Shamita Basu

It means transgender people won't be allowed to access the restroom that matches their gender identity, at least when it comes to schools, universities, and public buildings.

It's actually about more than just bathrooms.

Prisons must now house those convicted based on sex assigned at birth, and it prevents transgender women from accessing domestic violence shelters.

The bill is nearly a decade in the making, reviving a 2017 proposal that sank in the face of staunch opposition.

Its House sponsor, Republican Angela Orr, told lawmakers it was about protecting women.

During the hearings, though, many transgender people expressed fears that they would lose their right to use key facilities in civic spaces and that the bill would legitimize harassment.

Here's Jerrica Van Slider testifying before Texas lawmakers back in August.

And even though the law takes effect today, there is still a lot of debate about how it will be enforced.

Aiden Runnels is a reporter for the Texas Tribune.

No one can be criminally charged for violating the new rules, but institutions that don't comply face hefty fines.

As the bill made its way through the Texas legislature, Representative Orr said enforcement would be based on how people look.

She since walked that statement back.

But Reynolds says that the opponents of this bill worry that puts the onus on fellow bathroom goers to become the enforcers of the rule.

And in some cases, people say the new law creates new problems.

University of Texas San Antonio sophomore Katarina Rendon told ABC that she chose to live in mixed-gender housing, but had to move since she and her roommate, a man, can't legally share a bathroom now.

Texas joins 19 other states with similar laws.

President Trump made a surprising pardon on Wednesday, this time granting clemency to a sitting Democrat.

Texas Representative Henry Cuellar and his wife Imelda were granted clemency just as they were set to stand trial on bribery and money laundering charges.

Cuellar gave his thanks to Trump while speaking to reporters on the Capitol Hill steps.

Cuellar and his wife were accused of accepting just under $600,000 in bribes from an Azerbaijani oil company and a Mexican bank in exchange for pushing policies that were favorable to those actors.