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EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*sb0050*
SENATE BILL 50
F1, D5 6lr1228
SB 588/25 – EEE (PRE–FILED)
By: Senators Carozza and Watson
Requested: October 8, 2025
Introduced and read first time: January 14, 2026
Assigned to: Education, Energy, and the Environment
A BILL ENTITLED
AN ACT concerning 1
Education – Interscholastic and Intramural Junior Varsity and Varsity Teams 2
and Sports – Designation 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 to be expressly 6
designated in a certain manner; prohibiting certain interscholastic and intramural 7
junior varsity and varsi ty athletic teams or sports from including certain students; 8
prohibiting certain entities from taking certain adverse actions against a school for 9
maintaining separate interscholastic and intramural junior varsity and varsity 10
athletic teams and sports for students of the female sex; authorizing certain students 11
to bring a civil action against certain entities under certain circumstances; and 12
generally relating to interscholastic and intramural junior varsity and varsity teams 13
and sports of public and nonpublic schools. 14
BY adding to 15
Article – Education 16
Section 7–118 17
Annotated Code of Maryland 18
(2025 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 19
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 20
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 21
Article – Education 22
7–118. 23
(A) (1) IN THIS SECTION THE F OLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 24
2 SENATE BILL 50
INDICATED. 1
(2) “STUDENT OF THE FEMALE SEX” MEANS A STUDENT WHOS E 2
BIOLOGICAL SEX IS FEMALE. 3
(3) “STUDENT OF THE MALE S EX” MEANS A STUDENT WHOS E 4
BIOLOGICAL SEX IS MALE. 5
(B) THIS SECTION APPLIES TO: 6
(1) PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS; AND 7
(2) NONPUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS FOR WHICH THE STUDENT ATHLETES 8
OR ATHLETIC TEAMS COMPETE AGAINST STUDENT ATHLETES OR ATHLETIC TEAMS 9
FROM PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS IN THE STATE. 10
(C) (1) AN INTERSCHOLA STIC OR INTRAMURAL J UNIOR VARSITY OR 11
VARSITY ATHLETIC TEA M OR SPORT THAT IS S PONSORED BY A PUBLIC OR 12
NONPUBLIC HIGH SCHOO L SHALL BE EXPRESSLY DESIGNATED AS ONE OF THE 13
FOLLOWING: 14
(I) A BOYS’, MALE, OR MEN’S TEAM OR SPORT; 15
(II) A GIRLS’, FEMALE, OR WOMEN’S TEAM OR SPORT; OR 16
(III) A COEDUCATIONAL OR MIXED TEAM OR SPORT. 17
(2) AN INTERSCHOLASTIC OR INTRAMURAL JUNIOR VA RSITY OR 18
VARSITY ATHLETIC TEAM OR SPORT DESIGNATED FOR GIRLS, FEMALES, OR WOMEN 19
MAY NOT INCLUDE STUDENTS OF THE MALE SEX. 20
(D) A GOVERNMENTAL ENTITY , A LICENSING OR ACCRE DITING 21
ORGANIZATION, OR AN ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION OR ORGANIZATION MAY NOT ACCEPT 22
A COMPLAINT, CONDUCT AN INVESTIGATION, OR TAKE ANY OTHER ADVERSE ACTION 23
AGAINST A SCHOOL FOR MAINTAINING SEPARATE INTERSCHOLASTIC OR 24
INTRAMURAL JUNIOR VARSIT Y OR VARSITY ATHLETI C TEAMS OR SPORTS FO R 25
STUDENTS OF THE FEMALE SEX. 26
(E) (1) A STUDENT WHO IS DEPRIVED OF AN ATHLETIC OPPORTUNITY OR 27
SUFFERS ANY DIRECT O R INDIRECT HARM AS A RESULT OF A VIOLATIO N OF THIS 28
SECTION MAY BRING A CIVIL ACTION AGAINST THE SCHOOL THE STUDENT ATTENDS. 29
(2) A STUDENT WHO IS SUBJE CT TO RETALIATION OR OTHER 30
SENATE BILL 50 3
ADVERSE ACTION BY A SCHOOL OR AN ATHLETI C ASSOCIATION OR ORG ANIZATION 1
AS A RESULT OF REPOR TING A VIOLATION OF THIS SECTION TO AN E MPLOYEE OR 2
REPRESENTATIVE OF THE SCHOOL, ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION OR ORGANIZATION, OR 3
ANY STATE OR FEDERAL AGENCY WITH OVERSIGHT OF SCHOOLS IN THE STATE MAY 4
BRING A CIVIL ACTION AGAINST THE SCHOOL O R ATHLETIC ASSOCIATI ON OR 5
ORGANIZATION. 6
(F) THIS SECTION MAY BE K NOWN AND CITED AS THE FAIRNESS IN GIRLS’ 7
SPORTS ACT. 8
SECTION 2. 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 provision shall be construed to give the 11
provision the maximum effect permitted by law unless the provision is held to be absolutely 12
invalid. 13
SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That, if any provision of this Act or 14
the application of any provision of this Act to any person or circumstance is held invalid for 15
any reason in a court of competent jurisdiction, the invalidity does not affect other 16
provisions or any other application of this Act that can be given effect without the invalid 17
provision or app lication, and for this purpose the provisions of this Act are declared 18
severable. 19
SECTION 4. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 20
1, 2026. 21