Two North Carolina Republican state senators unveiled legislation Tuesday that echoes the state's 2016 "bathroom bill," also known as HB2, which banned transgender people from using restrooms that align with their gender identity.

Why it matters: It's been nine years — almost to the day — since state legislative Republicans filed the infamous HB2, sparking nationwide backlash that cost the state billions, aided Democrats in winning the governor's mansion and forced Republicans to backtrack.

Driving the news: This year's bill, titled the Women's Safety and Protection Act, includes language much like HB2 that defines "biological sex" and restricts access to bathrooms, but is more sweeping in scope.

• The bill includes an extensive definition of "biological sex or sex" — along with "boy," "father," "man," "male," "girl," "mother," "woman" and "female" — that appears to mimic recent guidance issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
• It applies bathroom and changing room restrictions to a broader umbrella of facilities, including prisons, rape crisis and domestic violence centers and schools.
• The bill, sponsored by state GOP Sens. Vickie Sawyer and Brad Overcash, would also grant people who encounter someone of the "opposite biological sex" the ability to sue facilities that violate the law and block transgender people from changing their birth certificate because of sex reassignment.

Between the lines: The political climate now is vastly different than it was in 2016, when Republican Gov. Pat McCrory's signing of HB2 into law likely cost him re-election.

• Numerous state legislatures have since implemented laws restricting bathroom access, and President Trump has made rolling back trans rights a top priority of his administration.

What they're saying: "I don't anticipate the corporate community or the sports and entertainment community or the Democratic party to aggressively push back against this effort," McCrory told Axios.

• "The political environment has changed dramatically."

Go deeper

In writer Derek Thompson's view, a world full of clean energy, plentiful housing, vertical farming and fast and convenient transit is nearly in our grasps — if only we could just build it.

• The problem, though, is we no longer as a country know how to take on ambitious public works or we create too many rules and procedures that make projects too expensive and time consuming to take on.

Driving the news: In "Abundance," a book the Chapel Hill-based journalist co-authored with New York Times columnist Ezra Klein, Thompson examines what keeps the U.S. from taking on big public projects — from the clean energy infrastructure needed to avert climate disaster to high-speed public transit.

• These are issues that even the Triangle has struggled with, especially in the realm of public transit projects, like light rail and bus rapid transit, said Thompson, who writes for The Atlantic and hosts the "Plain English" podcast.

We talked with Thompson for our latest Local Limelight conversation. The Q&A has been edited for Smart Brevity.

• Next month, Thompson will be part of a panel discussion in Durham to discuss "Abundance" with Durham Mayor Leonardo Williams and Raleigh Mayor Janet Cowell. More info can be found here.

✍️ What's your writing routine like? There's this famous idea in productivity called Parkinson's Law, which says that work expands to fill the time available to do it. I try to take advantage of the opposite of Parkinson's Law: If I rigorously limit the amount of time I work, I can get more done.

• I typically take my daughter to day care in the morning and try to go to the gym around 4pm. That leaves roughly 10am to 4pm to write and podcast and talk to people and do whatever else I have to do.

🍛 What do you think the Triangle is missing? More high-quality southern Asian and Latin American cuisine.

📖 What is the last great book you read? "The Republic For Which It Stands" by Richard White.

🎧 Do you have a go-to podcast? Some days I listen to Bill Simmons' voice more than any other except my wife's.

Keep reading for more of Thompson's thoughts

🔥 Dry conditions, high winds and trees downed by Hurricane Helene are fueling wildfires both in North Carolina and South Carolina. (Associated Press)

🏀 A popular mural of former UNC basketball coach Dean Smith in Chapel Hill will be demolished to make way for a new gas station. (News & Observer 🔒)

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has alleged a Durham-based energy company called American Efficient operated a fraudulent energy efficiency scheme — a claim the company has strongly denied in court. (Inside Climate News)

Quote du jour

"This is not a rebuild. We're going to be in the top part of the ACC next year and we're going to be in the NCAA Tournament."

— Will Wade, N.C. State's new men's basketball coach, said at his introductory press conference, according to WRAL.

Construction is expected to begin later this year on a significant expansion of Marbles Kids Museum in downtown Raleigh — one of the most popular destinations in the region.

Why it matters: The expansion will allow the museum to serve an additional 108,000 visitors per year and help prevent it from turning away visitors like it has had to in recent years, the museum said.

• Jonathan Frederick, CEO of Marbles Kids Museum, said in a statement that the museum currently turns away more than 70,000 visitors per year due to capacity limits.

Zoom in: The expansion plans are being funded by a capital campaign that has already attracted more than $8.5 million — including significant public funding.

• The museum says it still needs to raise an additional $500,000.
• The expansion plans will add more than 3,000 square feet of space by 2026, featuring a new rooftop play space, an exhibit on in-demand careers and industries in North Carolina and multipurpose classroom space.