WASHINGTON D.C., DC — Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Connecticut) introduced new legislation aimed to promote gender equity in sports.
The “Fair Play For Women Act” would strengthen federal Title IX laws, authorizing the Department of Education to issue fines against non-compliant colleges.
Though the measure was just formally introduced in the U.S. House and Senate, advocates said it's been in the works for months.
Supporters said it would weed out any tricks by programs to skirt Title IX compliance and codify that intercollegiate athletic associations shall not discriminate on the basis of sex.
“It’s really exciting to see the power of advocacy come to life, with young women really their voices at the center,” said Stef Strack, founder and CEO of Voice in Sport, an advocacy company for girls and women in sports that worked on this legislation.
The Democrat-backed “Fair Play For Women Act” seeks to promote fairness and equity in women's and girls’ sports programs, hold athletic programs and associations more accountable for Title IX violations, and improve education and awareness of Title IX rights.
“There's still not equal experience for girls and women. It's just the truth,” Murphy said. “We're going to hold schools accountable and make sure that girls and women get the same access to sports that men do.”
Strack called the bill’s introduction, “only the beginning of groundbreaking change to come.”
“We've led 30 plus House and Senate meetings with young girls at the center and we've hosted six Capitol Hill days,” she added. “So it has been quite a bit of work.”
One of the main points of this legislation is authorizing the Department of Education to issue fines against non-compliant colleges.
Strack and Murphy said having repercussions will keep schools in check.
“One of the biggest issues when it comes to Title IX compliance is the lack of enforcement,” said Stack.
“I think that knowledge that you'll be held accountable… that's going to cause a lot of schools to get into compliance pretty quickly,” Murphy continued.
With just a few days left in the session, Murphy acknowledged this bill will not pass between now and the end of the week.
He tells FOX61 bringing the legislation Tuesday was symbolic, to put the issue on people’s minds heading into the holiday break.
Murphy does plan to reintroduce it next year, in the new Congress.
Emma Wulfhorst is a political reporter for FOX61 News. She can be reached at ewulfhorst@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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