(The Center Square) – A Republican lawmaker from Spokane has introduced House Bill 1699, known as the “Defending Equity in Interscholastic Sports Act,” that, according to a news release, “seeks to protect women’s sports in schools across Washington state.”
Rep. Mike Volz is the sponsor of HB 1699.
“It just seemed to come out of nowhere over the last few years, where all of a sudden we have guys playing in women’s sports and I don’t think it’s right,” he told The Center Square. “There’s a reason why we have separate teams and separate spaces for women, and for the bulk of humanity, it was relatively clear why we had that.”
The bill would allow school boards to adopt policies prohibiting biologically male students from competing with and against female students and provide procedures for determining, if necessary, the biological sex of students.
Last week, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to ban transgender athletes from participating in girls’ and women’s sports, but there are conflicting state laws and plenty of questions remain about how the order will play out across the country.
“I knew the president was going to do something, and I just think we need to clarify and have separate sports where women can compete and be safe in the locker room,” Volz said. “I figured we better get Washington on the same page.”
According to Trump’s EO, “It is the policy of the United States to rescind all funds from educational programs that deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities, which results in the endangerment, humiliation, and silencing of women and girls and deprives them of privacy. It shall also be the policy of the United States to oppose male competitive participation in women’s sports more broadly, as a matter of safety, fairness, dignity, and truth.”
Volz signaled his approval.
“Call me old fashioned, but I just think we need to protect these sports for women and these spaces for women, so they’re not infringed upon,” he explained. “There’s a tremendous amount of force that the federal government can bring that even during the first Trump administration they didn’t do, but now I don’t think they’re messing around.”
Trump’s EO goes on to say, “All executive departments and agencies shall review grants to educational programs and, where appropriate, rescind funding to programs that fail to comply with the policy established in this order.”
Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal issued a statement in response to Trump’s EO that said, in part, “The President’s order directly contradicts state law, including the Washington Law Against Discrimination, and our laws prohibiting discrimination in our public schools. Our state law prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity, and we will not back down from that.”
Volz suggested that Washington lawmakers should seriously consider how the withholding of federal funds could impact schools and athletic programs in the state.
HB 1699 has yet to receive a public hearing after being referred to the House Education Committee. The Center Square emailed Democratic House communications and the media contact for the House Education Committee for comment but did not receive a reply.
The 105-day legislative session ends on April 27.
