Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas House Bill HB229 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R948 EAS-D
2	2	By: Troxclair H.B. No. 229
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7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to general definitions for and collection of governmental
10	10	information regarding biological sex.
11	11	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	12	SECTION 1. FINDINGS. The legislature finds that:
13	13	(1) males and females possess unique immutable
14	14	biological differences that manifest prior to birth and increase as
15	15	individuals age and experience puberty;
16	16	(2) biological differences between the sexes mean that
17	17	only females are able to get pregnant, give birth, and breastfeed
18	18	children;
19	19	(3) biological differences between the sexes mean that
20	20	males are, on average, bigger, stronger, and faster than females;
21	21	(4) biological differences between the sexes leave
22	22	females more physically vulnerable than males to specific forms of
23	23	violence, including sexual violence;
24	24	(5) females have historically suffered discrimination
25	25	in education, athletics, and employment;
26	26	(6) biological differences between the sexes are
27	27	enduring and may, in some circumstances, warrant the creation of
28	28	separate social, educational, athletic, or other spaces in order to
29	29	ensure individuals' safety and allow members of each sex to succeed
30	30	and thrive;
31	31	(7) inconsistencies in court rulings and policy
32	32	initiatives with regard to the definitions of "sex," "male,"
33	33	"female," "man," and "woman" have led to endangerment of single-sex
34	34	spaces and resources, necessitating clarification of certain
35	35	terms;
36	36	(8) in the context of biological sex:
37	37	(A) "equal" does not mean "same" or "identical";
38	38	and
39	39	(B) separate is not inherently unequal;
40	40	(9) there are legitimate reasons to distinguish
41	41	between the sexes with respect to athletics, prisons and other
42	42	correctional facilities, domestic violence shelters, rape crisis
43	43	centers, locker rooms, restrooms, and other areas where biology,
44	44	safety, or privacy are implicated; and
45	45	(10) policies and laws that distinguish between the
46	46	sexes are subject to intermediate constitutional scrutiny, which
47	47	forbids unfair discrimination against similarly situated males and
48	48	females but allows the law to distinguish between the sexes where
49	49	such distinctions are substantially related to important
50	50	governmental objectives.
51	51	SECTION 2. Section 311.005, Government Code, is amended by
52	52	adding Subdivisions (14), (15), (16), (17), (18), (19), and (20) to
53	53	read as follows:
54	54	(14) "Boy" means a child of the male sex.
55	55	(15) "Father" means a parent of the male sex.
56	56	(16) "Female" and "woman" mean an individual whose
57	57	biological reproductive system is developed to produce ova.
58	58	(17) "Girl" means a child of the female sex.
59	59	(18) "Male" and "man" mean an individual whose
60	60	biological reproductive system is developed to fertilize the ova of
61	61	a female.
62	62	(19) "Mother" means a parent of the female sex.
63	63	(20) "Sex" means an individual's biological sex,
64	64	either male or female.
65	65	SECTION 3. Chapter 2051, Government Code, is amended by
66	66	adding Subchapter G to read as follows:
67	67	SUBCHAPTER G. VITAL STATISTICS INFORMATION COLLECTION
68	68	Sec. 2051.251. DEFINITION. In this subchapter,
69	69	"governmental entity" has the meaning assigned by Section 2051.041.
70	70	Sec. 2051.252. VITAL STATISTICS INFORMATION COLLECTION BY
71	71	GOVERNMENTAL ENTITY. A governmental entity that collects vital
72	72	statistics information that identifies the sex of an individual for
73	73	the purpose of complying with antidiscrimination laws or for the
74	74	purpose of gathering public health, crime, economic, or other data
75	75	shall identify each individual as either male or female.
76	76	SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.