be allowed in the chamber, stating that out-of-uniform state police officers were present.

According to The Indianapolis Star, a public access counselor confirmed Indiana’s Open Door Law allows recording at meetings of the Indiana General Assembly. Three hours into the hearing, Raatz said photos and videos were allowed to be taken in the chamber and that he barred it initially because the room was overcrowded.

The Indiana Statehouse Chamber was once again packed, with many attendees donning rainbow face masks, as the House Education and Career Development Committee held testimony on a controversial bill barring transgender girls from participating on Indiana K-12 girls sports teams.

The Senate committee saw conflicting testimony, with some in favor of the bill arguing that transgender girls may have an unfair advantage. Others said the bill was discriminatory against transgender children in K-12 sports.

Several transgender Hoosiers and parents of transgender children, some of them tearful, gave testimony in the Senate chamber.

At press time, testimony was ongoing. Look for updated coverage from The Statehouse File Thursday.

The bill may be amended and voted on next week, Raatz said.