WeVote
Log In

Bill

Bill

LB 89

Adopt the Stand With Women Act

109th Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Kathleen Kauth and 1 co-sponsor

The act requires sex-designated athletic teams, restricts participation by sex, and shields schools from external actions for maintaining female-only teams.

Approved by Governor on June 4, 2025
0
WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · LB 89

Summary — LB 89: Stand With Women Act (Approved June 4, 2025)

Main purpose

LB 89, the "Stand With Women Act," establishes legislative findings about biological differences between males and females and prescribes how sex should be treated in school and collegiate athletics in Nebraska. The enacted law requires sex-designation of athletic teams and limits who may participate on sex-designated teams; it also restricts certain governmental or accrediting actions against schools that maintain separate sex-based teams.

Key provisions

  • Title and findings (Secs. 1–2): Declares that males and females possess “unique and immutable” biological differences that affect athletic performance (e.g., average differences in size, muscle mass, endurance, and testosterone), and that separate sex-based spaces and teams may be warranted to protect safety and opportunity.

  • Definitions (Sec. 3): Defines terms used in the Act, including “male,” “female,” “man,” “woman,” “boy,” “girl,” “postsecondary educational institution,” “public school,” “private school,” “athletic association,” and “sex” (sex defined as either male or female).

  • Athletic team designation and participation (Sec. 4 in final law):

    • Interscholastic and intramural athletic teams or sports sponsored by K–12 schools, postsecondary institutions, or athletic associations must be expressly designated as: males/men/boys; females/women/girls; or coed/mixed.
    • Teams designated for females, women, or girls may not be open to male students.
    • Teams designated for males, men, or boys may not be open to female students unless no female team is offered or available for that sport.
    • To participate on a sex-designated team sponsored by a school or postsecondary institution subject to the Act, a student must provide confirmation of the student's sex on a document signed by a doctor or under the authority of a doctor.

  • Protections for schools (Sec. 5 and related): Government entities, licensing/accrediting organizations, and athletic associations are prohibited from entertaining complaints, opening investigations, or taking adverse actions against public or private schools (or postsecondary institutions) for maintaining separate interscholastic or intramural athletic teams or sports for female students.

  • Severability clause included.

Who is affected

  • Nebraska public and private K–12 schools and school governing bodies
  • Nebraska postsecondary institutions (universities, colleges, community colleges)
  • Athletic associations and organizers of interscholastic and intramural athletics
  • Students (including transgender students), coaches, school administrators, and medical providers asked to verify sex
  • State and licensing/accrediting bodies whose ability to investigate complaints about school athletic policies is constrained by the Act

Procedural/timeline notes

  • Introduced Jan 10, 2025 by Senator Kathleen Kauth (also listed “at the request of the Governor”); cosponsored by multiple senators.
  • Advanced through Government, Military and Veterans Affairs with amendments (AM701; later Riepe AM1138 adopted).
  • Passed Final Reading May 28, 2025 (33–16–0).
  • Presented to Governor May 29, 2025; approved by Governor June 4, 2025.
  • Fiscal notes available (multiple filings).

Considerations

  • The law creates a doctor-signed verification requirement for participation on sex-designated teams and shields schools from certain external adverse actions; these provisions have implications for student privacy, school athletic administration, and potential interaction with federal civil-rights obligations and athletic association policies. The bill was the subject of multiple floor amendments and motions during debate prior to enactment.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

Sign in to ask a question.