U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) took to the Senate floor on Tuesday to move for Senate passage, by unanimous consent, of a bill to save women’s sports. In March, Senator Tuberville led 26 Republican colleagues in reintroducing the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2023 to preserve Title IX protections for female athletes and ensure fair, safe competition in women’s sports across the country. U.S. Senators Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Ted Budd (R-NC) joined Senator Tuberville on the Senate floor to support the legislation and call for congressional action to protect female athletes.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed its version of the bill, led by U.S. Representative Greg Steube (R-FL-17), on April 20, 2023. Today, Senator Tuberville called on his Senate colleagues to use unanimous consent to pass the House’s version of the legislation without further delay. U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) objected to Senator Tuberville, blocking passage of the bill by unanimous consent. The legislation can still pass the U.S. Senate through regular order.
Senator Tuberville’s legislation would counteract the Biden administration’s plan to force institutions to allow biological males to share spaces with females and compete in women’s sports. As a former coach who began his career coaching high school girls’ basketball and witnessed the positive impacts of Title IX firsthand, Senator Tuberville has become a leader in efforts pushing back against radical attempts to undermine athletic competition for women and girls.
Specifically, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act:
- Ensures Title IX provisions treat gender as “recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.”
- Bans recipients of federal funding from operating, sponsoring, or facilitating athletic programs that permit a male to participate in a women’s sporting event.
The legislation is endorsed by Independent Women’s Voice, Concerned Women for America, and Heritage Action for America.
Excerpts from Senator Tuberville’s speech can be found below, and his full remarks can be viewed here.
“Last week, the House voted for a commonsense proposal that’s supported by the majority of Americans. The House voted to protect female athletes. This week, it’s time for the Senate to do the same thing.”
“When I was growing up there were a lot less opportunities for female athletes. But 51 years ago, Congress passed Title IX to ensure male and female athletes both had access to lessons, life skills, and opportunities for advancement that come from participating in sports. It’s been one of the most successful pieces of legislation ever to come out of Congress. As a coach, I saw its impact firsthand. One of my first jobs out of college was coaching junior girls’ basketball…Title IX was just starting to be implemented when I took that job. And I was there to see its incredible impact it had on young girls all across this country.”
“The Biden administration is taking a sledgehammer, a big sledgehammer to Title IX. A few weeks ago — on Good Friday, of all days — Joe Biden’s Department of Education issued a new rule completely reinterpreting Title IX. As usual, the Biden administration is trying to legislate from the White House — the executive branch. Because they know their radical ideas would not — I repeat, would not — make it through Congress. This type of change should require a bill, but Biden, again, wants to change federal law by simply publishing a new rule. Biden’s rule change says schools cannot ban boys from participating in women’s sports — or else they’ll lose their funding. I can’t believe we’re even talking about this.”
“But what would happen if a young girl is forced to compete against a male in high school? That young girl could finish in second or third place and watch her scholarship dreams disappear. Already, 28 championships have been taken away from girls and women at the hands of biological males.”
“Males have 40 to 50 percent greater upper body strength. And 20 to 40 percent greater lower body strength. It’s dangerous to put them on the same field with women. This is basic biology. But what did we see from the “Party of Science” last week? Exactly zero Democrats voted for this bill in the House. The “Party of Science” seems to have skipped biology class. Now the question is, will any Democrats in the Senate show a little bit of courage and stand up for women?”
“Americans do not want the federal government footing the bill for a policy that is a slap in the face to all women who have worked so hard to become athletes. A clear majority of Americans support this bill. A clear majority. Poll after poll has proven that. It’s time to act before the situation gets worse.”
