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EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*hb0063*
HOUSE BILL 63
F1, D5 6lr0761
(PRE–FILED)
By: Delegates Szeliga, Arikan, Chisholm, Fisher, Grammer, M. Morgan, and
Nawrocki
Requested: September 4, 2025
Introduced and read first time: January 14, 2026
Assigned to: Ways and Means
A BILL ENTITLED
AN ACT concerning 1
Education – Interscholastic and Intramural Junior Varsity and Varsity Teams 2
and Locker Rooms – Designation Based on Sex 3
(Fairness in Girls’ Sports Act) 4
FOR the purpose of requiring certain interscholastic and intramural junior varsity and 5
varsity athletic teams or sports sponsored by certain schools and certain locker 6
rooms to be expressly designated based on biological sex; prohibiting certain entities 7
from taking certain adverse actions against a school for maintaining separate 8
interscholastic and intramural junior varsity and varsity athletic teams or sports, or 9
locker rooms for students of the female sex; providing that certain individuals have 10
the right to bring a civil action under certain circumstances; and generally relating 11
to interscholastic and intramural junior varsity and varsity teams and sports and 12
locker rooms in public and nonpublic schools. 13
BY adding to 14
Article – Education 15
Section 7–118 16
Annotated Code of Maryland 17
(2025 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 18
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 19
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 20
Article – Education 21
7–118. 22
(A) (1) IN THIS SECTION THE F OLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 23
2 HOUSE BILL 63
INDICATED. 1
(2) “LOCKER ROOM” MEANS A DEDICATED SPACE WHERE A STUDENT 2
CAN CHANGE CLOTHES AND STORE BELONGINGS AND WHERE PARTIAL OR FUL L 3
DISROBING IS EXPECTED. 4
(3) “STUDENT OF THE FEMALE SEX” MEANS A STUDENT WHOS E 5
BIOLOGICAL SEX IS FEMALE. 6
(4) “STUDENT OF THE MALE S EX” MEANS A STUDENT WHOS E 7
BIOLOGICAL SEX IS MALE. 8
(B) THIS SECTION APPLIES TO: 9
(1) PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS; AND 10
(2) NONPUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS WHOSE STUDEN T ATHLETES OR 11
ATHLETIC TEAMS COMPE TE AGAINST STUDENT A THLETES OR ATHLETIC TEAMS 12
FROM PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS IN THE STATE. 13
(C) (1) AN INTERSCHOLASTIC OR INTRAMURAL JUNIOR VA RSITY OR 14
VARSITY ATHLETIC TEA M OR SPORT THAT IS S PONSORED BY A P UBLIC OR 15
NONPUBLIC HIGH SCHOO L SHALL BE EXPRESSLY DESIGNATED AS ONE OF THE 16
FOLLOWING BASED ON BIOLOGICAL SEX: 17
(I) A BOYS’, MALE, OR MEN’S TEAM OR SPORT; 18
(II) A GIRLS’, FEMALE, OR WOMEN’S TEAM OR SPORT; OR 19
(III) A COEDUCATIONAL OR MIXED TEAM OR SPORT. 20
(2) AN INTERSCHOLASTIC OR INTRAMURAL JUNIOR VA RSITY OR 21
VARSITY ATHLETIC TEAM OR SPORT DESIGNATED FOR GIRLS, FEMALES, OR WOMEN 22
MAY NOT INCLUDE STUDENTS OF THE MALE SEX. 23
(D) (1) A PUBLIC SCHOOL OR NON PUBLIC SCHOOL UNDER SUBSECTION 24
(B) OF THIS SECTION SHALL EXPRESSLY DESIGNATE A LOCKER ROOM AS ONE OF THE 25
FOLLOWING BASED ON BIOLOGICAL SEX: 26
(I) A BOYS’, MALE, OR MEN’S LOCKER ROOM; OR 27
(II) A GIRLS’, FEMALE, OR WOMEN’S LOCKER ROOM. 28
HOUSE BILL 63 3
(2) A LOCKER ROOM THAT IS USED BY AN INTERSCHO LASTIC OR 1
INTRAMURAL JUNIOR VARSITY ATHLETIC TEAM DESIGNATED FOR GIRLS, FEMALES, 2
OR WOMEN MAY NOT BE USED BY STUDENTS OF THE MALE SEX. 3
(E) A GOVERNMENTAL ENTITY , A LICENSING OR ACCRE DITING 4
ORGANIZATION, OR AN ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION OR ORGANIZATION MAY NOT ACCEPT 5
A COMPLAINT, CONDUCT AN INVESTIGATION, OR TAKE ANY OTHER ADVERSE ACTION 6
AGAINST A SCHOOL FOR MAINTAINING SEPARATE INTERSCHOLASTIC OR 7
INTRAMURAL JUNIOR VA RSITY OR VARSITY ATH LETIC TEAMS OR SPORT S OR 8
LOCKER ROOMS DESIGNATED FOR STUDENTS OF THE FEMALE SEX. 9
(F) (1) (I) A STUDENT WHO IS DEPRI VED OF AN ATHLETIC 10
OPPORTUNITY OR SUFFE RS ANY DIRECT OR IND IRECT HARM AS A RESU LT OF A 11
VIOLATION OF THIS SECTION MAY BRING A CIVIL ACTION AGAINST THE SCHOOL THE 12
STUDENT ATTENDS. 13
(II) A STUDENT WHO IS SUBJE CT TO RETALIATION OR OTHER 14
ADVERSE ACTION BY A SCHOOL OR AN ATHLETI C ASSOCIATION OR ORG ANIZATION 15
AS A RESULT OF REPOR TING A VIOLATION OF THIS SECTION TO AN E MPLOYEE OR 16
REPRESENTATIVE OF THE SCHOOL, ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION OR ORGANIZATION, OR 17
ANY STATE OR FEDERAL AGENCY WITH OVERSIGHT OF SCHOOLS IN THE STATE MAY 18
BRING A CIVIL ACTION AGAINST THE SCHOOL O R ATHLETIC ASSOCIATI ON OR 19
ORGANIZATION. 20
(III) A SCHOOL THAT SUFFERS ANY DIRECT OR INDIRECT HARM 21
FROM A GOVERNMENTAL ENTITY, A LICENSING OR ACCREDITING ORGAN IZATION, 22
OR AN ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION OR ORGANIZATION AS A RESULT OF A VIOLATION OF 23
THIS SECTION MAY BRI NG A CIVIL ACTION AG AINST THE GOVERNMENTAL ENTITY, 24
LICENSING OR ACCREDI TING ORGANIZATION , OR ATHLETIC ASSOCIAT ION OR 25
ORGANIZATION. 26
(2) A CIVIL ACTION INITIAT ED UNDER THIS SECTIO N MUST BE 27
INITIATED WITHIN 2 YEARS AFTER THE HARM OCCURRED. 28
(3) AN INDIVIDUAL WHO PRE VAILS IN A CIVIL ACT ION UNDER THIS 29
SECTION MAY RECOVER: 30
(I) MONETARY DAMAGES , INCLUDING DAMAGES FO R ANY 31
PSYCHOLOGICAL, EMOTIONAL, AND PHYSICAL HARM SUFFERED; 32
(II) REASONABLE ATTORNEY’S FEES AND COSTS; AND 33
(III) ANY OTHER RELIEF , INCLUDING AN INJUNCT ION, AS THE 34
4 HOUSE BILL 63
COURT MAY DETERMINE APPROPRIATE. 1
(G) THIS SECTION MAY BE K NOWN AND CITED AS THE FAIRNESS IN GIRLS’ 2
SPORTS ACT. 3
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That, if any provision of this Act or 4
the application of any provision of this Act to any person or circumstance is held invalid for 5
any reason in a court of competent jurisdiction, the provision shall be construed to give the 6
provision the maximum effect permitted by law unless the provision is held to be absolutely 7
invalid. 8
SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That, if any provision of this Act or 9
the application of any provision of this Act to any person or circumstance is held invalid for 10
any reason in a court of competent jurisdiction, the invalidity does not affect other 11
provisions or any other application of this Act that can be given effect without the invalid 12
provision or application, and for this purpose the provisions of this Act are declared 13
severable. 14
SECTION 4. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 15
1, 2026. 16