HARRISBURG – Legislation to ensure Title IX rights are upheld in Pennsylvania cleared a key hurdle today as the Senate Education Committee voted to advance the Save Women’s Sports Act to the full Senate for consideration, according to the measure’s cosponsor, Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill (R-York).
Senate Bill 9 ensures that school athletic teams designated for women are exclusively for biological females. The legislation reinforces the original intent of Title IX, which was enacted to eliminate discrimination and guarantee equal athletic opportunities for female students.
The bill defines sex based on biological distinctions and requires scholastic and collegiate teams designated for women to be reserved for biological females. Supporters say this protects the integrity of women’s athletics and ensures fair and safe competition.
Phillips-Hill, a cosponsor of the bill, emphasized the importance of preserving these protections.
“The action today sends a strong message: we will not allow political trends or federal overreach to erase the opportunities that generations of women have fought for. Title IX was a promise to our daughters and granddaughters and this bill keeps that promise alive in Pennsylvania,” she said.
Joining Phillips-Hill as cosponsors of the legislation are Sens. Judy Ward, Lisa Baker, Michele Brooks, Camera Bartolotta, Tracy Pennycuick, Rosemary Brown, Lynda Schlegel Culver, Dawn Keefer, and Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward making this one of the most prominent efforts led by a coalition of female lawmakers in recent memory.
Supporters of the bill argue that female athletes across the country are already losing out on podium placements, scholarships, and even physical safety due to biological males participating in women’s sports. Recent incidents in Pennsylvania and nationwide underscore the urgency of ensuring women’s athletic opportunities are not compromised.
Senate Bill 9 now moves to the full Senate for consideration.