State Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, criticized legislation passed in the state Senate on Wednesday that he believes would provide a “troubling” excuse to withhold the whereabouts of runaway children from their parents. According to a statement released by Braun, Senate Bill 5599, which passed on a party-line vote, would “clear the way” for children between the ages of 13 and 18 to stay at youth shelter or host homes without their parents’ knowledge for an indefinite time while seeking services related to gender dysphoria and gender transitioning. The bill would not allow teens staying in such facilities to undergo gender-affirming surgery without parental approval.