I 
117TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 9615 
To prohibit certain discrimination against athletes on the basis of sex by 
intercollegiate athletic associations, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 20, 2022 
Ms. ADAMS (for herself, Mrs. TRAHAN, and Ms. BONAMICI) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor 
A BILL 
To prohibit certain discrimination against athletes on the 
basis of sex by intercollegiate athletic associations, and 
for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Fair Play for Women 
Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) 50 years ago, Congress passed title IX of 
the Education Amendments of 1972 (referred to in 
this section as ‘‘title IX’’), helping to transform par-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
05:08 Jan 05, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H9615.IH
H9615
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
ticipation in and support for women’s sports by bar-
ring discrimination on the basis of sex in all schools 
that receive Federal funding, including in their ath-
letic programs. 
(2) Since the passage of title IX, millions more 
women and girls have had the opportunity to com-
pete in interscholastic athletics. At the high school 
level, athletic participation opportunities have in-
creased from nearly 300,000 in 1972 to more than 
3,400,000 in 2019. At the collegiate level, opportuni-
ties have increased from nearly 30,000 in 1972 to 
215,000 in 2020 on teams sponsored by institutions 
who are members of the National Collegiate Athletic 
Association (referred to in this section as the 
‘‘NCAA’’). 
(3) Despite progress, women and girls still face 
unequal opportunities. At the high school level, girls 
have over 1,000,000 fewer athletic opportunities 
than boys, with schools providing girls with 43 per-
cent of all athletic opportunities while girls represent 
nearly half of all students. At the collegiate level, 
colleges would need to provide women with an addi-
tional 148,000 sports opportunities to match the 
same ratio of sports opportunities per student as is 
offered to men. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
05:08 Jan 05, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H9615.IH
H9615
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
(4) Girls of color are often most impacted by 
inequitable opportunities. At high schools predomi-
nantly attended by White students, girls have 82 
percent of the opportunities that boys have to play 
sports, while at high schools predominantly attended 
by students of color, girls have only 67 percent of 
the opportunities that boys have to play sports. 
(5) The magnitude of current gaps in intercolle-
giate participation opportunities is likely under-
counted, as investigations of intercollegiate athletics 
data have found that the majority of NCAA member 
institutions inflate the number of women partici-
pating in sports by double- and triple-counting 
women athletes who participate in more than one 
sport more often than the institutions double- and 
triple-count their male counterparts, counting male 
practice players on women’s teams as women ath-
letes, and packing women’s teams with extra players 
who never end up competing. 
(6) Women and girls in sports also face unequal 
treatment. They are frequently provided worse facili-
ties, equipment, and uniforms than men and boys, 
and they receive less financial support and publicity 
from their schools, as women receive $240,000,000 
less than men in athletic-based scholarships annu-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
05:08 Jan 05, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H9615.IH
H9615
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
ally. For every dollar colleges spend on recruiting, 
travel, and equipment for men’s sports, they spend 
58 cents, 62 cents, and 73 cents, respectively, for 
women’s sports. 
(7) Amid ongoing inequitable treatment, ath-
letes and athletics-related staff too often are un-
aware of the rights and obligations that are de-
scribed in or come from title IX. In surveys of chil-
dren and their parents, the majority report not 
knowing what title IX is. A study conducted by the 
Government Accountability Office in 2017 found 
that the majority of high school athletic administra-
tors were unaware of who their title IX coordinator 
was or felt unsupported by their title IX coordinator. 
In collegiate sports, the majority of coaches report 
that they never received formal training about title 
IX as part of the preparation for their jobs. 
SEC. 3. PURPOSES. 
The purposes of this Act are to— 
(1) address inequitable and discriminatory 
treatment of women and girls in sports in elemen-
tary and secondary schools, as well as institutions of 
higher education; and 
(2) improve the collection and transparency of 
data pertaining to participation in and support for 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
05:08 Jan 05, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H9615.IH
H9615
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS