Rep. Kathy Rapp, R-Warren, is pictured signing House Resolution 339, which would discharge Senate Bill 9, also known as the Save Women’s Sports Act, on Oct. 20, 2025, on the floor of the state House of Representatives. Rapp is again chastising Democrats in the state House of Representatives for procedural moves that are keeping Senate Bill 9 and two House bills from reaching a vote.

A state House of Representatives committee has once again re-referred legislation to prevent biological men from competing in women’s sports to another committee – and Rep. Kathy Rapp isn’t happy about it.

This time, Rapp had a front row seat as three bills Republicans want to see voted on in the House of Representatives were sent from the Health Committee to the Judiciary Committee. The Warren Republican is minority party chair of the House Health Committee.

“Each has the goal of trying to keep Pennsylvania’s female athletes safe,” Rapp said. “But once again, House Democrats would rather shuffle the bills around rather than put up the vote. Let me total up all the days since each of these bills were first filed in the House. House Bill 1849 has been filed for three months and eight days. Senate Bill 9 has been on the books for one year, one month and eight days. House Bill 158 was filed one year, four months and 26 days ago. In total for all three bills, that is 1,016 days, or two years, nine months and 10 days’ worth of cumulative wasted time to ensure these bills are never considered.”

Senate Bill 9, known as the Save Women’s Sports Act, would require public schools and colleges to label sports teams as male, female or coed. The legislation states that only biological females can join teams designated for women. The bill would also allow students to take legal action if they are harmed by violations of the rule. Senate Bill 9 has passed the state Senate in a largely party line vote, though five Democrats joined Republicans to approve the bill. Monday’s re-referral of the legislation is the fifth re-referral Senate Bill 9 has seen since arriving in the House, having visited the Education, Health, Judiciary and Children & Youth committees.

House Bill 158, also known as the Protect Women’s Sports Act, requires public schools and universities in Pennsylvania to expressly designate all athletic teams and sport activities as male, female, or coed based strictly on biological sex. House Bill 1849, introduced in the 2025-2026 legislative session, is a “Fairness in Women’s Sports” bill that mandates separate athletic teams based on biological sex. The legislation requires public schools and universities to expressly designate sports as male, female, or coed, expressly prohibiting biological males from competing on teams designated for females.

“Rather than simply vote these bills down in committee, which the majority party has had ample opportunity to do, and the votes to do so, they have decided to play ‘whack-a-mole,'” Rapp said. “At the first meeting of this committee to re-refer Senate Bill 9 in October 2025, I made a comment that at the rate the bill was being re-referred, it would end up in the Game and Fish Committee before the legislative session ends. While it was a tongue-in-cheek remark to highlight the absurdity of this process, I have a new recommendation. Maybe these bills should go to the Tourism Committee next. Since they’ve been on a tour of so many House committees, maybe that’s the most appropriate place to consider these bills.”

Six Republicans on the Health Committee, including Rapp, were given time during Monday’s committee to make their case against re-referral to the House Judiciary Committee. When discussion was over, Rep. Dan Frankel, D-Pittsburgh, said there are other matters that need the legislature’s attention – including the state budget.

“With the budget deadline just days away, I believe our focus must be on the millions of Pennsylvanians struggling to pay for their food, their utilities and the hundreds of thousands who are losing their health coverage in their local hospitals,” Frankel said.