District 7A Delegate Kathy Szeliga announced HB 649 (Advancing Equal Educational Opportunities for All Students in Maryland) died in the Senate. She released the following statement:
There was a horrendous bill that passed the MD House of Delegates, but thankfully it did not pass the Senate. HB 649.
NOT ONE SINGLE DEMOCRAT voted against this bill to allow biological boys into girls’ sports, locker rooms, and bathrooms.
Don’t like a school’s policy? Sue them.
Don’t comply? The state will make you.
HB 649 isn’t about “equal opportunity” — it’s about control.
This bill drags private and religious schools into the same government system as public schools, hands unelected bureaucrats sweeping authority, and opens the door to lawsuits, punitive damages, and funding threats.
And make no mistake — this is how you force policies on bathrooms, locker rooms, and sports teams based on gender identity. All schools, including private schools, would be pressured to allow biological boys into girls’ bathrooms and onto girls’ teams — or face legal consequences.
That’s not education reform — that’s government coercion.
Maryland families deserve choices, not mandates.