Text of US HB 8573 (2026)

I 119TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 8573 To prohibit gender transition procedures on minors, to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to impose civil penalties on persons who perform gender transition procedures on minors, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES APRIL 29, 2026 Mrs. HARSHBARGER (for herself, Mr. MCDOWELL, Mr. STUTZMAN, and Mrs. MILLER of Illinois) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Com- mittee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall with- in the jurisdiction of the committee concerned A BILL To prohibit gender transition procedures on minors, to au- thorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to impose civil penalties on persons who perform gender transition procedures on minors, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Safeguarding The 4 Overall Protection of Minors Act’’ or the ‘‘STOP Act’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:11 May 21, 2026 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8573.IH H8573 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 2 •HR 8573 IH SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 1 In this Act: 2 (1) CARETAKER.—The term ‘‘caretaker’’ means 3 an adult, who is not a parent of a child, with whom 4 a child resides and who provides that child with the 5 care, maintenance, and supervision consistent with 6 the duties and responsibilities of a parent of the 7 child. 8 (2) DETRANSITION TREATMENT.—The term 9 ‘‘detransition treatment’’ means any treatment, in- 10 cluding mental health services, medical intervention, 11 or surgery, that does any of the following: 12 (A) Stops or reverses the effects of a gen- 13 der transition procedure. 14 (B) Helps an individual cope with the ef- 15 fects of a prior gender transition procedure. 16 (3) FEMALE.—The term ‘‘female’’, when used 17 to refer to a natural person, means an individual 18 who naturally has, had, will have, or would have, but 19 for a congenital anomaly or intentional or uninten- 20 tional disruption, the reproductive system that at 21 some point produces, transports, and utilizes eggs 22 for fertilization. 23 (4) GENDER TRANSITION.—The term ‘‘gender 24 transition’’ means the process, which may be accom- 25 panied with social, legal, or physical changes— 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:11 May 21, 2026 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8573.IH H8573 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 3 •HR 8573 IH (A) in which an individual— 1 (i) intentionally halts the natural de- 2 velopment of the individual’s body so that 3 the body no longer corresponds to the indi- 4 vidual’s sex; or 5 (ii) intentionally transforms the indi- 6 vidual’s physical appearance to confirm the 7 individual’s physical appearance to be of 8 the alternate sex; or 9 (B) that alters or removes sexual organs as 10 part of chemical or surgical mutilation. 11 (5) GENDER TRANSITION PROCEDURE.— 12 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘gender tran- 13 sition procedure’’ means any hormonal, phar- 14 maceutical, or surgical intervention for the pur- 15 pose of gender transition, including— 16 (i) gonadotropin-releasing hormone 17 (GnRH) agonists or other puberty-blocking 18 or suppressing drugs to stop or delay nor- 19 mally timed puberty; 20 (ii) testosterone, estrogen, progester- 21 one, androgen blockers, or other sex hor- 22 mones to an individual at doses that are 23 supraphysiologic to what would normally 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:11 May 21, 2026 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8573.IH H8573 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 4 •HR 8573 IH be produced endogenously in a healthy in- 1 dividual of the same age and sex; 2 (iii) procedures that attempt to trans- 3 form an individual’s physical appearance to 4 confirm the individual’s physical appear- 5 ance to be of the alternate sex, or that 6 alter or remove sexual organs as part of 7 chemical or surgical mutilation; 8 (iv) castration; 9 (v) orchiectomy; 10 (vi) scrotoplasty; 11 (vii) implantation of erection or testic- 12 ular prostheses; 13 (viii) vasectomy; 14 (ix) hysterectomy; 15 (x) oophorectomy; 16 (xi) ovariectomy; 17 (xii) reconstruction of the fixed part 18 of the urethra with or without a 19 metoidioplasty or a phalloplasty; 20 (xiii) metoidioplasty; 21 (xiv) penectomy; 22 (xv) phalloplasty; 23 (xvi) vaginoplasty; 24 (xvii) clitoroplasty; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:11 May 21, 2026 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8573.IH H8573 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 5 •HR 8573 IH (xviii) vaginectomy; 1 (xix) vulvoplasty; 2 (xx) reduction thyrochondroplasty; 3 (xxi) chondrolaryngoplasty; 4 (xxii) mastectomy; 5 (xxiii) tubal ligation; 6 (xxiv) sterilization; 7 (xxv) any plastic, cosmetic, or aes- 8 thetic surgery that feminizes or 9 masculinizes the facial or other physio- 10 logical features of an individual; 11 (xxvi) any placement of chest implants 12 to create feminine breasts; 13 (xxvii) any placement of fat or artifi- 14 cial implants in the gluteal region; 15 (xxviii) augmentation mammoplasty; 16 (xxix) liposuction; 17 (xxx) lipofilling; 18 (xxxi) voice surgery; 19 (xxxii) hair reconstruction; 20 (xxxiii) pectoral implants; and 21 (xxxiv) the removal of any otherwise 22 healthy or non-diseased body part or tis- 23 sue. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:11 May 21, 2026 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8573.IH H8573 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 6 •HR 8573 IH (B) EXCLUSIONS.—The term ‘‘gender 1 transition procedure’’ does not include the fol- 2 lowing when furnished to an individual by a 3 health care provider with the consent of such 4 individual or, if applicable, such individual’s 5 parents or legal guardian: 6 (i) Services to individuals who have 7 been diagnosed with a disorder of sex de- 8 velopment by a licensed health care pro- 9 vider operating within their scope of prac- 10 tice, including an individual with external 11 sex characteristics that are irresolvably 12 ambiguous, such as an individual born with 13 46 XX chromosomes with virilization, an 14 individual born with 46 XY chromosomes 15 with undervirilization, or an individual 16 born having both ovarian and testicular 17 tissue. 18 (ii) Services provided when a health 19 care professional has otherwise diagnosed a 20 disorder of sexual development in which 21 the health care professional has determined 22 through genetic or biochemical testing that 23 the individual does not have normal sex 24 chromosome structure, sex steroid hormone 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:11 May 21, 2026 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8573.IH H8573 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 7 •HR 8573 IH production, or sex steroid hormone action 1 for a healthy individual of the same sex 2 and age. 3 (iii) The treatment of any infection, 4 injury, disease, or disorder that has been 5 caused by or exacerbated by the perform- 6 ance of gender transition procedures, 7 whether or not the gender transition proce- 8 dure was performed in accordance with 9 State and Federal law or whether or not 10 funding for the gender transition proce- 11 dure is permissible under this section. 12 (iv) Any procedure undertaken be- 13 cause the individual suffers from a physical 14 disorder, physical injury, or physical illness 15 (but not mental, behavioral, or emotional 16 distress or a mental, behavioral, or emo- 17 tional disorder) that would, as certified by 18 a health care professional, place the indi- 19 vidual in imminent danger of death or im- 20 pairment of major bodily function, unless 21 the procedure is performed, which may in- 22 clude the following: 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:11 May 21, 2026 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8573.IH H8573 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 8 •HR 8573 IH (I) Traumatic bodily injuries 1 (such as fractures, organ rupture, or 2 penetrating trauma). 3 (II) Congenital structural anoma- 4 lies of major organs or systems, in- 5 cluding the cardiovascular, res- 6 piratory, renal, hepatic, neurological, 7 or musculoskeletal systems. 8 (III) Acute illnesses with a high 9 probability of imminent mortality. 10 (v) Any procedure to restore or recon- 11 struct the body of the individual in order 12 to correspond to the individual’s sex after 13 one or more previous gender transition 14 procedures, which may include the removal 15 of a pseudo phallus or breast augmenta- 16 tion. 17 (vi) Puberty suppression or blocking 18 prescription drugs for the purpose of nor- 19 malizing puberty for a minor experiencing 20 precocious puberty. 21 (vii) Male circumcision. 22 (6) MALE.—The term ‘‘male’’, when used to 23 refer to a natural person, means an individual who 24 naturally has, had, will have, or would have, but for 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:11 May 21, 2026 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8573.IH H8573 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 9 •HR 8573 IH a congenital anomaly or intentional or unintentional 1 disruption, the reproductive system that at some 2 point produces, transports, and utilizes sperm for 3 fertilization. 4 (7) MINOR.—The term ‘‘minor’’ means an indi- 5 vidual under the age of 18. 6 (8) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 7 the Secretary of Health and Human Services. 8 (9) SEX.—The term ‘‘sex’’, when referring to a 9 natural person’s sex, means the person’s immutable 10 biological classification as either male or female, as 11 biologically determined and defined by this section. 12 SEC. 3. GENDER TRANSITION PROCEDURES ON MINORS. 13 (a) PROHIBITION.— 14 (1) IN GENERAL.—No person may, in any cir- 15 cumstance described in paragraph (2), knowingly 16 perform, attempt to perform, conspire to perform, or 17 otherwise aid or abet the performance of any gender 18 transition procedure on a minor. 19 (2) CIRCUMSTANCES DESCRIBED.—A cir- 20 cumstance referred to in paragraph (1) is any of the 21 following: 22 (A) The person, or the minor on whom the 23 gender transition procedure was performed, at- 24 tempted to be performed, or conspired to be 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:11 May 21, 2026 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8573.IH H8573 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 10 •HR 8573 IH performed or on whom the performance of any 1 gender transition procedure was aided or abet- 2 ted, traveled in interstate or foreign commerce, 3 or traveled using a means, channel, facility, or 4 instrumentality of interstate or foreign com- 5 merce, in furtherance of or in connection with 6 the conduct described in paragraph (1). 7 (B) The person, or the minor on whom the 8 gender transition procedure was performed, at- 9 tempted to be performed, or conspired to be 10 performed or on whom the performance of any 11 gender transition procedure was aided or abet- 12 ted, used a means, channel, facility, or instru- 13 mentality of interstate or foreign commerce in 14 furtherance of or in connection with the con- 15 duct described in paragraph (1). 16 (C) A payment of any kind was made, di- 17 rectly or indirectly, in furtherance of or in con- 18 nection with the conduct described in paragraph 19 (1), using any means, channel, facility, or in- 20 strumentality of interstate or foreign commerce 21 or in interstate or foreign commerce. 22 (D) The person, or the minor on whom the 23 gender transition procedure was performed, at- 24 tempted to be performed, or conspired to be 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:11 May 21, 2026 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8573.IH H8573 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 11 •HR 8573 IH performed or on whom the performance of any 1 gender transition procedure was aided or abet- 2 ted, transmitted in interstate or foreign com- 3 merce any communication relating to or in fur- 4 therance of the conduct described in paragraph 5 (1) using any means, channel, facility, or in- 6 strumentality of interstate or foreign commerce 7 or in interstate or foreign commerce by any 8 means or in manner, including by computer, 9 mail, wire, or electromagnetic transmission. 10 (E) Any instrument, item, substance, or 11 other object that has traveled in interstate or 12 foreign commerce was used to perform the con- 13 duct described in paragraph (1). 14 (F) The conduct described in paragraph 15 (1) occurred within the special maritime and 16 territorial jurisdiction of the United States or 17 any territory or possession of the United States. 18 (G) The conduct described in paragraph 19 (1) otherwise occurred in interstate or foreign 20 commerce. 21 (3) KNOWINGLY.—For purposes of paragraph 22 (1), a person acts knowingly when— 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:11 May 21, 2026 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8573.IH H8573 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 12 •HR 8573 IH (A) the person has actual knowledge of the 1 facts giving rise to the violation of the prohibi- 2 tion described in paragraph (1); or 3 (B) a reasonable person acting in the cir- 4 cumstances and exercising reasonable care 5 would have that knowledge. 6 (4) APPLICATION TO WORK ARRANGEMENTS.— 7 (A) IN GENERAL.—A violation of para- 8 graph (1)— 9 (i) by an employee acting in the scope 10 of their employment for an employer shall 11 also be considered a violation of such para- 12 graph by such employer; or 13 (ii) by any other individual who is en- 14 gaged by a person for the performance of 15 labor or services for remuneration and who 16 is acting in the scope of their performance 17 of such labor or services for such person 18 shall also be considered a violation of such 19 paragraph by such person. 20 (B) LIABILITY.— 21 (i) EMPLOYEE VIOLATIONS.—In the 22 case of a violation that is described in sub- 23 paragraph (A)(i), the employee and the 24 employer described in such subparagraph 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:11 May 21, 2026 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8573.IH H8573 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 13 •HR 8573 IH shall be jointly and severally liable for any 1 civil penalty under subsection (b) and any 2 private right of action under subsection 3 (c). 4 (ii) OTHER WORKER VIOLATIONS.—In 5 the case of a violation that is described in 6 subparagraph (A)(ii), the individual and 7 person described in such subparagraph 8 shall be jointly and severally liable for any 9 civil penalty under subsection (b) and any 10 private right of action under subsection 11 (c). 12 (b) CIVIL MONETARY PENALTIES.— 13 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may impose a 14 civil monetary penalty on any person upon making 15 a determination, after written notice and an oppor- 16 tunity for a hearing, that the person has violated a 17 requirement of subsection (a)(1). 18 (2) AMOUNT OF CIVIL MONETARY PEN- 19 ALTIES.— 20 (A) IN GENERAL.—The amount of a civil 21 monetary penalty under paragraph (1) shall be 22 not less than $100,000 for each violation. 23 (B) PENALTY CONSIDERATIONS.—In de- 24 termining the amount of a civil monetary pen- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:11 May 21, 2026 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00013 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8573.IH H8573 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 14 •HR 8573 IH alty under this subsection, the Secretary shall 1 consider— 2 (i) the nature, circumstances, extent, 3 and gravity of the violation; and 4 (ii) with respect to the violator, the 5 degree of culpability, any history of prior 6 violations, and any effect on the ability to 7 continue to do business. 8 (3) CIVIL ACTION TO COLLECT.— 9 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General 10 may bring a civil action in an appropriate dis- 11 trict court of the United States to collect a civil 12 monetary penalty under this subsection and any 13 accrued interest on the civil monetary penalty 14 as assessed by the Secretary. In such a civil ac- 15 tion, the amount and appropriateness of the 16 civil monetary penalty shall not be subject to 17 review. 18 (B) COMPROMISE.—The Secretary may 19 compromise the amount of a civil monetary 20 penalty imposed under this subsection before 21 referral to the Attorney General under subpara- 22 graph (A), on the condition that such amount 23 shall be not less than $100,000. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:11 May 21, 2026 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00014 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8573.IH H8573 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 15 •HR 8573 IH (4) LIABILITY FOR PROCEDURES REQUIRED AS 1 A MATTER OF STANDARD PRACTICE.—It shall not be 2 a defense in a hearing under this subsection that 3 gender transition procedures are required as a mat- 4 ter of standard practice. 5 (5) PROHIBITION ON IMPOSITION OF CIVIL 6 MONETARY PENALTY ON A PERSON ON WHOM PRO- 7 CEDURES ARE PERFORMED.—No person on whom a 8 gender transition procedure is performed, attempted 9 to be performed, or conspired to be performed or on 10 whom the performance of any gender transition pro- 11 cedure was aided or abetted in violation of sub- 12 section (a)(1), and no parent, guardian, or caretaker 13 of such a person, may be held liable for a civil mone- 14 tary penalty under this subsection. 15 (6) DEPOSITING AMOUNTS COLLECTED.— 16 (A) IN GENERAL.—Amounts collected 17 under this subsection shall be deposited in the 18 fund established under subparagraph (B). 19 (B) ESTABLISHMENT OF FUND.— 20 (i) IN GENERAL.—There is established 21 in the Treasury of the United States a 22 fund, to be known as the ‘‘Victims of Gen- 23 der Transition Procedures Compensation 24 Fund’’, which shall consist of amounts de- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:11 May 21, 2026 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00015 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8573.IH H8573 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 16 •HR 8573 IH posited in the fund pursuant to subpara- 1 graph (A). 2 (ii) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.— 3 Amounts in the fund established under 4 clause (i) shall be made available for ex- 5 penditure for fiscal year 2026 and each fis- 6 cal year thereafter, without further appro- 7 priation or fiscal year limitation for ex- 8 penditure by the Secretary to carry out 9 section 4. 10 (c) PRIVATE CIVIL ACTION.— 11 (1) IN GENERAL.—An individual on whom a 12 gender transition procedure is performed in violation 13 of subsection (a)(1), or the parent, guardian, or 14 caretaker of such an individual if such individual is 15 a minor, may bring a civil action in an appropriate 16 district court of the United States against any per- 17 son in violation of subsection (a)(1) for damages, in- 18 cluding damages described in paragraph (3). 19 (2) AVAILABILITY.—A cause of action described 20 in paragraph (1) shall be available regardless of 21 whether the alleged violation occurred before, on, or 22 after the date of enactment of this Act. 23 (3) DAMAGES.—Damages referred to in para- 24 graph (1) include— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:11 May 21, 2026 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00016 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8573.IH H8573 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 17 •HR 8573 IH (A) compensatory damages, including all 1 economic damages associated with undoing, cor- 2 recting, or ameliorating the effects or results of 3 any gender transition procedure; 4 (B) non-economic damages for emotional 5 distress and pain and suffering; and 6 (C) punitive damages, if the claimant 7 proves by clear and convincing evidence that the 8 defendant against whom punitive damages are 9 sought acted maliciously, intentionally, fraudu- 10 lently, or recklessly. 11 (d) PENALTY FOR OBSTRUCTION OF INVESTIGA- 12 TIONS.— 13 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may impose a 14 civil penalty on any person who obstructs or pre- 15 vents the Secretary from carrying out an investiga- 16 tion into an alleged violation of subsection (a)(1). 17 (2) DEFINITION OF OBSTRUCT.—In this sub- 18 section, the term ‘‘obstruct’’ means to take an action 19 that was known, or reasonably should have been 20 known, to prevent, hinder, or impede an investiga- 21 tion. 22 (e) RULES OF CONSTRUCTION.— 23 (1) IN GENERAL.—In any proceeding described 24 in subsection (b) or (c) any ambiguities shall be re- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:11 May 21, 2026 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00017 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8573.IH H8573 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 18 •HR 8573 IH solved against any person found to be in violation of 1 subsection (a)(1). 2 (2) HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS.—In any 3 proceeding described in subsection (b) or (c) against 4 a health care professional, if a gender transition pro- 5 cedure of a minor is shown to have occurred before 6 the date of enactment of this Act, limited deference 7 shall be given to prevailing standards of care in ef- 8 fect at such time, to the extent that such standards 9 of care contradict the intent of this Act and it is 10 shown that such health care professional knew or 11 should have known that such standards of care were 12 in serious, scientific, and medical dispute at the time 13 of the gender transition procedure. 14 (3) NO LIABILITY FOR MINORS.—Nothing in 15 this Act shall be construed to impose any liability 16 whatsoever on a minor who is the individual on 17 whom a gender transition procedure is performed, 18 attempted to be performed, or conspired to be per- 19 formed or on whom the performance of any gender 20 transition procedure was aided or abetted. 21 (f) EFFECT.—Nothing in this Act— 22 (1) establishes a private right of action based 23 on counseling, referrals to mental health profes- 24 sionals, or discussions of treatment options (includ- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:11 May 21, 2026 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00018 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8573.IH H8573 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 19 •HR 8573 IH ing counseling, referrals, or options available upon 1 reaching adulthood) provided by health care profes- 2 sionals or mental health professionals or against 3 health care professionals or mental health profes- 4 sionals based on circumstances not described in sub- 5 section (a)(2), on the condition that such actions do 6 not constitute participation in a gender transition 7 procedure; 8 (2) prohibits a health care professional or men- 9 tal health professional from providing information 10 about all available treatment options, discussing 11 risks and benefits, or expressing professional medical 12 opinions, so long as such actions do not constitute 13 participation in a gender transition procedure; or 14 (3) waives liability for a health care profes- 15 sional. 16 (g) STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS.—An action under 17 subsection (c) may be brought within 25 years from the 18 date of the eighteenth birthday of an individual on whom 19 a gender transition procedure is performed as a minor or 20 within 4 years from the time the cost of a detransition 21 treatment is incurred, whichever date is later. 22 (h) SEVERABILITY.—If any provision of this Act, or 23 the application of such provision to any person or cir- 24 cumstance, is held to be or made invalid, the remainder 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:11 May 21, 2026 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00019 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8573.IH H8573 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 20 •HR 8573 IH of this Act, and the application of the provision to any 1 other person or circumstance, shall not be affected. 2 SEC. 4. OPENING AVENUES FOR VICTIMS. 3 (a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to sup- 4 port, encourage, and assist individuals in their efforts to 5 reverse gender transition procedures. 6 (b) ESTABLISHMENT OF GRANT PROGRAM.—The 7 Secretary shall establish a grant program under which the 8 Secretary shall award grants to eligible entities to carry 9 out the activities described in subsection (d). 10 (c) ELIGIBILITY.— 11 (1) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—To be eligible for a 12 grant under this section, an entity— 13 (A) shall be a private nonprofit entity; 14 (B) shall submit to the Secretary an appli- 15 cation at such time, in such manner, and con- 16 taining such information and assurances as the 17 Secretary may require, including an assurance 18 that such entity will— 19 (i) submit to the Secretary such re- 20 ports of deidentified data, information, and 21 metrics as the Secretary may require to as- 22 sess the entity’s performance in carrying 23 out activities under the grant and ensure 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:11 May 21, 2026 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00020 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8573.IH H8573 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 21 •HR 8573 IH the entity is in compliance with the terms 1 and conditions of such grant; 2 (ii) not charge individuals for services 3 provided through the grant; and 4 (iii) provide each individual counseled 5 through the grant with accurate informa- 6 tion on the appropriate medical procedures 7 to reverse gender transition procedures; 8 and 9 (C) shall agree to have a privacy policy 10 and procedures in place to ensure that— 11 (i) the name, address, telephone num- 12 ber, or any other information that might 13 identify any individual seeking services 14 supported through the grant is not made 15 public or shared with any other entity 16 without the written consent of the indi- 17 vidual; and 18 (ii) the grantee adheres to require- 19 ments comparable to those applicable 20 under the HIPAA privacy regulation (as 21 defined in section 1180(b)(3) of the Social 22 Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1320d–9(b)(3))) 23 to covered entities (as defined for purposes 24 of such regulation). 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:11 May 21, 2026 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00021 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8573.IH H8573 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 22 •HR 8573 IH (2) INELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—An entity shall be 1 ineligible to receive a grant under this section if the 2 entity or any affiliate, subsidiary, successor, or clinic 3 thereof— 4 (A) performs, induces, refers for, or coun- 5 sels in favor of gender transition procedures; 6 (B) performs, induces, refers for, or coun- 7 sels in favor of an abortion, except— 8 (i) if the pregnancy is the result of an 9 act of rape or incest; or 10 (ii) in the case where a woman suffers 11 from a physical disorder, physical injury, 12 or physical illness, including a life-endan- 13 gering physical condition caused by or aris- 14 ing from the pregnancy itself, that would, 15 as certified by a physician, place the 16 woman in danger of death unless an abor- 17 tion is performed; or 18 (C) provides financial support to any other 19 entity that conducts any activity described in 20 subparagraph (A) or (B). 21 (d) USE OF GRANT FUNDS.— 22 (1) REQUIRED INFORMATION AND REFER- 23 RAL.—For the purpose described in subsection (a), 24 an eligible entity receiving a grant under this section 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:11 May 21, 2026 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00022 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8573.IH H8573 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 23 •HR 8573 IH shall use the grant funds to provide to individuals 1 who are exploring detransition information on, and 2 referral to, 1 or more of the following services: 3 (A) Medical advice and care to reverse a 4 gender transition procedure. 5 (B) Education and employment assistance, 6 including services that support the continuation 7 and completion of high school. 8 (C) Voluntary mental health and substance 9 use disorder services. 10 (2) PERMISSIBLE DIRECT PROVISION OF SERV- 11 ICES.—For the purpose described in subsection (a), 12 in addition to using grant funds under this section 13 as described in paragraph (1), an eligible entity re- 14 ceiving a grant under this section may use the grant 15 funds for the direct provision of one or more services 16 described in paragraph (1). 17 (e) PROHIBITED USES OF FUNDS.—None of the 18 funds made available under this section shall be used for— 19 (1) gender transition procedures; 20 (2) payment for an abortion, except— 21 (A) if the pregnancy is the result of an act 22 of rape or incest; or 23 (B) in the case where a woman suffers 24 from a physical disorder, physical injury, or 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:11 May 21, 2026 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00023 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8573.IH H8573 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 24 •HR 8573 IH physical illness, including a life-endangering 1 physical condition caused by or arising from the 2 pregnancy itself, that would, as certified by a 3 physician, place the woman in danger of death 4 unless an abortion is performed; or 5 (3) requiring any person to perform, or facili- 6 tate in any way the performance of, any abortion. 7 (f) CONSIDERATION.—In selecting the recipients of 8 grants under this section, the Secretary shall consider 9 each applicant’s demonstrated capacity in providing serv- 10 ices to assist individuals who are exploring and seeking 11 medical advice in their efforts to reverse gender transition 12 procedures. 13 (g) MONITORING AND REVIEW.—The Secretary 14 shall— 15 (1) monitor and review each program funded 16 through a grant under this section to ensure that 17 the grantee carefully adheres to— 18 (A) the purpose described in subsection 19 (a); and 20 (B) the requirements of this section; and 21 (2) cease to fund a program under this section 22 if the grantee fails to adhere to such purpose and re- 23 quirements. 24 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:11 May 21, 2026 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00024 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H8573.IH H8573 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB