SF0044 • 2025

Fairness in sports-intercollegiate athletics.

AN ACT relating to education; requiring students at the University of Wyoming and Wyoming community colleges to compete in intercollegiate athletic competitions based on their biological sex; providing definitions; and providing for an effective date.

Education Labor Privacy

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Senator Schuler
Last action: 2025-03-13
Official status: enrolled
Effective date: 7/1/2025

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary does not provide specific details on how the law will handle cases where a student's birth certificate does not match their current gender identity.

Fairness in Sports for College Athletes

This law requires college students at the University of Wyoming and Wyoming community colleges to compete in sports based on their biological sex, as listed on their birth certificate.

What This Bill Does

Requires college students to compete in intercollegiate athletics based on their biological sex.
Defines 'female' and 'male' according to reproductive systems that produce eggs or sperm for fertilization.
Allows female students to participate in male sports if no corresponding female sport is available.
Establishes legal actions against educational institutions for violating the law, including damages up to $50,000.
Requires universities and community colleges to create rules to follow this law while protecting student privacy.

Who It Names or Affects

Students at the University of Wyoming
Students at Wyoming community colleges

Terms To Know

Biological sex: The physical characteristics that determine if someone is male or female, based on reproductive systems.
Intercollegiate athletics: Sports competitions between colleges and universities.

Limits and Unknowns

Does not specify how to handle cases where a student's birth certificate does not match their current gender identity.
The law only applies to Wyoming schools, not other states or countries.
It is unclear how this will affect existing sports teams and competitions.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

SF0044H3001

3rd reading • Representative Jarvis

Failed

Plain English: The amendment removes a specific part of the bill that was added by the House standing committee and replaces the word 'official' with 'original'.

Removes an amendment from the House standing committee.
Changes 'official' to 'original' in the text.

The exact content of the removed House standing committee amendment is not provided, so its impact cannot be fully explained.

SF0044HW001

Committee of the Whole • Representative Lawley

Adopted

Plain English: The amendment adds a new definition for 'individual sport' in the bill.

Adds a new paragraph (v) that defines 'individual sport' as an athletic activity where participants compete as individuals, with their individual results being the focus of competition.

The amendment only adds a definition and does not specify how this will affect existing rules or policies in intercollegiate athletics.

SF0044HS001

Standing Committee • House Education Committee

Corrected, Adopted

Plain English: The amendment adds definitions for 'female' and 'male' based on reproductive systems, restricts female-only athletic competition participation by male students, and allows legal action against educational institutions that violate these rules.

Defines 'female' as someone with a reproductive system capable of producing eggs at some point in their life.
Defines 'male' as someone with a reproductive system capable of producing sperm at some point in their life.
Prohibits male students from participating in female-only athletic competitions unless it is unsafe or unfair for female participants to compete against them.
Allows individuals to sue educational institutions if these rules are violated.

The amendment does not specify how educational institutions will determine when competition would be unsafe or unfair for female students.

SF0044S2001

2nd reading • Senator Scott

Adopted

Plain English: The amendment adds a provision that allows educational institutions to discipline students or employees who make false reports about violations of the bill's rules.

Adds language allowing educational institutions to take disciplinary action against individuals who falsely report violations of the bill.

The specific types and extent of disciplinary actions are not detailed in the amendment text.

SF0044S3001

3rd reading • Senator Crago

Failed

Plain English: The amendment removes a previous committee amendment and adds new language allowing individuals to seek legal action against educational institutions for violating the bill’s requirements, with potential for financial compensation.

Removes existing text from page 4 lines 2 through 4.
Adds new provisions that allow people to sue educational institutions if they violate this section of the bill.
Specifies that courts can order relief and award attorney's fees and costs to the winning party.

The exact nature of the removed committee amendment is not provided, so its content cannot be described.

SF0044SW001

Committee of the Whole • Senator Nethercott

Corrected, Adopted

Plain English: The amendment adds a new provision to limit the legal action and financial liability of educational institutions under the bill.

Adds that any lawsuit filed against an educational institution for violating this section must follow specific Wyoming state laws (W.S. 1-39-113 and 1-39-114).
Sets a maximum financial penalty of $50,000 for any violation by an educational institution.

The amendment does not explain what W.S. 1-39-113 and 1-39-114 entail, which could be important to understand the full impact of this change.

SF0044SS001

Standing Committee • Senate Education Committee

Adopted

Plain English: The amendment adds the word 'intercollegiate' to specify that students at the University of Wyoming and Wyoming community colleges must compete in intercollegiate athletic competitions based on their biological sex.

Adds the term 'intercollegiate' before 'athletic competitions' to clarify that only intercollegiate sports are affected by the bill.

The amendment does not provide further details about how this change will be implemented or enforced.

Bill History

2025-03-13 LSO
Assigned Chapter Number 144
2025-03-13 Governor
Governor Signed SEA No. 0094
2025-03-05 House
H Speaker Signed SEA No. 0094
2025-03-05 Senate
S President Signed SEA No. 0094
2025-03-05 LSO
Assigned Number SEA No. 0094
2025-03-05 Senate
S Concur:Passed 23-8-0-0-0
2025-03-04 Senate
S Received for Concurrence
2025-03-04 House
H 3rd Reading:Passed 52-8-2-0-0
2025-03-03 House
H 2nd Reading:Passed
2025-02-28 House
H COW:Passed
2025-02-26 House
H Placed on General File
2025-02-26 House
H04 - Education:Recommend Amend and Do Pass 9-0-0-0-0
2025-02-25 House
H Introduced and Referred to H04 - Education
2025-01-23 House
H Received for Introduction
2025-01-22 Senate
S 3rd Reading:Passed 27-3-1-0-0
2025-01-21 Senate
S 2nd Reading:Passed
2025-01-20 Senate
S COW:Passed
2025-01-17 Senate
S Placed on General File
2025-01-17 Senate
S04 - Education:Recommend Amend and Do Pass 4-1-0-0-0
2025-01-16 Senate
S Introduced and Referred to S04 - Education
2024-12-19 Senate
S Received for Introduction
2024-12-17 LSO
Bill Number Assigned

Official Summary Text

Bill Summary - 25LSO-0406

Bill No.:

SF0044

Effective:

7/1/2025

LSO No.:

25LSO-0406

Enrolled Act No.:

SEA No. 0094

Chapter No.:

144

Prime Sponsor:

Schuler

Catch Title:

Fairness in sports-intercollegiate athletics.

Has Report:

Subject:

Requiring college students to compete in athletics based on biological sex.

Summary/Major Elements:

In 2023, the Legislature enacted a law that requires students at Wyoming schools in grades 7-12 to compete in interscholastic athletic activities based on the student's biological sex.

This act extends that requirement to students at the University of Wyoming and each Wyoming community college. Students at these institutions must compete in intercollegiate athletic competitions based on the student's biological sex based on the sex listed on the student's official birth certificate issued at or near the time of birth.

This act provides that female students may compete in athletics for male students if a corresponding athletic competition or activity is not offered or available for females.

The act establishes a civil cause of action against an educational institution for violating this act and authorizes damages up to fifty thousand dollars ($50,000.00) together with the ability to seek declaratory and injunctive relief.

The act requires the University of Wyoming and the Wyoming Community College Commission to promulgate rules to implement this act, including rules to comply with state and federal confidentiality requirements.

The above summary is not an official publication of the Wyoming Legislature and is not an official statement of legislative intent.

While the Legislative Service Office endeavored to provide accurate information in this summary, it should not be relied upon as a comprehensive abstract of the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

25LSO-0406

ORIGINAL Senate

ENGROSSED
File No
.
SF0044

ENROLLED ACT NO. 94,

SENATE

SIXTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
2025 General Session

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1
.

W.S. 21
‑
25
‑
301 is created to read:

ARTICLE 3
PARTICIPATION IN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

21
‑
25
‑
301.

Intercollegiate athletic competitions based on biological sex.

(a)

As used in this section:

(i)

"Athletic competition" means any intercollegiate athletic display between teams or persons, including a contest, exhibition, performance or sport;

(ii)

"Educational institution" means the University of Wyoming and each Wyoming community college;

(iii)

"Female" means a person who has, had, will have or would have had, but for a congenital anomaly or intentional or unintentional disruption, the reproductive system that at some point produces, transports and utilizes eggs for fertilization;

(iv)

"Individual sport" means an athletic activity where participants compete as individuals for a time, score or result, regardless of whether their individual time, score or result contributes to an overall team score;

(v)

"Male" means a person who has, had, will have or would have had, but for a congenital anomaly or intentional or unintentional disruption, the reproductive system that at some point produces, transports and utilizes sperm for fertilization.

(b)

Except as provided in subsection (c) of this section, no educational institution shall allow:

(i)

A student to compete in an athletic competition sponsored or authorized by the educational institution that is designated for the sex opposite to the student's sex;

(ii)

A male student to compete in an athletic competition that is mixed
‑
sex in a position that is designated by rule or procedure for female students;

(iii)

Participation in any athletic competition designated for students of the female sex with or against a team that the educational institution knows has on the team a student of the male sex;

(iv)

Except as provided by subsection (c) of this section, in the case of an individual sport, students of the female sex to directly compete against a student that the educational institution knows is a student of the male sex if the educational institution determines that the competition would be unsafe or unfair to the students of the female sex.

(c)

An educational institution may allow a female student to compete in an athletic competition that is designated for male students if a corresponding athletic competition designated for female students is not offered or available.

(d)

For purposes of this section, a statement of a student's sex on the student's official birth certificate is considered to have correctly stated the student's sex only if the statement was entered at or near the time of the student's birth or modified to correct a clerical error in the student's sex.

(e)

No educational institution shall retaliate against a person for reporting a violation of this section.

An educational institution may discipline a student or employee of the institution for making a false report of a violation of this section.

(f)

A person shall have a private civil cause of action against an educational institution for any violation of this section.

An action filed pursuant to this section shall be subject to W.S. 1
‑
39
‑
113 and 1
‑
39
‑
114. The liability of an educational institution for any violation of this section shall not exceed fifty thousand dollars ($50,000.00).

(g)

A person may seek declaratory and injunctive relief against an educational institution for any violation of this section. The court may order injunctive or other equitable relief. The court may award the prevailing party reasonable attorney's fees and costs.

(h)

The University of Wyoming and the Wyoming community college commission shall promulgate rules to implement this section. Rules adopted under this subsection shall ensure compliance with state and federal law regarding the confidentiality of student medical information.

Section 2
.

This act is effective July 1, 2025
.

(END)

Speaker of the House

President of the Senate

Governor

TIME APPROVED: _________

DATE APPROVED: _________

I hereby certify that this act originated in the Senate.

Chief Clerk