Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives this week are working to force a floor vote on a bill authored by a Florida Congressman that would ban biological males from competing in female athletics.
“I, Jim Banks, move to discharge the Committee on Education and Labor from the consideration of the bill (H.R. 426) entitled, a bill to provide that for purposes of determining compliance with title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 in athletics, sex shall be recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth, which was referred to said committee January 21st, 2021, in support of which motion the undersigned Members of the House of Representatives affix their signatures …” said a Discharge Petition authored by Representative Jim Banks (R-IN-03).
After a bill successfully passes through the House Committee to which it was assigned, it is usually brought to the full House floor for a vote. If not, a Discharge Petition can be filed to force a full House vote.
Banks’ petition garnered 62 signatures. It needs 218 total signatures – a majority in the House – in order to successfully accomplish its goal of forcing a floor vote on the bill.
HR 426 was authored by Representative Greg Steube (R-FL-17).
“This bill makes it a violation of federal law for a recipient of federal funds who operates, sponsors, or facilitates athletic programs or activities to permit a person whose sex is male to participate in an athletic program or activity that is designated for women or girls,” says the summary of the bill.
Steube said the following in press release regarding the petition:
“Allowing biological males to compete in women’s sports is anti-science and an affront to female athletes around the country. We have seen this practice prevent talented athletes from achieving their goals; stripping them of records, rosters, and scholarships. By refusing to allow a vote on protecting women’s sports, Speaker Pelosi is enabling Congress to evade this critical and timely issue facing students across the country. Tonight, Republicans filed a discharge petition to force my bill, The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act onto the House floor. Instead of paying lip service to women, I hope my colleagues across the aisle will actually do something for women and girls by signing onto this petition. As the Left perpetuates a craze to eliminate gender, the American people deserve to know where their elected representatives stand on protecting women’s sports.”
Many states have already implemented such laws.
Gov. Bill Lee (R) of Tennessee, for example, signed into law at the end of March a bill banning biological males from competing in female sports.
Pennsylvania, which became the epicenter of the battle over transgender athletics, is working on passing a similar bill.
In late March, University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) swimmer Lia Thomas, a biological male, won the women’s National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) 500-meter freestyle championship. Formerly, Thomas competed as a male on the UPenn Men’s Swim Team.
The win sparked a massive backlash over men participating in women’s sports, a phenomenon that has been gaining momentum as the far left peddles its transgender agenda.
While women’s groups declined to comment on the win, many of Thomas’ female teammates complained that they were uncomfortable with Thomas’ presence in their locker room.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Florida Capital Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
