[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6108934,"mediaKeyId","2765242-c4f023b59aa1da46ab53ae65c0fe9663","parentId",2765242,"title","Committee advances \"Riley Gaines Act\" limiting participation of males in female sports amid heated public testimony","audioSeconds",2388,"startMs",4322000,"endMs",6710000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2765242-c4f023b59aa1da46ab53ae65c0fe9663&start=4322&end=6710","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2765242-c4f023b59aa1da46ab53ae65c0fe9663/thumbnail_4322000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6108934/Georgia/Committee-advances-Riley-Gaines-Act-limiting-participation-of-males-in-female-sports-amid-heated-public-testimony","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6108934-6240c0c5d91581d6a260f3ea6f55fdca/orig.mp4?Expires=1771144334&Signature=HUnP49zwX9eZ2QB1hGQ1jZztJqh2sVbDUcvdKWHljlexHDrIIqx44SrpY4OZsDsV6ETZ2uYSARIVeIzESO9cSKWLxyQFMgjYC58TMu0i9vjWWSsa~D-3iipWTbVVZ~ownOHFi5wQOTh~4iCMVVXvXLqQBvv7Eognf~tlxGmBcBVFFCIkIRweo1uoWToXiWEhSyEX4BZcD7xKWMqq08uKtbQPSZ04PgAeE1ERJPyRKJgPt7OYtAIUnw7Q8ZQxadsE6FRoPra4S4UOJ6~taIwCXBb99dlPOZR~SIkVxcTfVIy5J99hAHSGH3yB06sNm7zLWmh9A696k1y3b7hUJSgAmA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Georgia State Legislature","date","2025-03-25T00:00:00Z","article","Senate Bill 1, sponsored by Senator Greg Dolezal and amended with House language, was given a do-pass recommendation after lengthy committee debate and a large public comment period that split witnesses for and against the measure.

The sponsor told the committee the substitute — which the sponsor identified as the \"Riley Gaines Act of 2025\" — aims to ‘‘create a boundary around female sport to prevent the inclusion of male advantage in female sport,’’ and said the measure draws from House language to define eligibility and adjudication procedures. The bill uses a definition of sex tied to observation or clinical verification at birth in its current substitute, establishes an in-school complaint and appeal process for K–12 enforcement, and provides a private right of action with a two-year statute of limitations for aggrieved parties. The bill treats institutions of higher education differently because those institutions lack an equivalent in-school complaint mechanism.

Supporters at the podium, including Matt Sharp of Alliance Defending Freedom, framed the bill as necessary to preserve fair competition and privacy in female athletics. Sharp told the committee: \"This bill simply ... protect[s] privacy as well, especially on overnight school trips involved with athletics.\" He and other proponents cited court precedent and scientific studies that they said show physiological performance differences that justify separate female categories.

Opponents, including student athletes and a range of advocacy and legal speakers, called the measure overbroad, harmful to transgender and intersex students, and legally fraught. Emory student-athlete Soju Hokkari, who identified themself as a transgender athlete and researcher, told the committee the substitute’s medical and historical references were incorrect and warned the proposed medical tests and definitions are outdated; Hokkari said, \"the bar body test has not been used in decades,\" and argued the bill’s definition of sex is ill-suited to current science and practice. Other speakers said the bill could subject prepubescent students and intersex children to invasive procedures and create trauma for students who do not conform to stereotypical appearances.

Committee members asked sponsors detailed questions about how the substitute defines sex, what records or medical procedures schools could rely on, the role of the Professional Standards Commission in adjudication, and whether private schools that accept state funds would be covered. The sponsor said the substitute removed a birth-certificate-only test and instead allows schools to rely on standard medical records and procedures used for athletic clearance.

After roughly two hours of public testimony and questions from members, a committee member moved that Senate Bill 1 (LC 492383S) be given a do-pass recommendation; the motion was seconded and the committee carried the bill on a voice vote. The transcript records the committee voice vote but does not include a roll-call tally.

The committee advanced the substitute; supporters hailed the vote as protecting female athletes' opportunities, while opponents warned of legal challenges and harms to transgender and intersex students.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","03.25.25 Education Georgia House of Representatives","oneSentenceSummary","Senate Bill 1, sponsored by Senator Greg Dolezal and amended with House language, was given a do-pass recommendation after lengthy committee debate and a large public comment period that split witnesses for and against the measure.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature Georgia , Georgia","taxId",77688,"location","Georgia","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6108939,"Committee backs pilot program for outdoor learning spaces and removes physician requirement for school AEDs",866,2833000,3699000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2765242-c4f023b59aa1da46ab53ae65c0fe9663&start=2833&end=3699","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2765242-c4f023b59aa1da46ab53ae65c0fe9663/thumbnail_2833000.jpg","/articles/6108939/Georgia/Committee-backs-pilot-program-for-outdoor-learning-spaces-and-removes-physician-requirement-for-school-AEDs","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6108939-8be0d540c6fbe2830ec3d5fadc736c60/orig.mp4?Expires=1771144334&Signature=KTaGR1d690CYxAIw9QssmRN7jszHqPaaQzOJfdY2K6CAJU2VjlljOdefv-yHFa2oW8OK0ZkH2N6eEtKxuMuhs8zW6MgZZrTVpWWMcAHCs7BgOVWitIuDqxsGBD3fhwCwDA~LFdQcqE8zsKOkGLn4di3HDNhBadUguJN8cjfqhdE5wj5T24ZPM1WVz~GKvwqhIhzk-nuVhwKIfBi9aeXxHj6~2i4VGDpXBsvBC5LtqqlA758OlxmRn0OJ11gvSiyuxGunjH5-9mhqWI~yQ33d7YDq~WViOFKEqE8FzV48e4qG-9HMs6D4Xrng1EipaEGhhlbb-rAdkzHxFIj2BPo5zg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senate Bill 148 passed the committee after sponsors described a pilot to expand outdoor learning spaces and an amendment that would ease the requirement for physician oversight of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in K–12 schools.

The sponsor said the proposal would authorize the State Department of Education to select elementary and secondary schools for a pilot program testing best practices and design standards for outdoor learning spaces; the sponsor said the department had identified a “dozen” candidate schools and that private foundations and local funds could be used alongside a prospective House appropriation. The sponsor noted an amendment increasing teacher personal days from three to five that was added at the Senate’s request.

The substitute also includes language that removes a separate requirement that each public school secure a physician’s direct oversight for AED purchase, training and maintenance. Tara Buckle of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta told the committee that manufacturers and AED vendors already provide physician oversight and maintenance structures, and that requiring each elementary school to find and retain a physician had stalled placements. Buckle said, \"AED companies now have these physicians internally to help do all that,\" and described the amendment as a cleanup to last year’s AED expansion law.

Committee members asked about the pilot’s curriculum, evaluation and funding. The sponsor said the pilot’s curriculum would be locally determined and could integrate existing standards (for example, life science lessons) into outdoor settings; local school boards would provide data from each participating pilot school to support statewide expansion. On funding, the sponsor cited local philanthropic partners such as the Arthur and Turner family foundations and said the House budget included a possible appropriation but did not provide an exact amount in committee.

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta confirmed the change was intended as a cleanup to last year’s AED language (originally HB 629) and said the companies that supply AEDs routinely include physician oversight and EMS notification. Committee members urged sponsors to coordinate with emergency management and local school safety plans; the sponsor said the bill removed only the redundant physician signature, not training, notification or maintenance requirements.

After public questions and no registered opponents on the day’s sign-up sheet, the committee voted to give Senate Bill 148 (LC 339823S) a do-pass recommendation on a voice vote; the transcript records the ayes and “your bill carries” but no numeric roll call.

Votes at a glance: Senate Bill 148 (LC 339823S) passed committee by voice vote; numeric tallies were not specified in the transcript.","Senate Bill 148, approved by the committee, would authorize a Department of Education pilot for outdoor education spaces and clarify state AED requirements by removing a separately required physician-signoff that schools say has complicated implementation.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6108944,"Senate committee approves bill to bar political campaigns from harvesting student data in schools",744,2014000,2758000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2765242-c4f023b59aa1da46ab53ae65c0fe9663&start=2014&end=2758","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2765242-c4f023b59aa1da46ab53ae65c0fe9663/thumbnail_2014000.jpg","/articles/6108944/Georgia/Senate-committee-approves-bill-to-bar-political-campaigns-from-harvesting-student-data-in-schools","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6108944-8013ad637505a138dfcfd202626bdeea/orig.mp4?Expires=1771144334&Signature=o1J7xVNLDDoRICY-ZEcCyRU1ivu5QDzfpoK6CaYdK4OhDu91-prCqB6BdLuCz458M8OZ4ihfMwFpbNVrcelH9nhO~njgerfRTzFYMTBX4RvYvW2N8iToocnEOuh1dj34DLe6phMoKdrkp7NwgnnszqPK2oKNNi3U-m53my39IaQ0zHrqHACrWjtDl9Fu8UWOZU-vT8EZZvKsyhdsIq4cc6s-0bf7SLR4QprkdmakFzmzvdaqxYzHklwU6bwXJbR6poZiz~Se-ilOkFR6b3mTuBzgflEiMlpgayemJRFgSvp5aqNNo1nG9cGvBqdhW60-GdGjo-wIWH-iRAJjA5qBNg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senate Bill 212, sponsored on the floor by Senator Still, won committee approval after members debated language clarifying when political activity in schools crosses the line into unlawful data collection.

The measure, described by Senator Still as “protecting the information of minors in public schools,” would prohibit campaigns and candidates from using school events or false pretexts to collect or export personally identifiable information from K–12 students for political purposes. Supporters said the change responds to incidents in several large districts where campaign staff allegedly solicited data that never reached the Secretary of State’s registration system.

Supporters told the committee they found records showing campaigns entering schools under the guise of voter registration and exporting student information to campaign databases rather than completing official registration. Senator Still said the substitute includes language negotiated with Senate Democrats — notably lines 42–55 of the substitute — to preserve ordinary nonpolitical school participation (for example, a parent speaking at a school event).

Members asked for practical clarifications. Representative David Wilkerson asked whether a parent who is also a candidate would be barred from receiving a yearbook or speaking at career day; Senator Still replied that parental participation is protected if parents or participants have consented and the information was provided in a noncampaign context. He said in contrast: “If your campaign was soliciting that information, that's different.”

The substitute also retains allowances for nonprofits and properly organized voter-registration activities coordinated with school administrators and registered with the Secretary of State. Committee members pressed for details on how the bill would interact with directories such as yearbooks and with schools’ established consent processes; the sponsor said consent and documented invitations to appear at school events would distinguish ordinary participation from prohibited campaign data collection.

After questions and no registered public speakers for the item, a member moved to approve the LC 473473S substitute for Senate Bill 212; the motion received a second and the committee carried the bill on a voice vote. The transcript records a committee voice vote (ayes pronounced, “the ayes have it”) but does not provide a numerical roll call.

The committee approved the substitute and sent the bill forward for further consideration.

Votes at a glance: The committee approved Senate Bill 212 (LC 473473S) on a voice vote; numeric tallies were not specified in the transcript.","The Georgia Senate Education Committee approved a substitute for Senate Bill 212 to prohibit political campaigns from soliciting or exporting personal information from K–12 students at school events under false pretenses; the bill clarifies exemptions for parents, nonprofits and events coordinated with school administration.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee advances "Riley Gaines Act" limiting participation of males in female sports amid heated public testimony

Committee backs pilot program for outdoor learning spaces and removes physician requirement for school AEDs

Senate committee approves bill to bar political campaigns from harvesting student data in schools