Bill > HB1663

This bill modifies guidelines for student participation in athletic contests organized by sex, defining "athletics" as interscholastic athletic games and competitions, and "sex" as the two main categories of male and female based on reproductive biology and genome at birth. It establishes that it is the public policy of the state to ensure sufficient athletic opportunities for females, acknowledging past disparities and the need for sex-based classifications in sports. The bill prohibits private and public schools and postsecondary institutions from allowing students to compete in athletics designated for the biological sex opposite to their own, as stated on their official birth certificate or another government record, unless no corresponding competition for their sex is available, in which case a female student may compete in a male competition. The bill specifies that a birth certificate's sex designation is considered correct if entered at or near birth or modified for a scrivener's error. Schools violating these provisions will lose state aid, and students or their guardians can sue for injunctive relief and attorney fees if deprived of an athletic opportunity. The bill also mandates that state departments of elementary and secondary education and higher education develop rules for implementation, ensuring compliance with confidentiality laws, and removes a previous expiration date for these provisions.

Budget and Finance, Government Affairs

https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?bill=HB1663&year=2026&code=R