SB1: SB1 'Fair and Safe Athletic Opportunities Act'; enact

Georgia law already allowed schools to operate separate teams by gender, but this bill rewrites that framework in detail. It requires every local school system, public school, participating private school, and postsecondary institution to designate each team as male, female, or (for K-12) coed, based on biological sex as defined in the bill rather than gender identity. Males are barred from female-designated teams in both K-12 and college sports, and females are generally barred from male teams unless no female team is offered. The bill also requires multiple-occupancy restrooms, changing areas, and overnight sleeping quarters to be designated for exclusive use by one sex, with limited exceptions and required 'reasonable accommodations' such as single-occupancy facilities. Colleges cannot host competitions or award female-designated scholarships to males. The bill creates complaint, investigation, and appeal procedures, allows the state to withhold funding from noncompliant schools, and gives students a private right to sue for damages and attorney's fees within two years of an alleged violation.

• Requires every school and college covered by the bill to designate each sports team as male, female, or coed (K-12 only) based on biological sex, not gender identity.
• Bars males from participating on female-designated teams in both interscholastic (K-12) and intercollegiate (college) competition, with limited exceptions for coed teams and practices.
• Bars females from male-designated college and high school teams unless no corresponding female team is offered or available.
• Requires multiple-occupancy restrooms, changing areas, and overnight sleeping quarters to be designated for exclusive use by one sex, with defined exceptions and a duty to offer 'reasonable accommodations' like single-occupancy facilities.
• Prohibits colleges from awarding scholarships intended for female team members to male students, and lets the state withhold funding from schools that violate the law.
• Creates a complaint and appeals process through school officials, local boards, and the State Board of Education, and gives students a private right to sue for damages, injunctions, and attorney's fees within two years.

Public school students and athletes, local school systems, participating private schools, University System of Georgia and Technical College System institutions, athletic associations that organize school and college sports, coaches and administrators who handle complaints, and transgender students who would be affected by the sex-based team and facility rules.

The bill would change day-to-day practice for school and college sports programs across Georgia: which team a student can join, which restroom or locker room a student uses on a road trip, and which scholarships a college can award. It also opens schools and colleges to lawsuits and funding cuts if they don't comply.

• Section 3 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 20-2-315 to define terms like 'male,' 'female,' and 'sex' based on reproductive biology at or before birth, not self-identification.
• Section 3 requires K-12 covered entities to designate teams as male, female, or coed and bars males from female teams and (with an exception) females from male teams.
• Section 3 requires exclusive-use designation of multiple-occupancy restrooms, changing areas, and sleeping quarters by sex, listing exceptions such as emergencies, custodial access, and coaching duties.
• Section 3 sets up a grievance process with a designated compliance employee, written decisions within set deadlines, appeals to local boards, and ultimately State Board of Education review with power to withhold state funds under O.C.G.A. § 20-2-186.
• Section 3 creates a private right to sue for students harmed by violations or retaliated against for reporting them, allowing damages, attorney's fees, and injunctive relief within two years.
• Section 4 amends O.C.G.A. § 20-2-316 to let the state's high school athletic association adopt a policy barring males from female-designated events and requires an annual report to the General Assembly's High School Athletics Overview Committee.
• Section 5 adds a new Part 3 to Title 20 applying nearly identical team-designation, facility, and scholarship rules to Georgia's public colleges and technical colleges and participating private colleges competing against them.
• Section 5 authorizes withholding of state funding, including scholarships, loans, and grants, from postsecondary institutions or governing bodies that violate the new intercollegiate rules.

1. 2025-04-28Effective Date 2025-07-01
2. 2025-04-28Act 11
3. 2025-04-28Senate Date Signed by Governor (Senate)
4. 2025-04-07Senate Sent to Governor (Senate)
5. 2025-03-31Senate Agreed House Amend or Sub (Senate)
6. 2025-03-31House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (House)
7. 2025-03-31House Third Readers (House)
8. 2025-03-25House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)

• Greg Dolezal (R, SD-027)Primary sponsor
• John Kennedy (R, SD-018)
• Steve Gooch (R, SD-051)
• Brandon Beach (R, SD-021)
• Randy Robertson (R, SD-029)
• John Albers (R, SD-056)
• Larry Walker (R, SD-020)
• Ben Watson (R, SD-001)
• Kay Kirkpatrick (R, SD-032)
• Frank Ginn (R, SD-047)
• Bill Cowsert (R, SD-046)
• Russ Goodman (R, SD-008)
• Blake Tillery (R, SD-019)
• Billy Hickman (R, SD-004)
• Drew Echols (R, SD-049)
• Sam Watson (R, SD-011)
• Max Burns (R, SD-023)
• Timothy Bearden (R, SD-030)
• Brian Strickland (R, SD-042)
• Lee Anderson (R, SD-024)
• Clint Dixon (R, SD-045)
• Shawn Still (R, SD-048)
• Bo Hatchett (R, SD-050)
• Marty Harbin (R, SD-016)
• Jason Anavitarte (R, SD-031)
• Chuck Hufstetler (R, SD-052)
• Colton Moore (R, SD-053)
• Mike Hodges (R, SD-003)
• Chuck Payne (R, SD-054)
• Matt Brass (R, SD-006)
• Josh Bonner (R, HD-073)

1. FailedSenate voteFebruary 6, 2025

   19 yea, 32 nay (1 not voting, 4 absent)

   Adoption Of Amendment #1 By The Senator From The 22nd: Senate Vote #23

2. FailedSenate voteFebruary 6, 2025

   18 yea, 34 nay (0 not voting, 4 absent)

   Adoption Of Amendment #2 By The Senator From The 41st: Senate Vote #24

3. FailedSenate voteFebruary 6, 2025

   19 yea, 33 nay (0 not voting, 4 absent)

   Adoption Of Amendment #3 By The Senator From The 44th: Senate Vote #25

4. PassedSenate voteFebruary 6, 2025

   35 yea, 17 nay (0 not voting, 4 absent)

   Passage By Substitute: Senate Vote #26

5. PassedHouse voteMarch 31, 2025

   100 yea, 64 nay (5 not voting, 11 absent)

   Passage: House Vote #350

6. FailedSenate voteMarch 31, 2025

   17 yea, 37 nay (1 not voting, 1 absent)

   Agree To House Substitute As Amended: Senate Vote #372

7. PassedSenate voteMarch 31, 2025

   34 yea, 20 nay (1 not voting, 1 absent)

   Agree To House Substitute: Senate Vote #373

• transgender athletes
• school sports
• Title IX and gender policy
• college athletics
• locker room and restroom rules