State by State · Law protects girls’ sports in K-12 and colleges
Since 2023, Missouri law has kept girls' and women's teams for females, from kindergarten through college, at both public and private schools. The law is set to expire in August 2027 unless lawmakers make it permanent, and a 2026 attempt to do that failed in the state Senate.
The law in Missouri
Law in force · Covers K-12 and colleges
Past attempts
2025: the Senate passed a bill removing the sunsets on the sports and health-care laws, and it stalled in the House (source). February 26, 2026: the House passed Rep. Brian Seitz’s bill removing the sports sunset, 98-37 (source). It died in the Senate in May 2026. Sponsors plan to try again when the legislature returns in January 2027 (source; source).
The law in detail, with sources
The law
SB 39, the “Save Women’s Sports Act,” passed by the legislature and signed by Gov. Mike Parson on June 7, 2023. It took effect August 28, 2023, and is codified at RSMo §163.048 (source; source).
Who it covers
Private schools, public school districts, public charter schools, and public and private colleges and universities (RSMo §163.048.3). It covers K-12 and college (source).
Notes
Sex is determined by the official birth certificate, using the entry made at or near birth. A girl may play on a boys’ team if no girls’ team is offered. A school that breaks the law loses state aid. Students or parents can sue for injunctive relief and attorney’s fees (source). The law expires August 28, 2027 (§163.048.8). That sunset was the price of getting the bill past a Senate filibuster in 2023. Axios reported in June 2026 that Missouri’s is the only statewide law of its kind built to expire (source; source).