congressional_record: CREC-2025-01-14-pt1-PgH126
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| CREC-2025-01-14-pt1-PgH126 | 2025-01-14 | 119 | 1 | PROTECTION OF WOMEN AND GIRLS IN SPORTS ACT OF 2025 | HOUSE | HOUSE | ALLOTHER | H126 | H138 | [{"name": "Tim Walberg", "role": "speaking"}, {"name": "Suzanne Bonamici", "role": "speaking"}, {"name": "W. Gregory Steube", "role": "speaking"}, {"name": "Mark Takano", "role": "speaking"}, {"name": "Michael A. Rulli", "role": "speaking"}, {"name": "Alma S. Adams", "role": "speaking"}, {"name": "Rick W. Allen", "role": "speaking"}, {"name": "Katherine M. Clark", "role": "speaking"}, {"name": "Burgess Owens", "role": "speaking"}, {"name": "Jerrold Nadler", "role": "speaking"}, {"name": "Mary E. Miller", "role": "speaking"}, {"name": "Yassamin Ansari", "role": "speaking"}, {"name": "Robert F. Onder, Jr.", "role": "speaking"}, {"name": "Robin L. Kelly", "role": "speaking"}, {"name": "Mark Harris", "role": "speaking"}, {"name": "Mike Quigley", "role": "speaking"}, {"name": "Mark B. Messmer", "role": "speaking"}, {"name": "Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez", "role": "speaking"}, {"name": "Earl L. \"Buddy\" Carter", "role": "speaking"}, {"name": "Greg Landsman", "role": "speaking"}, {"name": "Harriet M. Hageman", "role": "speaking"}, {"name": "Sara Jacobs", "role": "speaking"}, {"name": "August Pfluger", "role": "speaking"}, {"name": "Andrea Salinas", "role": "speaking"}, {"name": "Doug LaMalfa", "role": "speaking"}, {"name": "Maxine Dexter", "role": "speaking"}, {"name": "Mark Alford", "role": "speaking"}, {"name": "Emily Randall", "role": "speaking"}, {"name": "Becca Balint", "role": "speaking"}, {"name": "Val T. Hoyle", "role": "speaking"}, {"name": "Mark Pocan", "role": "speaking"}, {"name": "Melanie A. Stansbury", "role": "speaking"}, {"name": "Maxwell Frost", "role": "speaking"}] | [{"congress": "119", "type": "HRES", "number": "5"}, {"congress": "119", "type": "HRES", "number": "5"}, {"congress": "119", "type": "S", "number": "9"}, {"congress": "119", "type": "HR", "number": "28"}, {"congress": "119", "type": "HR", "number": "28"}, {"congress": "119", "type": "HR", "number": "28"}] | 171 Cong. Rec. H126 | Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 7 (Tuesday, January 14, 2025) [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 7 (Tuesday, January 14, 2025)] [House] [Pages H126-H138] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] PROTECTION OF WOMEN AND GIRLS IN SPORTS ACT OF 2025 Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 5, I call up the bill (H.R. 28) to amend the Education Amendments of 1972 to provide that for purposes of determining compliance with title IX of such Act in athletics, sex shall be recognized based solely on a person's reproductive biology and genetics at birth, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 5, the bill is considered read. The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 28 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025''. SEC. 2. AMENDMENT. Section 901 of the Education Amendments of 1972 (20 U.S.C. 1681) is amended by adding at the end the following: ``(d)(1) It shall be a violation of subsection (a) for a recipient of Federal financial assistance who operates, sponsors, or facilitates athletic programs or activities to permit a person whose sex is male to participate in an athletic program or activity that is designated for women or girls. ``(2) For the purposes of this subsection, sex shall be recognized based solely on a person's reproductive biology and genetics at birth. ``(3) For the purposes of this subsection, the term `athletic programs and activities' includes, but is not limited to, all programs or activities that are provided conditional upon participation with any athletic team. ``(4) Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to prohibit a recipient from permitting males to train or practice with an athletic program or activity that is designated for women or girls so long as no female is deprived of a roster spot on a team or sport, opportunity to participate in a practice or competition, scholarship, admission to an educational institution, or any other benefit that accompanies participating in the athletic program or activity. ``(e) The Comptroller General shall carry out a study to determine the meaning of the phrase `any other benefit' as used in subsection (d)(4) by looking at benefits to women or girls of participating in single sex sports that would be lost by allowing males to participate. The study shall document the adverse psychological, developmental, participatory, and sociological results to girls of allowing males to compete, be members of a sports team, or participants in athletic programs, that are designed for girls, including displacement or discouragement from sports participation, deprivation of a roster spot on a team or sport, loss of the opportunity to participate in a practice or competition, loss of a scholarship or scholarship opportunities, loss or displacement of admission to an educational institution, deprivation of the benefit of an environment free of hostility based on sexual assault or harassment, or any other benefit that accompanies participating in the athletics program or activity. Further, the Comptroller General shall submit to the Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate a report that contains the results of such study.''. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The bill shall be debatable for 1 hour, equally divided and controlled by the majority leader and the minority leader or their respective designees. The gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Walberg) and the gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Bonamici) each will control 30 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Walberg). General Leave Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on H.R. 28. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Michigan? There was no objection. {time} 1215 Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in support of H.R. 28, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025, authored by Representative Greg Steube. This bill is about a promise. More than 50 years ago, this country made a promise to women and girls across America. That promise, Title IX, said women and girls would have equal opportunities, both in the classroom and in athletics. For years, America has kept her promise. Prior to Title IX, only 300,000 women and girls participated in high school and college sports. By the 40th anniversary of Title IX's passage, the number was up to 3 million, and the numbers have continued to climb and grow ever since. Today, female participation in sports has increased over 1,000 percent at the high school level and over 600 percent at the college level since Title IX went into effect. Unfortunately, these wins for women and girls ushered in by the promise of Title IX have been under attack. The Biden-Harris administration pushed a radical rewrite of Title IX that would eliminate policies enacted by 26 States to protect equal athletic opportunities for women and girls. Even with last week's court order striking down the regulation and the Trump administration poised to undo the harm caused by it, nearly half of the States have no protections in place for female athletes. Mr. Speaker, kicking girls off sports teams to make way for biological males takes opportunities away from these girls. This means fewer college scholarships and fewer opportunities for girls. It also makes them second-class citizens in their own sports and puts their safety at risk. The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025 offers a new promise to America's women and girls. It will strengthen Title IX's protections for women, ensure a level playing field for female athletes, and protect the law [[Page H127]] from current and future radical regulatory schemes. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time. Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to the so-called Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025, a bill that will actually do the opposite and make sports more dangerous for women and girls. In fact, this bill will empower child predators, putting students across the country at increased risk. This is a one-size-fits-all bill that would apply equally to every sport, from K-12 schools to colleges. Currently, schools, parents, and communities manage youth sports leagues and write rules about who can participate in different sports at different levels. Many State schools and athletic associations across the country have allowed equal participation for transgender athletes for years, and it is working just fine. This legislation would revoke all Federal funding from schools that include transgender students on girls' and women's sports teams. This is damaging and discriminatory to transgender students who benefit, as all students do, from participating in school sports, and it is also damaging to the entire school that is threatened because Federal funding benefits all students. I remind my colleauges to keep in mind that as of last month, of the approximately 510,000 athletes who play at the NCAA level, 10 are transgender--not 10,000, 10 out of 510,000. Transgender students, like all students, deserve the same opportunity as their peers to learn teamwork, find belonging, and grow into well- rounded adults through sports. Childhood and adolescence are important times for growth and development, and sports help students form healthy habits and develop strong social and emotional skills. Sports provide meaningful opportunities for kids to feel confident in themselves and learn valuable life lessons about teamwork, leadership, and communication. Teams provide a place for kids to make friends and build relationships. Yet, my colleagues across the aisle want to take these opportunities away from certain children. That is discriminatory, and it is wrong. My colleagues are apparently so afraid of people who are different than them that they have manufactured false and dangerous presumptions based on outdated stereotypes about transgendered people, especially transgender women and girls. Additionally, there is no way this so-called protection bill could be enforced without opening the door to harassment and privacy violations. It opens the door to inspection, not protection, of women and girls in sports. Will students have to undergo exams to prove they are a girl? We are already seeing examples of harassment and questioning of girls who may not conform to stereotypical feminine roles. Will they be subject to demands for medical tests and private information? That is intrusive, offensive, and unacceptable, especially from a party of limited government. I want to be very clear: There are real problems harming women and girls in sports, but transgender students are not why. Today, we should be working to solve the real pervasive problems in athletics that deter women and girls from participating, including sexual harassment and assault, lack of equal resources, and pay inequality. We should be working on those issues and also on the issues that improve the lives of the people we represent back home, like increasing access to affordable healthcare and housing, lowering costs for everyday Americans, and fighting the climate crisis. Instead, here we are again. We have seen this time and time again: Republicans fearmonger about the trans community to divert attention from the fact that they have no real solutions to help everyday Americans with the pressing problems they face. We must not discriminate against kids because of who they are. Transgender youth already face high hurdles. Research shows that this type of discriminatory policy is associated with declines in mental health and higher suicide risk among already LGBTQI+ youth. We don't need adults in Congress making things worse. As Republican Governor Spencer Cox from Utah said in his veto statement of a similar bill: ``When in doubt, however, I always try to err on the side of kindness, mercy, and compassion.'' So should we all. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Steube), the sponsor of this legislation. Mr. STEUBE. Mr. Speaker, Scripture reminds us that, at the beginning of time, God created mankind as males and females, and He blessed them. All throughout humanity, we have recognized as a species that there are women and there are men, as God created, who are obviously biologically different and, dare I say, scientifically different. Even science agrees with this premise. Yet, our culture and civilization continue to be subjected to the perverse lie that there are more than two genders or that men can be women or women can be men. The distinction between men and women is clear and evident, and the erasure of this division has been promulgated by those in the radical left who seek to dismantle the core foundation of our society. We must never let our country and the American way of life surrender to this immoral ideology. What a shame it is that, over the last several years, the radical left has tried to corrupt the minds of many Americans with the ideology that gender is just a spectrum, that it is fluid, or that you can be whatever you want, whenever you want, depending on how you feel. To them, it is just a social construct. The radical left has taken gender identity so far that many on the left can't even define what a woman is for fear of retribution or cancelation by transgender activists. They have adopted completely made-up terms, such as nonbinary, trans male, and trans female. Some even say there are 74 genders, everything from agender to omnigender. There is even an astral gender, which is having a gender identity where you feel related to outer space. How can the radical left be able to identify that gender, yet they can't even define what a woman is? Not too long ago, progressives would say all that is ridiculous, but today, it is their religion. If you question their lies and fictitious terms, you are labeled a transphobic bigot and canceled. In giving homage to the trans movement, radical leftists have given way to the corruption of the minds of our Nation's youth by dismantling the very protections that Congress created to ensure fairness in education and athletics. In 1972, Congress created Title IX to protect women's sports and to give women their own playing field in athletics. In worship of their trans idols, radical leftists want to kill Title IX, abandoning women across the country. Parents don't want biological men in locker rooms with their daughters, nor do they believe it is fair that a male could compete with women in female athletics. This is why Title IX protections were implemented in the first place. Radical leftists want you to believe that this is never happening or that it is so rare that we shouldn't be concerned. The other side just made a comment that so few of these people are involved in college athletics. The truth of the matter proves otherwise. In my very own district, my constituent Emma Weyant, an incredibly talented swimmer and Olympic medalist, lost the 2022 NCAA women's swimming championship title for the 500-meter freestyle by less than 2 seconds. The man who beat her formerly competed for years on the men's swimming team and took home that title after identifying as a woman. It is a sad day in our country when radical leftists are willing to erase the rights that women have fought decades to obtain, all to elevate biological males to the top of women's platforms. An overwhelming majority of Americans believe that men don't belong in women's sports and that we must allow common sense to prevail. This bill would deliver upon the mandate the American people gave Congress to restore the integrity of women's sports, just as Title IX intended. [[Page H128]] Now is our time to act. If my liberal colleagues truly believe in supporting women's rights, as they often tout, they will vote in favor of this bill. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to stand for women's free and fair opportunities in athletics and to stand for truth, not lies. Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, as trans student and successful athlete Rebekah said: ``I know what it is like to have my gender questioned. . . . It is invasive and embarrassing. I wouldn't want anyone else to have to go through that,'' and, ``It is awful. Legislators are bullying kids.'' Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Takano). Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong, unequivocal opposition to H.R. 28, the Republican child predator empowerment act. This bill lets politicians in Washington dictate to parents, school districts, and athletic associations across the country who can and cannot participate in their local sports leagues. It creates a one-size-fits-all policy that holds a kindergartner wanting to play soccer to the same standards as an elite athlete. This legislation undermines the very values we hold dear as Americans--fairness, opportunity, and the belief in the power of local communities to make decisions for themselves. Even conservative Governors in States like Indiana and Utah recognized this and vetoed some of these bills. Just as troubling, the bill's language opens the door to invasive, degrading, and humiliating physical examinations of children, children who simply want to play softball or join a basketball team. Mr. Speaker, our communities thrive when every child can be part of a team, learn sportsmanship, and challenge themselves. They falter when we write exclusion and fear into our laws. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no.'' Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I would call attention to the fact that, in this bill, we offer no requirement for any type of invasive checks on women or men. They simply have to go to the birth certificate. That will give the answer. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Rulli), a member of the Committee on Education and Workforce. Mr. RULLI. Mr. Speaker, I stand here today in support of H.R. 28, and I urge the House to pass this bill. There is no reason we should even be having this conversation right now. H.R. 28 is a women's rights bill to protect Title IX, which was constructed to protect women's rights. This first came on my radar while I was a member of the Ohio Senate. I had a lesbian couple shopping in my store, and they asked me to step aside to talk to me for a minute. They said that I needed to protect women's sports. We had Title IX. Since we had Stonewall 50 years ago, this couple told me, they have worked their entire life for women's rights. What my opposition party is doing is blurring the lines of what is a woman and what is a man. My daughter has played soccer her entire life. She is scared to death to play right now. She has seen the videos of what trans athletes have been doing to women athletes, as far as breaking their faces in volleyball, basketball, and baseball. We do not have a clear, level playing field when we have the trans community participating in women's sports. We need to protect the concept of the woman, and women must be protected. H.R. 28 is the only path forward. It is shameful that the opposition party does not support the protection of women. We have to define what a woman is again, and H.R. 28 is the only vehicle that could actually protect women in America, whether it is in high school or whether it is in college, for them to pursue their dreams. Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, just a reminder that this bill applies to every student of every age in every sport the same way. As Flynn, a successful trans athlete, said: ``The next time you see a story about trans athletes, think of the children behind the story who are just trying to play a game with their peers.'' Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Adams). Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I rise because this bill threatens the principles that make our schools and sports fields places of opportunity. This bill does not protect anyone. It unjustly targets transgender women and girls under the guise of fairness, but exclusion is not fairness, Mr. Speaker. Fairness is ensuring that every athlete can participate, grow, and thrive. For this reason, at the appropriate time, I will offer a motion to recommit this bill back to the committee. If the House rules permitted, I would have offered the motion with an important amendment to this bill. Mr. Speaker, Title IX was originally passed to address the structural imbalances between men's and women's sports, disparities that continue to pose an actual threat to women and girls in sports today. My amendment, based on my Fair Play for Women Act, would strengthen Title IX enforcement and protect all women by increasing accountability, transparency, and training in athletic programs. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to include in the record the text of the amendment immediately prior to the vote on the motion to recommit. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from North Carolina? There was no objection. {time} 1230 Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I hope my colleagues will join me in voting for the motion to recommit. Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Allen) who also chairs the Education and Workforce Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions. Mr. ALLEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding the time. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Protecting Women and Girls in Sports Act, a commonsense bill to ensure female athletes only compete with biological females. Unfortunately, in just 4 years under the Biden administration, Title IX has been under constant attack, jeopardizing women's safety, athletic opportunities, and chances for success. My colleagues on the other side of the aisle have followed suit. Last Congress, not one single Democrat voted in support of this bill on the House floor. I hear about this issue consistently in my district and am often told by parents to put an end to this nonsense. How many of history's most prolific female athletes would never have reached such heights if they were forced to compete against biological males? When will Democrats learn that the American people fundamentally reject their radical agenda? A Gallup poll recently said 70 percent of the American people believe we should protect women's sports. I am a proud father to 3 daughters and a grandfather to 10 granddaughters, all of whom have competed or are currently competing in the sport of their choice. This bill is about protecting every female's pathway to athletic prowess, excellence, and opportunity. I thank Representative Steube for his leadership on this issue. As a cosponsor of today's bill, I strongly urge a ``yes'' vote. Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Ms. Clark), the Democrat whip. Ms. CLARK of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, every single parent worries about their kids' safety. Every parent wants their daughters to be treated fairly including on the sports field. That conversation is being had among parents, schools, experts, and sports authorities across the country, as it should be. This bill hijacks those conversations. It hijacks the real concerns that parents have raised. It exploits those concerns to place all of our daughters in danger. This bill doesn't protect a girl's rights. It eliminates them. It requires her to answer an adult's humiliating questions. It will accelerate our national crisis of sexual assault on young women and girls. It puts a target on the back of every girl, every young woman who chooses to play sports, [[Page H129]] from T-ball to competitive collegiate athletes. Whatever the problem is we are trying to solve, the genital inspection of little girls is the wrong answer. I urge my colleagues to reject this bill and say ``no'' on empowering predators. Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I am shocked at that description of this legislation and would ask where in the world that information is found in this bill. There is no requirement for inspections, and there is no necessary effort other than going to a person's birth certificate. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Owens), one who knows about true competition and an equal nature and a just nature as well, as he wears a Super Bowl ring. He is also the vice chair of the Education and Workforce Committee and chair of the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development. Mr. OWENS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act. Fifty years ago, Title IX revolutionized women's sports and opened doors that had been closed for all previous generations. Because of Title IX, women's participation in athletics skyrocketed by over 1,000 percent in high schools and 600 percent in college athletics. This progress of equal opportunity for millions of girls and women for scholarships, honors, careers, and wealth has been under attack for the entirety of the Biden administration. By ignoring the biological, physical, and genetic differences between men and women, this administration has dismantled the level playing field that women and girls deserve. This is about fairness, safety, and opportunity. When viewed through the eyes of common sense, it is obvious. When seen through the results of lost opportunities, it becomes clear that something valuable has been stolen. When men are allowed to compete in women's sports, not only are women no longer safe but they also lose scholarships, championships, and opportunities to build self-esteem that lasts a lifetime. Young men also lose when they embrace this ideology of unfairness and call it admirable. It is called loss of shame. I have 5 daughters and 12 granddaughters. I have stood on the sidelines and watched them pour their hearts and souls into the sports they love. I have seen their grit, determination, and pride as they worked hard, hoping to be victorious. Even when they are not, these moments of competing add to the lifelong building blocks of character. What message are we sending to our girls when we tell them their hard work doesn't matter? What is our message as we cowardly stand by as boys and men steal their opportunities, dominate their sports, and erase their records? This debate isn't about sports. It is about what kind of country we are going to be. Do we remain a Nation that stands with fairness, celebrates achievement, and defends the rights of our girls and women, or do we devolve into a country that bows to radical ideologies at their expense? An overwhelming majority of Americans have boldly spoken on the vision of our society. We see it as one in which we continue to teach our young men respect. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired. Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 15 seconds to the gentleman from Utah. Mr. OWENS. Mr. Speaker, the only respect they earn is the respect to defend and honor womanhood. Our daughters and women are watching. The message to men standing quietly on the sidelines of this issue is: It is time to man up. These are girls and women in our lives who depend on us to stand and fight for what is right. Now is the time to protect them from men who want to infringe on their space and their sports. To my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, please join us as we support the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act. Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, in light of the comment that the gentleman from Michigan, who is managing the time on the other side of the aisle, made about birth certificates, I want to remind my colleagues that in the discussion on a similar bill, we had a conversation about how out of the millions of birth certificates in this country, there are a considerable number of children who are born either intersex or with ambiguous genitalia. How does the gentleman plan to enforce this bill? Because he is saying birth certificates but those aren't necessarily reliable. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Walberg) for the purpose of a colloquy. Mr. WALBERG. Certainly. That bill doesn't deal with this at all. It deals with men in sports. Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler). Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to oppose this hateful bill. This bill is a cruel attack on transgender children, already among the most vulnerable in our society, facing high risks of suicide, violence, and bullying. Let's be clear. This bill isn't about fairness. The NCAA stated last month there are fewer than 10 transgender athletes in collegiate sports out of 510,000, less than 0.002 of 1 percent of athletes. The rare cases Republicans cite are outliers, not evidence of a systemic issue. To deal with this 0.002 of 1 percent, the bill opens the door to invasive scrutiny of all girls' bodies, violating their privacy and dignity. Little girls will be forced to have their biological sex verified through humiliating physical examinations of their genitals by strangers and forced to present documentation about their anatomy. In States with similar bans, even cisgender girls deemed not feminine enough have faced harassment, humiliation, and have been forced to undergo genital examination. This isn't fairness. It is cruelty. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to reject this hateful bill and focus on real issues affecting our schools and communities. Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Miller), a member of the Education and Workforce Committee and a strong leader in protecting womanhood, girls, and Title IX. Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in defense of women. I rise in support of the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act which safeguards our daughters from the radical Democrats' agenda to have our daughters and granddaughters compete against and share locker rooms with men. Allowing grown men to compete in women's sports puts the safety of our daughters at risk. We have already seen numerous examples of female athletes being injured by grown men who claim to be women. The physical advantages possessed by male athletes are undeniable. Allowing men to compete alongside women undermines the integrity of women's sports and diminishes the hard work, dedication, and dreams of female athletes. This bill ensures that individuals participate in sports according to their biological sex and keeps men out of our daughters' locker rooms and showers. By passing this bill, we honor the legacy of Title IX and protect the future of women's athletics. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired. Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 5 seconds to the gentlewoman from Illinois. Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, we are sending a clear message to the radical Democrats we will no longer tolerate our daughters being taken advantage of. Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Arizona (Ms. Ansari). Ms. ANSARI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to oppose the GOP child predator empowerment act. This bill is an egregious attack on young women and girls. Everyone in this room knows that this legislation has the power to threaten the physical and mental safety of minors. Schools and athletic institutions already have rules around fairness and safety in children's sports. This is literally why we have the NCAA. This bill is textbook government overreach meant to fuel division. Further, this bill provides no enforcement guidelines, insinuating that Republicans are just fine with subjecting [[Page H130]] young women and girls to invasive, humiliating medical examinations and physical inspections. This is an attack on the mental and sexual safety of all girls in this country as young as kindergarten. Everyone deserves to have the opportunity to learn the camaraderie and life lessons that come with playing sports. I urge a strong ``no'' on this legislation because I believe we should make our children safer, not empower adult strangers to investigate their most private physicality. Congress needs to get back to our jobs, lowering costs for everyday families and working on issues that address the vast majority of us. Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Onder), a new member of the Education and Workforce Committee. Mr. ONDER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 28 and urge the House to pass this important bill. For the past 50 years, Title IX has been an unqualified success at increasing participation of girls and young women in sports at both the collegiate and secondary level. For 2 years, by allowing men identifying as women to dominate many events in women's sports, the Biden administration has perversely used Title IX to destroy the very gains that Title IX has fostered for young women. The issue is one of fundamental fairness. Males have a greater lung capacity, larger heart, more bone density, and dramatically more muscle mass than girls, all of which lead to an enormous competitive advantage in many sports. Champion Olympic sprinter Allyson Felix's lifetime best time in the 400 meter was 49.26 seconds. In 2017 alone, 15,000 young men, high school men and boys, outperformed that time. Swimmer Will Thomas, a/k/a Lia Thomas, ranked 462nd in his sport as a man, only to steal the NCAA 500-meter freestyle championship as a purported woman. To accept men in women's sports is to destroy women's sports. Being a male or female is a biological reality that cannot be changed by a few months of hormones or by clothes or by radical gender ideology. The future of our young women and girls and the gains they have made through 50 years of Title IX must be protected. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this important bill. {time} 1245 Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to the time remaining on both sides. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman from Oregon has 18 minutes remaining. The gentleman from Michigan has 15 minutes remaining. Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Kelly). Ms. KELLY of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, every child should be afforded the opportunity to learn the essential lessons of sportsmanship, resilience, and discipline that playing team sports offers. This includes transgender children who make up a very small number of young athletes. A transgender child who joins a sports team does so for the same reason that any other child does. They want to stay active, feed their hunger for competition, and form friendships with children their age. This typical experience, however, has been stifled by politicians who want to exercise authority on transgender students by prohibiting them from participating on sports teams with their peers. This bill distracts us from what really matters to our constituents. I thought my colleagues would join me in wanting to continue delivering for people back home by expanding healthcare initiatives, improving economic opportunities, and fostering public safety. Instead, an attack has been launched on a community of marginalized people. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill. Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Harris), an incoming member of the Education and Workforce Committee. Mr. HARRIS of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, in 2022 North Carolina high schooler Peyton McNabb was seriously injured when a teenage boy spiked a ball into her head during a girls volleyball game, leaving her with a concussion and permanent injuries. Despite stories like Peyton's, the left continues to want us to believe it is totally safe for men to compete against women. In fact, the current administration tried to impose this radical agenda across our Nation. The truth is, President Biden's attempt to redefine the word ``sex'' in Title IX robs our daughters of opportunity and leaves them vulnerable. Thankfully, the Biden administration's perverted rule was invalidated at the national level by a Federal court just this past week. However, I stand today because Congress needs to make it clear that Title IX cannot and will not be weaponized to perpetuate a lie that men can become women. This bill simply affirms common sense and reflects reality. Men and women are uniquely created by God, and no amount of testosterone therapy can reverse biological design. On behalf of the women and girls I represent in North Carolina and those across America, I will vote ``yes'' for the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act and fight to restore sanity. I urge all of my colleagues to do the same. Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, just another reminder that this bill is a blanket ban that treats every age student in every sport the same. I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Quigley). Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Speaker, this bill is a cynical scapegoating of a vulnerable population. To make matters worse, it is a hateful attack on kids. Trans kids deserve to play sports just like their peers, and Congress can't bar them from the field. All young people should be able to benefit from team sports--building character, developing friendships, and improving their mental health. Organizations like the NCAA, International Olympic Committee, and State athletic boards have included trans athletes for years. Instead of following their lead, my colleagues want to codify hate and discrimination against all trans kids in all sports. Not so long ago, all women were banned from school sports until the passage of Title IX. Even then, extremists preached that women playing sports was the end of sports as we know it. Today's rhetoric about trans women and girls is no different and will soon be seen as just as outdated and absurd. Every child should be able to join a team that is consistent with their gender and benefit from sports. Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Messmer), who is an incoming member of the Education and Workforce Committee. Mr. MESSMER. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Walberg for yielding the time, and I thank Congressman Steube for introducing this important legislation. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Protecting Women and Girls in Sports Act and would like to clarify a comment from the gentleman on the other side of the aisle that as majority leader of the Indiana Senate, we easily overrode the Governor's veto of our State law protecting women in sports. Since the passage of Title IX in 1972, female participation at the high school and collegiate level has risen dramatically. Competitive sports are very important to the students and families in Indiana's Eighth District and all athletes around this great country. The Biden administration's recent attempt to rewrite and reimagine Title IX is threatening to erase more than 50 years of progress and women's rights and equal opportunities for all female athletes. It is a simple fact of life that men and women are biologically different and that men and boys have levels of strength that women and girls do not have. Allowing men to compete in women's sports is unfair to the women and girls, and it takes away their chances to receive scholarships and be recognized and rewarded for their hard work, skills, and accomplishments. Over the last couple of years, we have all watched in disbelief as top female athletes are losing their hard-earned titles to biological males who are competing as females. [[Page H131]] Americans are also horrified to learn about the injuries women and girls are facing when in competition with a biological male. As a father and a grandfather, I am entirely against forcing anybody's daughter or granddaughter to have to share a women's locker room with anyone other than women and girls. The results of the November election have made it clear that Americans agree with me and my colleagues. It is time for a change back to the way things were intended to be. Title IX was created to protect equality and opportunity for women and girls in sports. Thanks to this legislation, we will go back to doing just that. Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Ocasio-Cortez). Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ. Mr. Speaker, here we are today. Republicans, who have voted consistently against the Violence Against Women Act, who have taken away the rights of all women to choose and have control over their own body, who as women are bleeding out in parking lots across the country, standing there allowing us to die, now want to pretend today that they care about women. Why? To open up gender, and, yes, genital examinations into little girls in this country in the so-called name of attacking trans girls. To that, today, what we have to say are two words: Not today. The majority right now says there is no place in this bill that says it opens up for genital examinations. Well, here is the thing: There is no enforcement mechanism in this bill. When there is no enforcement mechanism, you open the door to every enforcement mechanism. Trans girls are girls, and for all the folks that are so concerned, thank you for your concern about women for the first time that I have seen. I don't know about you all, I don't know who has been to gym class lately, but even if you only believe in two genders, I have played coed sports all the time. What this also opens the door for is for women to try to perform a very specific kind of femininity for the very kind of men who are drafting this bill and to open up questioning of who is a woman because of how we look, how we present ourselves, and, yes, what we choose to do with our bodies. I know who loves this bill. Yes, bigoted folks love this bill. Assaulters love this bill. Also, CEOs love this bill, because Los Angeles is on fire right now, and this is the number one priority that the majority has. Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter), the chair of the House Energy and Commerce Energy Subcommittee. Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, which ensures fairness and safety in girls athletics. For the past 4 years, the Biden-Harris administration and congressional Democrats have made it very clear: They want men competing against our daughters and granddaughters. They want to force schools to allow biological males to share private spaces with biological females and compete in women's sports. That is wrong. In fact, the vast majority of Americans agree that men do not belong in women's sports or in women's locker rooms. Ask working-class Americans if Michael Phelps should have swum the women's 200-meter freestyle. The answer is no. That is why we must protect women's sports, and under President-elect Trump's leadership we are already fulfilling that promise. This week, the House of Representatives will stand with all young women and girls who deserve to have the opportunity to compete safely and fairly. As a grandfather to six wonderful, capable granddaughters, this is important to me. This bill will safeguard and uphold the integrity and safety of women's sports and the true intention of Title IX, allowing all women the opportunity to achieve excellence in sports. I commend Representative Steube for working on this issue, and I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act. Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to the time remaining. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman from Oregon has 14 minutes remaining. The gentleman from Michigan has 10 minutes remaining. Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Landsman). Mr. LANDSMAN. Mr. Speaker, I hate bullies. This bill is about bullying children. Children struggle with identity, gender, and otherwise. As a parent of two and a former teacher, I need all adults, including politicians and lawmakers, to help my wife and I protect our children, to support them, to give them a sense of purpose and belonging. This bill does the opposite. You are just picking on children. Our government is not supposed to be this intrusive. Your government has become incredibly intrusive. You are in our doctors' offices banning reproductive freedom. You are in our classrooms banning books and telling teachers what they can and cannot say. Now you are in my daughter's locker room requiring physical exams of children. It is so profoundly disgusting and inappropriate and un-American. We have an economy to fix, a border crisis to address, a budget to balance. My request to my colleagues is to focus. Stop bullying children. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to direct their comments to the Chair. Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Wyoming (Ms. Hageman). Ms. HAGEMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 28 to prohibit federally funded schools from allowing men to compete in women's sports. Mr. Speaker, I find it truly staggering that we as Congress have to even consider such an issue, but here we are. Under the last 4 years of the outgoing administration, we have witnessed the imposition of a radical gender ideology that has disregarded the most fundamentals of biological principles with an expectation that Americans must redefine their perception and beliefs, no questions asked. We have stood by and watched as this administration and career D.C. bureaucrats have sought to twist and manipulate the meaning and purpose behind Title IX, which, if successful, would have disenfranchised the very women and girls that Title IX was meant to protect. Despite Title IX, for over half a century since its inception, having paved the way for millions of women and girls, including myself, to achieve their dreams, its very existence has been consistently under threat on behalf of an unaccountable Federal bureaucracy. It is past time that we as a government restore the sanity that has been lost over the last 4 years, and it brings me great pride to witness this critical issue at the forefront of the new Congress so that we may truly act upon the American people's mandate. As a cosponsor of this bill, I thank Representative Steube along with the Education and Workforce Committee for their committed leadership on this issue, and I urge all my colleagues to support H.R. 28. {time} 1300 Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Jacobs). Ms. JACOBS. Mr. Speaker, it is honestly hard to know where even to start with this bill. Maybe let's start with the name. This bill doesn't even come close to protecting women and girls in sports. In fact, it puts all women and girls in danger of sexual abuse. I hear my colleagues say, no, this wouldn't require genital exams. Let me tell you, Mr. Speaker, we have already seen an investigation like this happen at a high school in Utah. Unsurprisingly, they wrongly targeted someone who wasn't trans. If this bill is passed into law, then there are only a few ways to actually enforce it, and that is genital inspections and asking young girls very inappropriate questions about their menstrual cycles. My colleagues know that I am 35 years old, and I love talking about my period. I think it is important we talk about it. We shouldn't be making young girls answer these questions to people they don't even trust. If this bill is passed into law, then these kinds of secret investigations, [[Page H132]] shady questions, and surveillance of kids could happen all across this country. This does not protect women and girls. This only further jeopardizes their safety and security when they are playing sports. This bill is sloppy, vague, and prejudiced. Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Pfluger). Mr. PFLUGER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in full support of H.R. 28, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act. Female athletes should never be forced to compete against biological men in sports, plain and simple. Allowing biological men to compete in female sports is not only a complete and utter failure to women who have trained their whole lives to achieve their dreams, but it also completely ignores the scientific fact that men and women have clear biological differences that make competing on the same sports team unfair and dangerous. Mr. Speaker, last year, the Biden administration tried to push a radical Title IX change that would have prevented any institution receiving Federal funding from banning biological men from competing in women's sports. That is insane. Educational institutions have a responsibility to protect the women and girls who attend them, and this legislation ensures that they will be able to do just that. Let me be clear: Allowing biological men to compete in women's sports hurts women. It takes away opportunities, scholarship funds, and titles that are meant for women. As a father of three girls, this is personal to me. I want my girls to be able to succeed in the sports that they play. I want them to be safe. I want that to be a level playing field. What we are talking about here is protecting women, protecting my three girls. The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act will prevent schools from allowing biological men to compete in women's sports by defining sex in an athletic competition by genetics at birth. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlemen from Florida (Mr. Steube), my good friend, for leading this effort, and I urge all of my colleagues to vote ``yes.'' Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Salinas). Ms. SALINAS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to H.R. 28. As a mother to a former child athlete, I get the need to keep our daughters safe and ensure our school sports are fair. Sadly, there is nothing in this bill to improve the safety of our daughters or improve fair play. In fact, the bill subjects girls, cisgender and transgender girls, to harm and ridicule, and it strips fairness from players, parents, and school communities. The bill sets up an unfair playing field where any parent can raise a concern that a transgender girl might be playing on a girls' team, and we know this is so very rare. It is unfair to the girls who may be targeted because they grow faster, play harder, or simply may be more talented than their teammates. This bill is unfair to the school districts that can't navigate the threats of lawsuits but also can't afford to lose Federal funding, leaving students without sports or school meals. This bill is unfair to the girl athletes who could be subject to genital inspection and subject to humiliation, leaving them with a legacy of trauma rather than the lessons of teamwork and sportsmanship. Finally, this bill is unfair to the American people, who are demanding that we take their call to address the cost of living seriously. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to leave these decisions in the hands of parents and local sports authorities and vote ``no'' on H.R. 28. Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. LaMalfa). Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I have to do a reset here and say: Why are we in here even having to discuss this? It is amazing to me that the idea that we would have XY chromosome males competing and taking the place of women and girls in sports is just mind-blowing. Where are we at in the country, where are we as a society, that we are doing this? It is beyond comprehension that we are doing this to our girls. Where are the feminists? Where are the people who have fought so hard to get rights for women but now they fade into the background over this transgender situation that we are advancing way too much in this country? The young ladies depicted here, Paula, Lily, and Riley, whom I know personally, shouldn't even have to be in this position here. I commend them for being such strong leaders, coming from being athletes trying to do their thing, just trying to compete for medals, scholarships, and things, and having those taken away. They have stepped forward to be leaders when they didn't ask to. They probably were not even that comfortable with the spotlight. Certainly, they have been subject to abuse in doing so. God blessed them with their leadership in stepping forward. We need to back them up by passing this legislation and put this to an end. Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Dexter). Ms. DEXTER. Mr. Speaker, as a working-class kid who grew up in sports, the mother of two college athletes, and a physician, I understand how important sports are to our kids' development and their sense of community. No child in this country should be denied access to the opportunity to play a sport, including our transgender children. I will vote against the GOP child predator empowerment act because it does not protect women. It attacks children. Under this bill, kids as young as 4 years old could be forced to undergo invasive medical exams and answer personal questions about their bodies from adults they don't know or trust. This legislation distorts commonsense conversations about how to ensure fairness in our athletic competitions and instead denies our children their basic rights and safety. In Congress, I will continue to stand up against attacks on our transgender community because every child in Oregon deserves our support and care. Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Alford). Mr. ALFORD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong and unwavering support for protecting women, protecting women's sports, and passing H.R. 28, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act. The Biden administration fought to tear down the decades of progress women have made in athletics. Women have been stripped of their earned titles and live in fear for their safety in the locker rooms of America, women like Riley Gaines, Lily Mullens, Paula Scanlan, and so many others with unspoken stories. Last week, the Federal court ruled in favor of reality. Biden tried to rewrite Title IX, and his unconstitutional idea was rejected. Let's vote in favor of reality today. The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act clarifies the protections under Title IX and ensures our women can continue to compete in fair and secure environments. It is an insult and utter disgrace to have them robbed of the triumph by a biological male. We are told that if this bill passed, President Biden would veto it. Mr. Speaker, on November 5, the American people vetoed the radical left's progressive agenda. Next week, America will return to common sense. I pray that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle remember common sense today in this very Chamber. It is not complex, Mr. Speaker. God intricately created two genders for one reason. Men have no business competing in women's sports or being in their locker rooms. Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. Randall). Ms. RANDALL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a queer woman, once the only girl on my peewee football team, and a graduate from a women's college in strong opposition to H.R. 28. This bill makes schools less safe for women and girls. It gives every teacher, coach, and parent an opportunity to police who looks feminine enough to play. It will put all girls at risk of intrusive questions and physical genital [[Page H133]] examinations, dissuading girls' participation in sports. As LGBTQ+ youth continue to face attacks and targeting from extremist lawmakers in legislative chambers across the country and higher rates of depression and suicide, this bill is doubly dangerous. In my community, I meet young people and parents over and over who have fled States like Idaho, Texas, and Florida because they want to live in safe, welcoming communities where they know they have a future. While there are real problems impacting women's sports, including sexual violence, lack of equal resources, and pay inequality, this bill does nothing to address them. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to focus on addressing the pressing issues facing everyday Americans and to reject this hateful legislation. Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Vermont (Ms. Balint). Ms. BALINT. Mr. Speaker, I rise in fierce opposition to this bill. Trans Americans are not the problem. This obsession with monitoring kids' genitals is absolutely the problem. Let's be clear. This is about kids--my kids, your kids, all kids, even elementary school kids playing basketball. I am a mom of two teens. I am a former teacher. I know what kids are going through in school. They are already self-conscious about their bodies. They just want to be on the soccer field with their friends. They certainly do not want to be humiliated by Members of Congress. Let's talk about what enforcement looks like because, Mr. Speaker, you don't want to talk about it. We know there is only one logical conclusion to this. This is interrogation of young girls about their bodies. This is asking people to show them what is underneath their underwear. That is what we are talking about. This is the logical conclusion for this bill. It is vile, and it is twisted. They don't want to talk about the details. It is an absolute invasion of children's privacy. Far from protecting anyone, it puts our children at risk. Mr. Speaker, actually, I urge colleagues on both sides of the aisle to reject this government overreach. Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, may I please inquire as to the time remaining. The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Moore of North Carolina). The gentlewoman from Oregon has 8 minutes remaining. Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Hoyle). Ms. HOYLE of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, this bill is a clear example of government overreach. What business does the government have micromanaging how any sporting association runs their league? Having a congressional vote to dictate the terms of participation in a private sporting league is a slippery slope. What is next, voting on what uniforms the Ducks should wear each Saturday or, more sinisterly, who can participate based on race, religion, or national origin? Government has a role, and this isn't it. How do my colleagues propose to enforce this bill? Ohio passed the Save Women's Sports Act, where a girl would have to verify her gender by an exam of her external and internal anatomy. Traumatizing girls who happen to be late in physically maturing or naturally have a more athletic build to satisfy extreme political agendas is fear-mongering, cowardice, and downright creepy. Who will be doing these inspections? We do not need Taliban-like enforcers in our schools. Every day, women are injured and murdered in domestic violence and children are murdered in their classrooms. If you want to protect women and girls, let's work on that. Until then, let's be honest about what this is: political propaganda that has nothing to do with lowering costs for working Americans. Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I continue to hear the talk about invasion of privacy of young kids. It is just not true. On the other hand, let me explain to my colleagues what is invasive. Last year, Riley Gaines, the former University of Kentucky swimmer, testified in front of Georgia's State legislature. In addressing Georgia Tech's president, she said: ``We did not give our consent to be exploited and exposed to a 6-foot-4 fully naked man. Because you did nothing, that man walked into the women's locker room at your university and saw me undress down to full nudity. You allowed college women to be traumatized . . . on your campus in this way. Why didn't you protect us?'' I ask the same to my Democratic colleagues, Mr. Speaker. Why aren't they willing to protect the women and girls from this invasion of their privacy? Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. {time} 1315 Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Pocan). Mr. POCAN. Mr. Speaker, this is the third week that we are in the 119th Congress and the third week that no bill is before us to lower costs for Americans. Instead, before us is a political attempt to divide us as a nation, stigmatizing some kids so some adults can get MAGA merit badges. The Republican Governor of Utah vetoed a similar piece of legislation after he shared that, of the 75,000 students in high school sports in Utah, only 4 were trans, and only 1 was a girl playing sports. He also mentioned the very real 86 percent of trans kids reporting suicidality due to things like adults stigmatizing kids for political gain. Instead, today, the proposed solution in search of an actual problem suggests we somehow ban girls from sports with some sort of process to determine who is a girl. Does this mean hiring potential predators to peek at the private parts of kids in locker rooms? That sounds like an actual problem to me. Creating a solution to a nonexistent problem by creating a problem instead of lowering costs for Americans is a sign of an ineffective congressional majority, at best. Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``no'' vote. Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Stansbury). Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, what I would like to know is, what does this bill have to do with lowering costs, the economy, or making our communities safer? The answer is nothing. We are 2 weeks into the 119th Congress, and the GOP is already wasting our time on political messaging bills. This bill is not about protecting women or children. It is the opposite. It is about government overreach, telling parents their kids can't play T-ball or run track and telling our athletic associations that they can't regulate sports. It is about bullying trans kids, who are amongst the most vulnerable in our communities, and subjecting our children to potentially dangerous situations in their schools. We won't stand for it. It has to stop. H.R. 28 is an assault on the safety of the trans community and our children. It puts hate and division over unity, and it undermines equality in this country. It has to stop. Mr. Speaker, that is why I oppose this bill, and I urge my colleagues to vote against it. Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time I have remaining. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman from Oregon has 5 minutes remaining. Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Frost). Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, never did I think that my first debate of this new Congress would be debating a Republican bill that empowers pedophiles and predators. Republicans say it is about protecting women, but that is a damned lie. This bill puts all girls, all children, at risk in our school systems and across this entire country. We have a bill like this in my State of Florida, and I will tell this quick [[Page H134]] story of a high school student, who was student government president of her entire school. Now she is forced to take classes online after authorities published a 500-page report where they forced her classmates to share whether or not they have seen her naked in the locker room and seen her genitalia. Strangers, adult men, could ask girls as young as 4 years old personal questions about their body. My question is, Republicans say it is about protecting girls, for people listening at home: Is it protecting girls to empower strangers to question your daughter about what is in their pants? No. It is disgusting. Is it protecting girls to empower adult men to ask your daughter to inspect what is in her pants while you are not around? No. That is pedophilia. It is predatory behavior. The hate on the other side of the aisle for trans Americans is so much so that they are willing to put all of our children, all of our daughters, at risk of a serious problem in this country. Mr. Speaker, to protect our kids, we have to vote ``no'' on the Republican child predator empowerment act. Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time I have remaining. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Michigan has 3\1/2\ minutes remaining. Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter led by the National Women's Law Center and the Women's Sports Foundation from 33 national and 34 State and local women's and girls' rights organizations to voice our vehement opposition to H.R. 28. January 13, 2025. Dear Member of Congress, The National Women's Law Center and Women's Sports Foundation, joined by the undersigned women's and girls' rights organizations, write to voice our vehement opposition to H.R. 28 and S. 9, ``The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025.'' As organizations deeply committed to fulfilling the promise of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 of equal educational opportunity for all women and girls, including in school sports, we have advocated for gender equity in schools for decades. Far from promoting sex equality in sports, H.R. 28 and S. 9 are discriminatory attempts to cause harm to and exclude transgender, intersex, and nonbinary students from school sports and would not promote fairness or safety in school sports for women and girls. We thus urge you to reject this effort to enshrine sex discrimination and oppose H.R. 28 and S. 9. H.R. 28 and S. 9 unmistakably constitute discrimination on the basis of sex. As recognized by the U.S. Supreme Court, numerous Federal courts, and the U.S. Department of Education, sex discrimination includes discrimination based on gender identity and sex characteristics. Title mandate that all students must be able to access the benefits and opportunities of an education free from sex discrimination includes the right to play sports. Rather than promote these goals, the deceptively titled, ``The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act,'' promotes discrimination and makes no effort to address the actual, pervasive discriminatory barriers that women and girls continue to face in school athletics. H.R. 28 and S. 9 do nothing to address the fact that college women have almost 60,000 fewer athletic opportunities to play than men, or that high school girls have over 1 million fewer opportunities than boys to play sports. It fails to take any steps to open opportunities for women and girls of color, who are disproportionately impacted by these disparities in participation opportunities. H.R. 28 and S. 9 do not advance policies to address the second-class treatment women's and girls' teams continue to receive from their schools as compared to men's and boys' teams when it comes to facilities, equipment, and travel. These bills do not address how colleges and universities have shortchanged women athletes millions of dollars in academic assistance. Nor do H.R. 28 and S. 9 seek to strengthen protections against the rampant sexual abuse student-athletes of all ages and genders still face. To put it plainly, one would be hard pressed to explain how banning transgender women and girls from playing alongside their peers does anything to address actual problems of sex discrimination in sports. H.R. 28 and S. 9's real purpose is not to expand opportunities for women and girls, but to deny transgender, intersex, and nonbinary students of their right under Title IX to equal athletic opportunities. This harms all women and girls. Recent data from the CDC shows that state policies that prevent transgender high school students from playing are correlated with lower participation by all high school girls between 2011 and 2019; meanwhile, participation by all girls remained unchanged in states with policies allowing transgender students to play. Sports participation is linked to increased academic achievement and fosters in students increased emotional, mental, and physical well-being and a sense of community. Amending Title IX to exclude transgender, intersex, and nonbinary students from these benefits will undeniably harm these students, who because of stigma and discrimination are already especially vulnerable to isolation and decreased academic performance, and ultimately harm all women and girls. Our organizations are deeply concerned about how H.R. 28 and S. 9 dangerously invite gender policing that threatens all women and girls. H.R. 28 and S. 9 are vague and unworkable and could only be implemented by a combination of invasive and harmful practices. There is no principled way to apply the bill's unclear language to the many girls and young women born with intersex variations, which by definition, are variations in ``reproductive biology and genetics at birth.'' Similar bans have been widely used to push girls and women born with these variations out of sports opportunities and have chilled their participation in school sports. Additionally, H.R. 28 and S. 9 would inevitably lead to schools and athletic associations adopting ``sex verification'' practices which may include forcing women and girls to submit to a variety of invasive, humiliating, and unscientific practices for the purported purpose of determining whether they are ``really'' girls or women. These procedures make all women and girls vulnerable to sexual abuse, but are especially likely to be used to target Black and brown women and girls who do not conform to white ideals of femininity, other women and girls who do not conform to sexist stereotypes, and nonbinary and gender nonconforming students. If H.R. 28 and S. 9 become law, it would permit school districts, colleges and universities, and athletics associations to become the arbiters of who is ``sufficiently'' feminine to play, thereby perpetuating harmful racist and sexist stereotypes that punish students for who they are or how they look, and placing students at further risk for sexual abuse, including harassment. And this isn't speculation. Just last year, a Utah school board member publicly questioned the gender of a 16-year-old cisgender girl playing on a high school basketball team who wore short hair and baggy clothes. As a result, the student was subjected to harassment, bullying, and threats of violence, necessitating police protection for her and her family. Every student deserves the opportunity to participate in sports in a safe environment. The blanket, discriminatory exclusion that H.R. 28 and S. 9 would mandate for every age, every sport, and every level of competition flies in the face of Title IX's mandate of equal access to educational opportunities. Transgender women and girls have been playing school sports for years, adhering to various rules and regulations set by their state or sport governance organization which govern their participation. Claims that they have been unfairly ``dominating'' competition are utterly false. H.R. 28 and S. 9 promote fear, dangerous stereotypes, and sex discrimination based on misinformation, and they should not become law. We welcome and support efforts that protect women and girls in sports, including those that would fix the problems we identified above. But this is not what H.R. 28 and S. 9 do. As women's rights and gender justice organizations, we vehemently reject this dangerous legislation and rhetoric which only serves to marginalize transgender, nonbinary, and intersex people and encourage scrutiny and policing of the bodies of all women and girls in sports. Supporting the civil rights of women and girls cannot be separated from championing policies that protect the rights of transgender, intersex, and nonbinary individuals' rights to be free from sex discrimination, including in school sports. This, at a minimum, includes voicing strong opposition to H.R. 28 and S. 9. If you have questions about this letter, please contact Shiwali Patel and Sarah Axelson. Sincerely, National Women's Law Center and Women's Sports Foundation, joined by: national organizations A Better Balance, American Association of University Women (AAUW), American Civil Liberties Union, Athletes Unlimited, Bend the Arc: Jewish Action, Callisto, Center for Policing Equity, Clearinghouse on Women's Issues, Empowering Pacific Islander Communities, End Rape on Campus, Esperanza United, Family Values @ Work, Feminist Majority Foundation, Girls for Gender Equity, Guttmacher Institute, Institute for Women's Policy Research, interACT: Advocates for Intersex Youth, Know Your IX, a project of Advocates for Youth, Ms. Foundation for Women, National Organization for Women, National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW), National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice, National Partnership for Women & Families, Power to Decide, Red Wine & Blue, Reproductive Freedom for All (formerly NARAL Pro-Choice America), Sexual Violence Prevention Association (SVPA), Shattering Glass, Stop Sexual Assault in Schools, Transgender Law Center, VOICEINSPORT Foundation, Women's March, YWCA USA. state and local organizations ASTOP, Inc. Sexual Abuse Center, Bozeman City for CEDAW Women's Human Rights Task Force, MT, Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation (CAASE), Deaf Unity, Diverse & Resilient, Domestic Violence Escape (DOVE), Inc., Freedom, Inc., [[Page H135]] Gender Justice, Harvard Law School Gender Violence Program, Illinois Accountability Initiative, Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault, KWH Law Center for Social Justice and Change, Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence, Menagerie Rugby Club, Minnesota Suns, Montanans for Choice Take Action, National Council of Jewish Women, Pennsylvania, National Organization for Women, Central New York, National Organization for Women, Columbia Area (MO), National Organization for Women, Florida, National Organization for Women, Massachusetts, National Organization for Women, Missouri, National Organization for Women, Montana, National Organization for Women, Santa Fe, National Organization for Women, Seattle, Network NOVA, Northwoods Women Inc., People Of Progression, Public Counsel, Reach Counseling, Stepping Stones, Inc., The Tucker Center, Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Women's Law Project. Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I also include in the Record a letter from Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, which reads in part: ``On behalf of the 1.8 million members of the AFT, I write to urge you to oppose H.R. 28, the so-called Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025, and to reject its attacks on our students.'' AFT, January 13, 2025. House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Representative: On behalf of the 1.8 million members of the AFT, I write to urge you to oppose H.R. 28, the so- called Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025, and to reject its attacks on our students. This misguided bill bans transgender kids from participating in school sports, causing harm and undermining civil rights for all students. Rather than focusing on ways to strengthen public schools, meet the needs of all students and families, and protect transgender students from attacks, this bill targets students and blocks them from participating in school activities alongside their peers. Schools and colleges are looking for a practical road map on how to craft athletic policies and criteria for male and female teams consistent with Title IX-- not a politically motivated blanket ban. Tragically, H.R. 28 uses Title IX, which is intended to prevent discrimination, to in fact discriminate. This is not what parents and families want. They want Congress to address the actual challenges confronting them daily. Down-ballot elections across the country demonstrate that voters overwhelmingly reject political fights in schools and instead favor strengthening their public schools and providing educators the resources they need to create safe and welcoming environments; boost academic skills, pave pathways to career, college, and beyond; and keep kids safe from gun and other violence. The new Congress should be working to advance commonsense solutions that support our nation's students, value our nation's parents and families, and help our nation's educators. H.R. 28 is harmful and cruel. It targets innocent kids who want to live their lives in peace and play sports on a team with their friends and classmates. And to make matters worse, it uses the protection of women and girls as a smokescreen to further discriminate against them and open up pathways to violate their privacy and safety. We know that if the legislation's goal were to truly expand protections for women and girls, it would provide for equal facilities and equipment, strengthen sexual harassment protections and address strategies women athletes have been advocating for decades--but it does not. We stand with parents and families eager to partner with Congress to meaningfully address these issues. Unfortunately, that is not the focus of this legislation. Please vote ``no'' on H.R. 28. Thank you for considering our views on these issues. Sincerely, Randi Weingarten, President, AFT. Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time I have remaining. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman from Oregon has 3\1/2\ minutes remaining. Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, Congress has the power and the responsibility to make a real difference for Americans. Yet, we are starting this Congress with a bill that dangerously picks on an extremely small number of children and young adults but putting all children and young adults at risk. These attacks are fueled by discrimination and not facts. A poll from 2022 found that two-thirds of LGBTQI+ youth report that recent debates about State laws restricting the rights of transgender people have negatively affected their mental health. Today, my colleagues are furthering this hate. America already has a youth mental health crisis, and my colleagues are exacerbating it by promoting these hateful policies, and that is unacceptable. Let's talk about ways to champion opportunities in sports for all women and girls. We celebrated the 50th anniversary of Title IX 2 years ago, which protects people from discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities. Under Title IX, we have seen a considerable increase in the number of female students participating in sports, but college women still have nearly 60,000 fewer athletic opportunities than men, and high school girls have about 1 million fewer opportunities to play sports than high school boys. Do my colleagues only care about women's sports when it benefits partisan talking points? Apparently so because preventing transgender women and girls, who make up only a tiny fraction of a percent of college athletes, from participating in sports seems to be more important to my colleagues than starting this 119th Congress with legislation that would protect female athletes from assault or harassment. Mr. Speaker, we should focus our work on promoting policies that make sports safe, accessible, and fair for everyone. This bill does not do that. I emphasize that my colleagues still have not explained how enforcement is going to happen without serious and risky invasions of privacy and the inquiry of intensely personal information. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to show some compassion, show some humanity, and please reject this partisan bill that will harm our Nation's youth. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, it saddens me to hear that my colleagues, who I respect and enjoy working with on most things, are totally not recognizing the fact that the American people, parents, grandparents, and teachers, don't stand with them and organizations that are reported today aren't speaking for the benefit of girls and women. It is absolutely heart-wrenching to see daughters and sisters lose races. The strides women have made across all corners of the sports world deserve to be celebrated and protected. Like it or not, sports are based on physical ability. Pretending otherwise is a stark denial of reality. Erasing sex means ultimately erasing women, especially when it comes to sports. Girls and women lose a fair chance to compete when a biological male enters the field. We can't let women's sports become collateral damage in the far left's campaign against a traditional science-based understanding of sex. Allowing women and girls to suffer for the sake of the dishonesty of wokeness is inexcusable. We need to stand for women and girls. I believe that the constituents in overwhelming majority understand what my colleagues are posturing with and that that is not what we are talking about. We are standing for affirming Title IX, affirming women, affirming girls, and protecting them for their abilities to succeed in the future. I plead with my Democratic colleagues to join us in celebrating women and girls, the female athlete, and females in general. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the second letter I referenced during general debate on H.R. 28, a letter led by the Leadership Conference for Civil and Human Rights with signatories from 117 national and 289 regional, state, and local civil rights organizations rejecting ``the so-called Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025, because it would harm women and girls and undermine civil rights for all students.'' The Leadership Conference, January 13, 2025. Oppose H.R. 28 to Protect Civil Rights Dear Member of Congress, On behalf of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 240 national organizations to promote and protect the civil and human rights of all persons in the United States, and the 414 undersigned organizations, we call for the full inclusion, protection, and celebration of transgender, nonbinary, and intersex youth, including access [[Page H136]] to extracurricular activities such as athletics, and to school facilities, safe and inclusive school environments, and accurate and inclusive curriculum. We reject H.R. 28, the so-called Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025, because it would harm women and girls and undermine civil rights for all students. This discriminatory proposal seeks to exclude transgender, nonbinary, and intersex people from athletics programs in schools. Although the authors of the legislation represent themselves as serving the interests of cisgender girls and women, this legislation does not address the longstanding barriers all girls and women have faced in their pursuit of athletics. Instead of providing for equal facilities, equipment, and travel, or any other strategy that women athletes have been pushing for for decades, the bill cynically veils an attack on transgender people as a question of athletics policy. Youth sports often play a significant role in children's lives and development, helping them to develop critical life skills like communication, teamwork, and leadership. Sports spaces are imperative for all young people, no matter their gender. Transgender, nonbinary, and intersex youth want to participate in team sports for the same reasons as their cisgender peers: to be part of a team, learn sportsmanship, and challenge themselves. School athletics are very often the centerpiece of communities across the country, and denying transgender, nonbinary, and intersex youth the chance to participate only serves to deny them an opportunity to be part of that community, further isolating and stigmatizing these youth. The civil and human rights community is no stranger to the proffering of a bigoted agenda as if it were about equal opportunity. We know about wolves in sheep's clothing. We know that when affirmative action policies created to level the playing field in higher education admissions are attacked by opponents of voting rights (as was true in the Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) v. Harvard College/University of North Carolina cases), that their agenda is not about the rights of people of color. We know that when companies profit from poverty wages for disabled people, especially in segregated work sites (as is the case for sheltered workshops that pay subminimum wages to disabled workers), that their agenda is not about independence and self-determination for workers. And we know that when opponents of Title IX, including those who have sought for decades to weaken its protections and undermine its enforcement, now present themselves as the law's champions, that their agenda is not about the rights of women and girls. Targeting and excluding transgender, nonbinary, and intersex students from participation in school programming, including athletics programs, alongside their cisgender peers is harmful to all students and undermines the learning environment for everyone. If schools mark some students effectively as outcasts, they foster an environment where no student is included and safe. H.R. 28's vague language and intrusive focus on scrutiny of students' bodies will effectively exclude cisgender girls and women with intersex variations from participation, will invite scrutiny and harassment of any other student perceived by anyone as not conforming to sex stereotypes, and will likely be disproportionately used to target all girls and women of color. We support the full inclusion and protection of transgender, nonbinary, and intersex youth. We are fortunate that transgender, nonbinary, and intersex people are present in our community, and we fully embrace them as members of our community. As organizations that care deeply about ending sex-based discrimination and ensuring equal educational opportunities, we support laws and policies that protect transgender people from discrimination, including full and equal participation in sports, access to gender-affirming care, access to school facilities, and access to inclusive curriculum. We firmly believe that an attack on transgender youth is an attack on civil rights. We ask all members of Congress to strongly oppose H.R. 28 and to reject attacks on transgender, nonbinary, and intersex youth; to commit themselves to meaningfully advancing policies that support equal opportunity; and to reassure all students in the nation's classrooms that they will have the chance to learn, grow, and thrive. If you have any questions, please reach out to Liz King, senior program director at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, at king@civilrights.org. Sincerely, National (121) The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights; Advocates for Trans Equality, Advocates for Youth, AFT; American Association of University Women (AAUW), American Atheists; American Civil Liberties Union; American Federation of State; County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME); American Humanist Association; Amnesty International USA; Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network; Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice; Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law; Bend the Arc: Jewish Action; CenterLink: The Community of LGBTQ Centers; Chrysalis; Clearinghouse on Women's Issues; COLAGE; Collective Power for Reproductive Justice; Council for Global Equality; EdTrust; Education Law Center; Educators for Excellence; Elevated Access; Empowering Pacific Islander Communities; Equal Justice Society; Equal Rights Advocates; Equality Federation; Equity Forward. Family Equality, Feminist Majority Foundation, FORGE, Inc., Gender Justice League, GLAAD, GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ+ Equality, GLSEN, HAIR HAS NO GENDER NFP, Human Rights Campaign, Human Rights First, Ibis Reproductive Health, Impact Fund, Indivisible, interACT: Advocates for Intersex Youth, Interfaith Alliance, Japanese American Citizens League, Jewish Council for Public Affairs, Justice and Joy National Collaborative, Keshet, Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, Lambda Legal, LatinoJustice PRLDEF, Lavender Rights Project, Liberation is Lit, LPAC, Matthew Shepard Foundation, Movement Advancement Project, MPact Global, NAACP, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Nathaniel R. Jones Foundation, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), National Association of Social Workers, National Center for Lesbian Rights, National Council of Jewish Women, National Disability Rights Network (NDRN), National Education Association, National Hispanic Media Coalition, National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund, National LGBTQ+ Bar Association, National LGBTQI+ Cancer Network, National Network of Abortion Funds, National Organization for Women. National Partnership for Women & Families, National Urban League, National Women's Law Center, Nclusion Plus, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, Our Schools USA, Out in Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics, Inc., Patchwork Transgender Peer Services, People For the American Way, PFLAG National, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Point of Pride, Popular Democracy, Positive Women's Network-USA, Pride At Work, AFL-CIO, Public Justice, Reproaction, Reproductive Freedom for All (formerly NARAL Pro-Choice America), Safe Schools Action Network, Sam & Devorah Foundation for Trans Youth, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change, Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF), State Innovation Exchange (SiX) Action, Tbuddy, The Advocacy Institute, The Advocates for Human Rights, The Autistic People of Color Fund, The Global Trans Equity Project, The Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (ROC United), The TransLatin@ Coalition, Trans in Color, Transathlete, Transcending Adolescence, TransFamily Support Services, Transgender Law Center, TransParent, T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, UFCW OUTreach, Union for Reform Judaism, United Church of Christ, URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity, Voices for Progress, Voters of Tomorrow, Western States Center, Whitman-Walker Institute, Youth MOVE National, Youth Seen, YWCA USA. regional/state/local (294) African American Office of Gay Concerns, Aces NYC, Adirondack North Country Gender Alliance, Advocates for Children of New York, AJL Community Health, Alliance For Full Acceptance SC, American Federation of Teachers--Oregon, Arkansas Black Gay Men's Forum, Association of Latinos/as/xs Motivating Action, Azalea Coffee Bar, Bans Off Miami, Basic Rights Oregon, Battle Born Progress, Bolingbrook Pride, Brenham PFLAG, Brooklyn Community Pride Center, CA LGBTQ Health and Human Services Network, CalPride, CAMP Rehoboth, Campaign for Southern Equality, Carolina Abortion Fund, Casa Freehold, Cascade AIDS Project, Central Coast Coalition for Inclusive Schools, Charlotte Trans Health, Chattanooga Trans Liberation Collective, Chicago Teachers Union LGBTQ+ Committee, Chicago Therapy Collective, City of West Hollywood, Courage California, Crescent Care, Deerfield IL Chapter of PFLAG, Delmarva Pride Center, Denver Health and Hospital Authority, Detroit Area Youth Uniting Michigan (DAYUM), Disability Law Center, Disability Rights California, Disability Rights Oregon. East Bay Sanctuary Covenant, Eastern PA Trans Equity Project, Education Law Center Pennsylvania, entre hermanos, Envision: You, Equality California, Equality Community Center, Equality Florida, Equality Illinois, Equality Maine, Equality Michigan, Equality New Mexico, Equality NY--Buffalo Chapter, Equality Ohio, Equality South Dakota, Equality Texas, Equitas Health, Fair Wisconsin, Fairness Campaign, Family Forward Oregon, Famous Adventures Summer Camp, Fenway Health, FL National Organization for Women, Florida Council of Churches, Four Corners Rainbow Youth Center, Freedom Oklahoma, Garden State Equality, Gender Alchemy, Gender Justice, Gender Justice LA, GenderNexus, Georgia Equality, GLSEN Arizona, GLYS Western New York Inc., GRACE/End Child Poverty California, Grand Rapids Trans Foundation, GSAFE, Harriet Hancock Center Foundation, Hawai`i `Ohana Support Network, Health Equity Alliance for LGBTQ+ New Mexicans, Howard Brown Health, Hugh Lane Wellness Foundation, Hyacinth Foundation. Illinois Migrant Council, Inland Empire Prism Collective, Inland Oasis, Jewish Community Relations Council of Broward County, Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Phoenix, Just Us at Oasis Center, Kol Ami, Latino Equality Alliance, Latino Network, Lavender Phoenix, Levine Center To End Hate/Jewish Federation of Greater Rochester, LGBT Center of Raleigh, LGBT Center of SE Wisconsin, LGBT Community [[Page H137]] Network, LGBTQ Center OC, LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert, LGBTQ+ Center Lake County, LGBTQ+ Community Center of Darke County, LGBTQI+ Rights Clinic, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, Life is Work, Los Angeles LGBT Center, Louisiana Trans Advocates, Louisville Youth Group, Loving Beyond Understanding, Lyon Martin Community Health, LYRIC, Mabel Wadsworth Center, MaineTransNet, Make it Better for Youth, Make the Road Nevada, Mama Bears Playgroup, Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition, MassEquality, Metro Trans Umbrella Group, Michigan Alliance for Special Education, Michigan Education Justice Coalition, Michigan Student Power Alliance, Monica Roberts Resource Center, Montgomery Pride United/ Bayard Rustin Community Center, Muncie OUTreach LGBTQ+ Center. Naper Pride, Nevada Chapter of the National Organization for Women, New Alternatives For Homeless LGBT Youth, New Haven Pride Center, New Jersey Safe Schools Coalition, New Mexico Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs, Next Up Action Fund, North County LGBTQ Resource Center, North Dakota Human Rights Coalition, North Shore Alliance of LGBTQ+ Youth (NAGLY), NoVA Prism Center, Oasis Legal Services, Office of Strategic Partnerships, California Department of Health Care Services, One Colorado, one-n-ten, OUT Maine, OutCenter Southwest Michigan, OutFront Minnesota, OUTMemphis, OutNebraska, OutReach LGBTQ+ Community Center, PAVE, Peoria Proud, PFLAG Aiken (South Carolina), PFLAG Akron, PFLAG Angleton- Lake Jackson, PFLAG Athens Area, Georgia, PFLAG Cape Cod, PFLAG Chicago Metro, PFLAG Clayton-Concord, PFLAG Collingswood, PFLAG Columbus, Ohio, PFLAG Council of Northern Illinois, PFLAG Danville/ Central Susquehanna Valley, PFLAG DanvilleKY, PFLAG Dayton, PFLAG Decatur, PFLAG Deerfield IL, PFLAG Delaware, PFLAG Detroit, PFLAG DuPage, PFLAG Edwardsville, PFLAG Flat Rock/Hendersonville, NC. PFLAG Fort Collins / Northern Colorado, PFLAG Fort Wayne, PFLAG Fort Worth, PFLAG Frederick, PFLAG Geneva/Tri-Cities, PFLAG Grayslake/Round Lake, PFLAG Greater Boston, PFLAG Greater St. Louis, PFLAG GREENSBURG, PFLAG Hartford, PFLAG Homewood-Flossmoor, PFLAG HuntsvilleTX, PFLAG Illinois, PFLAG Ithaca-Cortland, PFLAG Lafayette/Tippecanoe County Indiana, PFLAG Lamorinda, PFLAG Los Angeles, PFLAG Madison WI, PFLAG meto chapter, PFLAG NYC, PFLAG O'ahu, PFLAG Oakland-East Bay, PFLAG Peoria, PFLAG Plymouth-Canton, PFLAG Port Charlotte Chapter, PFLAG Sacramento, PFLAG Salisbury, PFLAG San Diego County, PFLAG San Francisco, PFLAG San Jose/Peninsula, PFLAG Sandy Springs, PFLAG Seattle, PFLAG Sonoma County, PFLAG Southern Maryland, PFLAG Springfield/SWMO, PFLAG Tinley Park, PFLAG Tri-Valley, PFLAG Valparaiso, PFLAG West Chester/ Chester County, PFLAG Youngstown, Philadelphia Asian and Queer, Pride Action Tank/AIDS Foundation Chicago, Pride at Work--Hawai'i. Pride Center of Terre Haute Inc., Pride Community Center, Inc (Bryan/College Station, Texas), Pride in Action, Southern IL, Pride Lafayette (Indiana), Princess Janae Place, PRISM FL, Prism United, Pro-Choice North Carolina, PROMO Missouri, Public Health Institute of Metropolitan Chicago, QT Summer Camp, Queer City Therapy, Queer Keys, Queer Trans Black Indigenous People of Color Agency, Queermunity Collaborative, Rabbi Joseph H. Gumbiner Community Action Project at Tucson Jewish Museum & Holocaust Center, Rad Family, a project of North Jersey Pride, Rainbow Collective of WNY, Rainbow Families Bay Area Community Group, Rainbow Labs, Rainbow Pride Youth Alliance, Reproductive Justice Action Collective, Resource Center, Rising Voices, Rochester Rainbow Union, Rockland County Pride Center, Rocky Mountain Equality, Rogue Action Center, Sacramento LGBT Community Center, Salisbury Pride, San Joaquin Delta College, San Joaquin Pride Center, INC., Save Our Sisters United, Serving at-risk families everywhere, Inc., Sexual Assault Services Organization, Silver State Equality-Nevada, Sioux Falls Pride, SMYAL, SOJOURN: Southern Jewish Resource Network for Gender and Sexual Diversity, Solano Pride Center, Somos Familia Valle, Soul 2 Soul Sisters, South Carolina Equality. Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation, Southwest Women's Law Center, Spencer Pride, Inc., St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, Support FHPS Action, TaskForce Prevention and Community Services, Tennessee Equality Project, The Center Project, The Cherry Fund, The DC LGBTQ+ Community Center, The GLO Center, The Human Rights Alliance, The Lavender Room, The LGBTQ Center of Southern Nevada, The LIAM Foundation, The LOFT LGBTQ+ Community Center, The Mahogany Project, The Pinta Pride Project and Buffalo Grove Pride, The Pride Center at Equality Park, The San Diego LGBT Community Center, The Sports Bra, The Transformation Project South Dakota, Towards an Anti-Racist North Kingstown (TANK), TRACTION, Trans Maryland, Trans-E-Motion, Transformative Justice Law Project of Illinois, Transgender Michigan, Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico, Transgender Resource, Advocacy and Network Service, TransOhio, T-time Transgender Support, Uniting Pride of Champaign County, Upstate NY Black & Latino Pride, Inc., Viet Rainbow of Orange County, Waves Ahead Corp, We Are Family, Wild West Access Fund of Nevada, WNY Man Made Men, Women's Rights and Empowerment Network, Youth Leadership Institute, Youth Outlook, Youth OUTright, Zebra Youth. The SPEAKER pro tempore. All time for debate has expired. Pursuant to House Resolution 5, the previous question is ordered on the bill. The question is on the engrossment and third reading of the bill. The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, and was read the third time. Motion to Recommit Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the motion to recommit. The Clerk read as follows: Ms. Adams of North Carolina moves to recommit the bill H.R. 28 to the Committee on Education and Workforce. The material previously referred to by Ms. Adams is as follows: Ms. Adams of North Carolina moves to recommit the bill H.R. 28 to the Committee on Education and the Workforce with instructions to report the same back to the House forthwith with the following amendment: Strike all after the enacting clause, and insert the following: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Fair Play for Women Act''. SEC. 2. FINDINGS. Congress finds the following: (1) More than 50 years ago, Congress passed title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (referred to in this section as ``title IX''), helping to transform participation in and support for women's sports by barring discrimination on the basis of sex in all schools that receive Federal funding, including in their athletic programs. (2) Since the passage of title IX, millions more women and girls have had the opportunity to compete in school-based athletics. In high school athletics, athletic participation opportunities have increased from nearly 300,000 in 1972 to more than 3,400,000 in 2019. In intercollegiate athletics, opportunities have increased from nearly 30,000 in 1972 to 215,000 in 2020 on teams sponsored by institutions who are members of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (referred to in this section as the ``NCAA''). (3) Despite progress, women and girls still face unequal opportunities and unfair treatment in school-based athletics. In high school athletics, girls have over 1,000,000 fewer athletic opportunities than boys, with schools providing girls with 43 percent of all athletic opportunities while girls represent nearly half of all students. In intercollegiate athletics, colleges would need to provide women with an additional 148,000 sports opportunities to match the same ratio of sports opportunities per student as is offered to men. Overall, girls still do not have the participation opportunities provided to boys before the enactment of title IX, over 50 years ago. (4) Girls of color are often most impacted by unequal resources and unfair treatment. At high schools predominantly attended by white students, girls have 82 percent of the opportunities that boys have to play sports, while at high schools predominantly attended by students of color, girls have only 67 percent of the opportunities that boys have to play sports. (5) As part of title IX athletics requirements, schools can show they are compliant by providing athletic participation opportunities for men and women that are substantially proportionate to their respective enrollment rates. Yet, a Government Accountability Office report from 2024 found that 93 percent of all colleges had athletic participation rates for women that were lower than their enrollment rate at the colleges. At 63 percent of colleges, women's athletic participation rates were at least 10 percentage points lower than their enrollment rates. Overall, the athletic participation rate for collegiate women was 14 percent less than their enrollment rate. Despite widespread noncompliance with title IX athletics requirements, no college has ever had Federal funding rescinded nor been sued by the Federal government for noncompliance. (6) The magnitude of current gaps in intercollegiate athletics participation opportunities is likely undercounted, as investigations of intercollegiate athletics data have found that the majority of NCAA member institutions inflate the number of women participating in sports by double- and triple-counting women athletes who participate in more than one sport more often than the institutions double- and triple-count their counterparts who are men, counting men who are practice players on women's teams as women athletes, and packing women's teams with extra players who never end up competing. (7) Women and girls in sports also face unfair treatment. They are frequently provided worse facilities, equipment, and uniforms than men and boys, and they receive less financial support and publicity from their schools. In the 2019-2020 academic year, women received $252,000,000 less than men in athletic-based scholarships, and for every dollar colleges spent on recruiting, travel, [[Page H138]] and equipment for men's sports, they spent 58 cents, 62 cents, and 73 cents, respectively, for women's sports. (8) Amid ongoing unfair treatment, athletes and athletics- related staff too often are unaware of the rights and obligations provided by title IX. In surveys of children and their parents, the majority report not knowing what title IX is. A study conducted by the Government Accountability Office in 2017 found that most high school athletic administrators were unaware of who their title IX coordinator was or felt unsupported by their title IX coordinator. In intercollegiate athletics, most coaches report that they never received formal training about title IX as part of the preparation for their jobs. SEC. 3. PURPOSES. The purposes of this Act are to-- (1) address unfair and discriminatory treatment of women and girls in sports in elementary and secondary schools, as well as institutions of higher education; (2) improve the collection and transparency of data pertaining to participation in and support for women's and girls' sports at schools receiving Federal financial assistance; (3) ensure all students participating in athletics, as well as those who work in school-sponsored athletics, are aware of and understand the nondiscrimination rights of students related to their athletic opportunities; and (4) ensure all students have equal access to high-quality and supportive athletic opportunities. To read the complete bill text go to: http://democrats- edworkforce.house.gov/download/fair-play-for-women-act-bill-text =========================== NOTE =========================== On January 14, 2025, page H138, in the first column, the following appeared: high-quality and supportive athletic opportunities. The online version has been corrected to read: high-quality and supportive athletic opportunities. To read the complete bill text go to: http://democrats-edworkforce.house.gov/download/fair-play- for-women-act-bill-text ========================= END NOTE ========================= The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 2(b) of rule XIX, the previous question is ordered on the motion to recommit. The question is on the motion to recommit. The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that the noes appeared to have it. Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays. The yeas and nays were ordered. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on this question will be postponed. ____________________ |