Watered-down Tennessee 'bathroom bill' goes to governor

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A watered-down bill to spell out that Tennessee's public indecency law applies to single-sex, multiperson bathrooms and changing rooms is heading to Republican Gov. Bill Lee.

The Senate cleared Republican Sen. Mark Pody's bill in a 21-5 vote Tuesday. The House passed it earlier in the month.

The Tennessee Equality Project says the bill's sections targeting transgender people were removed, but there's risk the bill could be misused to arrest transgender people.

A letter from 11 large companies also identified it as one of several anti-LGBT bills, saying it "could unfairly target transgender Tennesseans for harassment in public places."

Pody said the bill aims to clarify existing law.

Sen. Steve Dickerson of Nashville, the lone Republican "no" vote, called the bill a solution looking for a problem.