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SB 1293

An Act providing for sport activities in public institutions of higher education and public school entities to be expressly designated male, female or coed; and creating causes of action for harm suffered by designation.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Lisa Baker and 18 co-sponsors

SB 1293 would require public schools and colleges to designate athletic activities as male, female, or coed and create civil claims for harms tied to these designations.

Re-referred to Education
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · SB 1293

Summary: SB 1293 (Pennsylvania, 2025-2026)

Aim and overall purpose

SB 1293 seeks to regulate sport activities in public institutions of higher education and public school entities by explicitly designating athletic participation as male, female, or coed. The bill would also create new causes of action for harms suffered due to designation, effectively enabling plaintiffs to seek legal redress when they allege harm related to the designation of a sport category.

Key framing points:
- The bill focuses on gender designation within school-associated athletic programs.
- It introduces a formal mechanism to label sports teams and activities as male, female, or coed across public higher education and public school systems.
- It creates causes of action for harms connected to these designations, enabling potential civil claims.

Key provisions and changes

  1. Explicit designation categories for sport activities

    • Public institutions of higher education and public school entities would be required to designate sport activities as one of three categories: male, female, or coed.
    • This designation would apply to athletic programs, teams, and related activities under the purview of the designated entities.

  2. Causes of action for designation-related harms

    • The bill creates legal causes of action for individuals who allege harm based on the sex designation of a sport or activity.
    • Potential claims may involve discrimination, exclusion, or other harms tied to the label assigned to a sport or program.

  3. Scope of entities affected

    • Public institutions of higher education (colleges and universities) in Pennsylvania.
    • Public school entities (K-12) within Pennsylvania.
    • The scope suggests application to participation rules, team assignments, and related athletic decisions at these institutions.

  4. Procedural and sponsor details

    • Referred to the House Education Committee as of 2026-04-17.
    • A broad slate of sponsors, led by several representatives, indicating cross-chamber and potentially bipartisan interest in the policy area.

Who is affected

  • Students and athletes: Those participating in school athletics may be subject to the designated category rules; potential plaintiffs may pursue claims if they allege harm arising from these designations.
  • Athletic departments and administrators: Responsible for classifying sports and managing team placements and related decisions under the bill’s requirements.
  • Public higher education and K-12 school systems: Entities would need to implement and maintain policies reflecting the male, female, or coed designations.
  • Potential litigants: Individuals who claim harm due to the designation choices could bring civil actions under the new causes of action.

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • Legislative status: Referred to the Education Committee on April 17, 2026.
  • Next steps: The committee could hold hearings, propose amendments, and advance the bill to further readings and votes in the House, and potentially to the Senate, depending on legislative progress and negotiations.

Considerations and potential impacts

  • The bill formalizes a binary/trinary labeling system for sports categories within public education institutions, which may affect existing policies on transgender-inclusive participation, Title IX implementation, and athletics governance.
  • The creation of causes of action could introduce new legal exposure for schools and universities related to athletic designations and participation decisions.
  • Depending on subsequent amendments, the bill could interact with broader debates over sports participation policies, student rights, and anti-discrimination protections.

Note: This summary reflects the bill’s stated provisions as of the current action history. For full effect, the exact statutory language, definitions, and implementing rules would need to be reviewed once amendments are published and debated.

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

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