State Rep. Bennie Cook’s legislation, HB 624, which removes the expiration date from the “Saving Girls Sports” bill, has received initial approval in the Emerging Issues Committee and is now set to advance to the next stage of the legislative process.
Under current Missouri law, schools may only allow students to participate in athletic competitions designated for their biological sex as listed on their official birth certificate. Female students are permitted to compete in male-designated competitions only if there is no corresponding competition for female athletes. This provision is scheduled to expire on Aug. 28, 2027. HB 624 would eliminate the expiration date in hopes of continuing the current statute protection of female athletics.
“This sunset provision was unnecessary from the start, and it needs to be removed,” said Cook, R-Houston. “Males should not be competing in female sports. I appreciate the efforts of my colleagues who have worked on this issue in the past, including Representatives Robert Ross and Chuck Bayse, current Representatives Hardy Billington and Brian Seitz, Senator Jamie Burger and former Senator Holly Thompson Rehder. Their dedication to protecting fairness in female sports has been crucial.”
Cook also emphasized the importance of this legislation advancing.
“It comes at the same time President Trump has signed the ‘No Men in Women’s Sports’ Executive Order,” he said, “reinforcing national support for preserving the integrity of female sports.”
Cook urges his colleagues to support this legislation as it proceeds to the next steps in the legislative process.
For more information on 2025 legislation, visit the House Republican Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/MissouriHouseRepublicans.
Cook, a Republican, represents Texas, Phelps and Maries counties (District 143) in the Missouri House of Representatives. He was elected in November 2020. For more information, call Cook at 573-751-2264 or email Bennie.Cook@house.mo.gov.