Texas governor suggests 'bathroom bill' likely dead for now

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Wednesday he revived a "bathroom bill" targeting transgender people even though he was told it would never get a vote in the GOP-controlled state House, while signaling that the twice-failed effort is dead for the foreseeable future.

A proposal requiring transgender Texans to use public restrooms according to the gender on their birth certificates fizzled Tuesday night, when lawmakers abruptly ended a month-long special legislative session Abbott convened.

The first collapse of the bathroom bill in May laid bare an escalating feud in Texas between ascendant social conservatives and moderate Republicans, and the mutual distrust only seemed to deepen over summer.

Corporate heavyweights from Amazon to Exxon Mobil lined up against the bathroom bill, as did police chiefs from the state's largest cities, women's groups and religious organizations.

The opposition was still relentless, with opponents organizing nearly daily demonstrations at the state Capitol and threatening costly boycotts.