June 23, 2026
Ms. Hirono (for herself, Mrs. Murray, Ms. Baldwin, and Ms. Blunt Rochester) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Celebrating the accomplishments of title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, also known as the Patsy Takemoto Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act, and recognizing the need to continue pursuing the goal of educational opportunities for all women and girls.
Whereas 54 years ago, on June 23, 1972, the Education Amendments of 1972 (Public Law 92–318; 86 Stat. 235) was signed into law by the President, and title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (20 U.S.C. 1681 et seq.) (in this preamble, referred to as title IX
) prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in the administration of any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance;
Whereas title IX is a promise made by Congress that all students will have an equal chance to thrive in school, no matter their sex;
Whereas Representatives Patsy T. Mink and Edith Green, and Senator Birch Bayh, led the successful fight in Congress to pass this legislation, which they intended to be far-reaching in impact;
Whereas remarkable gains have been made to ensure equal opportunity for women and girls under the inspiration and mandate of title IX;
Whereas title IX serves as a landmark civil rights law alongside title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 200d et seq.), section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794), and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.);
Whereas, in passing title IX, Congress recognized the insidious harm caused by stereotyped notions that treated women and girls as intellectually, academically, and athletically inferior to men and boys, perpetuating strict gender roles and sex-based inequality in education programs and activities;
Whereas title IX has moved the United States closer to achieving equal access and opportunities for women and girls in all aspects of life;
Whereas title IX has increased educational opportunities for women and girls, resulting in improved high school and college graduation rates, increased access to professional schools and nontraditional fields of study, and improved employment opportunities;
Whereas title IX has increased athletic opportunities for women and girls, leading to greater access to competitive sports, and building strong values such as teamwork, leadership, discipline, work ethic, self-sacrifice, pride in accomplishment, and strength of character;
Whereas the Trump administration and longtime opponents of women’s equality are now weaponizing title IX to hurt and exclude students who are transgender or who don’t fit rigid sex stereotypes;
Whereas the Trump administration and opponents of women’s equality are weaponizing title IX and State laws to eliminate academic studies and school programs that address historic and current gender-based inequities and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion of women, girls, and LGBTQIA+ students;
Whereas the Trump administration has undermined title IX by distorting the law and refusing to protect students from actual sex discrimination, including sexual harassment and assault, discrimination based on pregnancy and related conditions, discrimination in sports, and other sex discrimination;
Whereas the Office for Civil Rights of the United States Department of Education should receive sufficient resources and fully utilize such resources to employ necessary staff to prevent and respond to sex discrimination in education, including sexual harassment and assault, should enforce title IX to protect all students from discrimination based on sex (including sexual orientation, gender identity, sex characteristics, and pregnancy or related conditions), and should not be weaponized to marginalize, harm, or erase transgender, nonbinary, or intersex students, or any student who does not conform to sex stereotypes or strict gender roles;
Whereas, on June 16, 2026, the Trump administration announced inter-agency agreements to illegally transfer the responsibilities of the Office for Civil Rights of the United States Department of Education, including title IX enforcement, from the Department of Education to the Department of Justice, in contravention of authorizing and appropriations law;
Whereas the Department of Justice does not have the expertise to support the specialized needs of students and educational institutions through efficient processing of individual complaints of discrimination in educational settings, and this transfer will fragment civil rights enforcement for students, create confusion for schools and institutions of higher education, and undermine the ability to ensure that title IX is implemented properly and students obtain timely resolution of their complaints;
Whereas Congress has appropriated funds to the Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Education to enforce Federal education civil rights laws and must ensure that Federal agencies carry out the laws it has enacted, including title IX;
Whereas students across the United States deserve a Federal civil rights enforcement office at the Department of Education that will protect their rights and ensure that the promise of title IX is fulfilled for all students;
Whereas, despite 54 years of progress under title IX—
(1)
broad sex-based stereotypes continue to limit educational opportunities for women, girls, and LGTBQIA+ students;
(2)
sexual harassment remains pervasive in schools and on college campuses;
(3)
women and girls face substantial barriers in pursuing education to enter high-wage fields in subjects such as science, technology, engineering, and math;
(4)
pregnant and parenting students continue to be pushed out of school due to lack of support and accommodations;
(5)
women's and girls’ sports teams are not treated equally to men’s and boys’, do not receive an equal share of resources, and receive fewer recruiting and scholarship dollars at the college level;
(6)
athletic participation opportunities still lag behind those provided for men and boys; and
(7)
girls and women of color continue to be scrutinized, marginalized, and discriminated against because they do not conform to stereotypes of white femininity; and
Whereas there is still much work to be done if the promise of title IX is to be fulfilled: Now, therefore, be it
That the Senate—
(1)
celebrates—
(A)
the progress of title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (20 U.S.C. 1681 et seq.) (in this resolution, referred to as title IX
), also known as the Patsy Takemoto Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act;
(B)
increased opportunities for women and girls in all facets of education; and
(C)
protections for all students (including those who are women, girls, LGBTQIA+, pregnant, or survivors of sexual harassment) from discrimination based on sex;
(2)
applauds the magnificent accomplishments of women and girls in all areas of life in the United States;
(3)
recognizes that, despite progress being made, much work still remains to secure the rights and opportunities guaranteed by title IX, so that no federally funded educational institution shall discriminate against any individual on the basis of sex;
(4)
calls upon the executive branch to protect the rights of individuals to fairness and safety at school by working to ensure schools prevent and respond to discrimination and harassment on the basis of sex, including based on—
(A)
pregnancy and related medical conditions;
(B)
actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics;
(C)
sex stereotypes; and
(D)
sex-based harassment, including sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and sex-based stalking; and
(5)
condemns the weaponization of title IX to harm vulnerable students, particularly women and girls who are transgender and intersex, and nonbinary students, and to dismantle programs aiming to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion of women and girls in education.