Overview
- Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office opened an online complaint form to report alleged violations of Senate Bill 8, which took effect Dec. 4.
- The form requires complainants to first notify the accused agency and allow three business days to cure before the attorney general will investigate.
- Users can upload photos and documents as evidence, though state law prohibits photography in restrooms and a recent 5th Circuit ruling allowed a Travis County probe into a 2023 bathroom photo to proceed.
- SB 8 requires government facilities, including schools and state universities, to restrict multi-occupancy restrooms and locker rooms by sex assigned at birth, with institutional fines of $25,000 for a first violation and up to $125,000 per day after; affected individuals may also sue agencies.
- Civil-rights groups warn the vague ‘every reasonable step’ standard and the tip line could fuel harassment, as early enforcement has ranged from DPS ID checks at the Capitol to policy signage at agencies, with UTSA relocating some students to comply.