HB40 DESIGNATE SEX FOR SCHOOL-SPONSORED SPORTS

Plain English Breakdown

The official text does not specify an effective date; it only shows the bill passed the legislature.

HB40: Rules for Sex Designation in School Sports

This law requires schools to label sports teams as male, female, or mixed and limits participation on female teams to students who are biologically female at birth.

What This Bill Does

Requires public schools, private schools that compete against public schools, and postsecondary institutions to label every team as male/female/boys/girls/men/women, or coeducational/mixed.
States that only students who are female based on their biological sex can join teams labeled for females, women, or girls.
Allows schools to use a student's original birth certificate issued at or near the time of birth to determine if they are biologically female.
Defines 'sex' as being male or female based on nonambiguous organs, chromosomes, and hormone levels present at birth.
Protects schools from punishment by government groups, licensing organizations, athletic associations, or school districts for following these new team rules.
Allows students who miss out on sports opportunities due to rule violations to sue the violating school in court.

Who It Names or Affects

Public elementary, middle, and high schools
Private schools whose teams play against public schools
Postsecondary institutions like colleges or universities
Students participating in school-sponsored athletic teams

Terms To Know

Biological sex at birth: The state of being male or female based on body parts, chromosomes, and hormones present when a person was born.
Original birth certificate: The official document issued near the time of birth that lists a person's sex before any changes are made to it.
Private cause of action: A legal right for an individual or school to file a lawsuit in court against another party.

Limits and Unknowns

The law does not change rights under federal laws regarding disabilities.
Schools cannot be forced by outside groups to ignore these rules, but the text does not list specific penalties for schools that break them other than lawsuits.
The effective date of when this law starts is not listed in the provided document.

Official Summary Text

DESIGNATE SEX FOR SCHOOL-SPONSORED SPORTS
An Act relating to school athletics, recreation, athletic teams, and sports.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

HB0040a -1- HB 40
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HOUSE BILL NO. 40

IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA

THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - SECOND SESSION

BY REPRESENTATIVES ALLARD, Underwood, Vance, Costello, McCabe

Introduced: 1/22/25
Referred: Judiciary, Education

A BILL

FOR AN ACT ENTITLED

"An Act relating to school athletics, recreation, athletic teams, and sports." 1
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 2
* Section 1. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section 3
to read: 4
LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS AND INTENT. (a) The legislature finds that 5
(1) maintaining fairness in athletic opportunities for women is an important 6
state interest; 7
(2) requiring the designation of separate sex-specific athletic teams or sports is 8
necessary to maintain fairness in athletic opportunities for women; 9
(3) significant biological and physiological differences between males and 10
females, including greater strength, speed, and endurance capabilities among males on 11
average, provide a competitive advantage to male athletes in sports; and 12
(4) having separate sex-specific teams furthers efforts to promote sex equality 13
and that discrimination against women and girls in sports is counter to that effort. 14
(b) It is the intent of the legislature to preserve an even playing field in school athletic 15
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programs, to maintain opportunities for female athletes to demonstrate their strength, skills, 1
and athletic abilities, and to provide female athletes with opportunities to obtain recognition 2
and accolades, college scholarships, and the numerous other long-term benefits that result 3
from participating and competing in athletic endeavors. 4
* Sec. 2. AS 14.18 is amended by adding new sections to read: 5
Article 2. Designation of Athletic Teams and Sports. 6
Sec. 14.18.150. Athletic team and sport designation. (a) A public school, a 7
postsecondary institution, or a private school whose students or teams compete against 8
a public school, must designate each school-sponsored athletic team or sport a 9
(1) male, men, or boys team or sport; 10
(2) female, women, or girls team or sport; or 11
(3) coeducational or mixed team or sport. 12
(b) A student who participates in an athletic team or sport designated female, 13
women, or girls must be female, based on the participant's sex. A school may rely on 14
the sex listed on a participant's original birth certificate issued at or near the time of 15
birth to establish a participant's sex. In this subsection, "sex" means the biological state 16
of being male or female, based on an individual's nonambiguous sex organs, 17
chromosomes, and endogenous hormone profile at birth. 18
Sec. 14.18.160. Compliance protected. (a) A governmental entity, licensing 19
or accrediting organization, athletic association, or school district may not take 20
adverse action against a school or school district for complying with AS 14.18.150. 21
(b) A school or a school district may decline to consider a complaint brought 22
against the school or school district for complying with AS 14.18.150. 23
Sec. 14.18.170. Liability. (a) A student who is deprived of an athletic 24
opportunity or suffers direct or indirect harm resulting from a violation of 25
AS 14.18.150 may bring a private cause of action against the violating school. 26
(b) A student subjected to retaliation or other adverse action as a result of 27
reporting a violation of AS 14.18.150 to an employee or representative of a school, 28
school district, or athletic association or organization, or to a state or federal 29
government entity with oversight authority, may bring a private cause of action against 30
the retaliating entity. 31
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(c) If a school or school district suffers direct or indirect harm as a result of a 1
violation of AS 14.18.150, the school or school district may bring a private cause of 2
action against the violating entity. 3
(d) An action brought under this section must be commenced within two years 4
of the event giving rise to the complaint. 5
Sec. 14.18.180. Access to courts; relationship to rights under federal law. 6
(a) Nothing in AS 14.18.150 - 14.18.190 abrogates, restricts, or otherwise limits 7
(1) the access of any person to a state or federal court; or 8
(2) a person's right to bring in state or federal court a complaint or 9
cause of action arising out of AS 14.18.150 - 14.18.190. 10
(b) AS 14.18.150 - 14.18.190 may not be construed to modify a person's rights 11
under 20 U.S.C. 1400 - 1482 (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), 29 U.S.C. 12
794, or 42 U.S.C. 12101 - 12213. 13
Sec. 14.18.190. Definitions. In AS 14.18.150 - 14.18.190, 14
(1) "school" means an elementary, junior high, or secondary school or 15
a postsecondary institution; 16
(2) "school district" means a borough school district, a city school 17
district, a regional educational attendance area, a state boarding school, and the state 18
centralized correspondence study program. 19