The bill, S.B. No. 1696, amends various sections of the Health and Safety Code and the Transportation Code to mandate the inclusion of a person's biological sex on government documents, including birth and death certificates, as well as identification cards. Specifically, it introduces new provisions requiring that birth certificates include a space for recording a child's biological sex as either male or female, and it stipulates that this information must be reported to local registrars. Additionally, it allows for amendments to birth certificates when a child's biological sex is determined later due to atypical or ambiguous sex characteristics. The bill also establishes that death certificates must reflect the decedent's biological sex as determined at birth and prohibits the issuance of certificates that list a sex opposite to the biological sex.

Furthermore, the bill requires that applications for personal identification certificates and driver's licenses include a space for applicants to identify their biological sex as either male or female. It specifies that the physical description on these documents must include the applicant's biological sex as determined at birth. The bill also outlines conditions under which corrections to biological sex information on birth and death certificates can be made, ensuring that such changes are limited to specific circumstances, such as clerical errors or the determination of sex after birth. The changes will apply to documents issued or renewed after the bill's effective date, which is immediate upon receiving a two-thirds vote or on September 1, 2025, if not.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: Health and Safety Code 192.002, Health and Safety Code 192.003, Health and Safety Code 192.011, Health and Safety Code 193.001, Transportation Code 521.101, Transportation Code 521.121, Transportation Code 521.142, Transportation Code 522.021, Transportation Code 522.030 (Transportation Code 521, Transportation Code 522, Health and Safety Code 192, Health and Safety Code 193)