Jul. 08, 2025
HARRISBURG –Rep. Jill Cooper (R-Westmoreland) signed a discharge resolution petition to force a vote on Senate Bill 9, the Protect Women’s Sports Act.
“As a former high school and college athlete, and a proud mom of a daughter who has competed at both levels, I join the many female athletes that dedicated themselves to their sport with passion and grit,” Cooper said. “Even the remotest possibility of having to compete against someone born as a male is not just unfair but also jeopardizes the paths to achievement that were fought for years ago and are now guaranteed by federal law through Title IX.”
Senate Bill 9 proposes that school athletic teams designated for female students would be closed to males. The legislation defines “sex” as the biological distinction between male and female, based on reproductive biology and genetic make-up.
The legislation passed in the Senate in May with bipartisan support, 32-18, but has sat idle in the House Education Committee. The discharge resolution, House Resolution 281, requires a simple majority of votes on the House floor to advance Senate Bill 9 for consideration by the full House.
“This is not about denying anyone's participation in sports or marginalizing transgender student athletes,” Cooper said. “This bill is about ensuring fairness and preserving opportunities. Women deserve the right to compete on a level playing field, free from the unfair advantages that biological males bring to competition.”
Representative Jill Cooper
55th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Jordan Frei
724.875.8450
jfrei@pahousegop.com
RepJillCooper.com / Facebook.com/RepJillCooper
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