Amend HB 229 on third reading as follows:

(1)  Strike everything below the enacting clause and replace with the following:

SECTION 1.  FINDINGS. The legislature finds that:

(1)  in the eyes of the law, men and women are equals and are afforded the same nondiscrimination and equality protections;

(2)  discrimination on the basis of sex is odious and should never be engaged in by the State;

(3)  there is a long-standing history of discrimination against women on the basis of sex in this State, the United States, and the world;

(4)  this history includes women being prohibited from voting, prohibited from owning property, prohibited from acquiring credit, prohibited from attending certain education institutions, being discriminated against in many workplaces, and being subjected to sex-based violence;

(5)  there is no valid biological basis for discrimination against women on the basis of sex;

(6)  policies and laws should only distinguish between the sexes when there is an important governmental objective that can only be achieved by the distinction.