Text of WY HB 60 (2025)

2025 STATE OF WYOMING 25LSO-0382 1 HB0060 HOUSE BILL NO. HB0060 Student eligibility in sports-amendments. Sponsored by: Representative(s) Lawley, Andrew, Angelos, Clouston, Haroldson, Heiner, Larson, JT, Neiman, Singh and Williams and Senator(s) Brennan, Crago, Jones, Olsen, Schuler and Steinmetz A BILL for 1 AN ACT relating to education; amending student eligibility 2 requirements in interscholastic activities; specifying 3 requirements for the University of Wyoming and community 4 colleges for student eligibility; prohibiting participation 5 in athletic activities as specified; providing definitions; 6 repealing alternate procedures for determining student 7 eligibility; making conforming amendments; and providing 8 for effective dates. 9 10 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming: 11 12 Section 1. W.S. 21-25-103 is created to read: 13 2025 STATE OF WYOMING 25LSO-0382 2 HB0060 1 21-25-103. Participation in female sports; 2 violations; remedies. 3 4 (a) Any student or a parent or guardian of a student 5 who is harmed by a violation of this chapter shall have a 6 private cause of action for injunctive relief, damages, 7 attorney fees and any other relief available under law 8 against the school, government entity, licensing or 9 accrediting organization, athletic association or athletic 10 organization violating this chapter. 11 12 (b) Any school that suffers any direct or indirect 13 harm as a result of a violation of this chapter shall have 14 a private cause of action for injunctive relief, damages, 15 attorney fees and any other relief available under law 16 against the government entity, licensing or accrediting 17 organization, athletic association or athletic organization 18 violating this chapter. 19 20 (c) A civil action commenced under this section shall 21 be brought not later than two (2) years after the violation 22 of this chapter occurred. 23 2025 STATE OF WYOMING 25LSO-0382 3 HB0060 1 Section 2. W.S. 21-25-101(a)(iii) and by creating new 2 paragraphs (v) through (viii) and 21-25-102(a)(intro), (b), 3 (c), (d)(i), (ii), (e) and by creating a new subsection (g) 4 are amended to read: 5 6 21-25-101. Definitions. 7 8 (a) As used in this chapter: 9 10 (iii) "School" means a school consisting of 11 grades seven (7) kindergarten (K) through 12 (twelve), or 12 any combination of grades within this range, as determined 13 by the plan of organization by the school district board of 14 trustees or an institution of higher education; 15 16 (v) "Athletic activity" means an interscholastic 17 or intramural athletic team or sport that is sponsored by a 18 school or an organization of which the school is a member; 19 20 (vi) "Female" means a person who naturally has, 21 had, will have or would have, but for a congenital anomaly 22 or intentional or unintentional disruption, the 2025 STATE OF WYOMING 25LSO-0382 4 HB0060 1 reproductive system that, at some point, produces, 2 transports and utilizes eggs for fertilization; 3 4 (vii) "Institution of higher education" means 5 the University of Wyoming and Wyoming community colleges; 6 7 (viii) "Male" means a person who naturally has, 8 had, will have or would have, but for a congenital anomaly 9 or intentional or unintentional disruption, the 10 reproductive system that, at some point, produces, 11 transports and utilizes sperm for fertilization. 12 13 21-25-102. Participation in school athletic 14 activities. 15 16 (a) A public school or a private school that competes 17 against a public school shall expressly designate school 18 each athletic activities and teams activity as one (1) of 19 the following based on sex: 20 21 (b) A student of the male sex shall not compete, and 22 a public school shall not allow a student of the male sex 2025 STATE OF WYOMING 25LSO-0382 5 HB0060 1 to compete, in an athletic activity or team designated for 2 students of the female sex. 3 4 (c) A government entity or licensing or accrediting 5 organization shall not entertain a complaint, open an 6 investigation or take any other adverse action against a 7 school described in subsection (a) of this section for 8 maintaining separate school athletic activities and teams 9 for students of the female sex. 10 11 (d) Nothing in this section shall be construed to: 12 13 (i) Restrict the eligibility of any student to 14 participate in any interscholastic athletic activity 15 designated for students of the male sex or designated as 16 coed or mixed; or 17 18 (ii) Prohibit a school from permitting males to 19 train or practice with an interscholastic athletic activity 20 that is designated for females so long as no female is 21 deprived of a roster spot on a team or sport for an 22 athletic activity, opportunity to participate in a practice 23 or competition, scholarship, admission to an educational 2025 STATE OF WYOMING 25LSO-0382 6 HB0060 1 institution or any other benefit that accompanies 2 participating in the interscholastic athletic activity. 3 4 (e) A government entity, any licensing or any 5 athletic association shall not entertain or consider a 6 complaint, open an investigation, retaliate or take any 7 adverse action against: 8 9 (i) A school for maintaining separate athletic 10 teams or sports activities for students of the female sex; 11 or 12 13 (ii) A student if the student or the parent or 14 guardian of a student requests a contested case pursuant to 15 subsection (f) of this section or that reports a violation 16 of this section to an employee or representative of the 17 school or athletic association or to any state or federal 18 agency with oversight of the school. 19 20 (g) No school shall participate in any athletic 21 activity designated for students of the female sex with or 22 against a team that the school knows or, to a reasonable 2025 STATE OF WYOMING 25LSO-0382 7 HB0060 1 degree of certainty believes, has on the team a student of 2 the male sex. 3 4 Section 3. W.S. 16-4-405(a)(xiii), 21-25-101(a)(ii) 5 and 21-25-201 through 21-25-204 are repealed. 6 7 Section 4. Not later than July 1, 2025, the 8 University of Wyoming and each Wyoming community college 9 shall take all actions necessary to implement this act. 10 11 Section 5. 12 13 (a) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this 14 section, this act is effective July 1, 2025. 15 16 (b) Sections 4 and 5 of this act are effective 17 immediately upon completion of all acts necessary for a 18 bill to become law as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of 19 the Wyoming Constitution. 20 21 (END)