Beth Ann Rosica: Shapiro silent on Save Women’s Sports Act

Last week, the Pennsylvania Senate passed the Save Women’s Sports Act aimed to protect female athletes competing in public schools and institutions. The bill now goes to the House where it will need at least a few Democratic votes in order to land on Governor Shapiro’s desk for signing.

Assuming the bill passes the House, the million dollar question is whether Shapiro will sign it into law or whether he will side squarely with the progressives in his party and veto it.

At this moment, he is eerily silent on the issue. Shapiro failed to return two requests for comment asking whether he would sign the bill if passed. The Governor’s office is not just ignoring Broad + Liberty. The AP also reported last week that Shapiro “declined to comment about the bill.”

Perhaps Shapiro is hoping every Democratic representative in the state doubles-down and votes no; however, if the House follows the Senate, at least a few Democrats may break rank and vote to protect women and girls.

In the Senate vote, five Democrats voted in favor of the bill, including Lisa Boscola (Lehigh/Northhampton), James Malone (Lancaster), Nick Miller (Lehigh/Northampton), Christine Tartaglione (Philly), and Marty Flynn (Lackawanna/Luzerne). Every Senator from Philadelphia and the four collar counties voted against the bill except Tartaglione.

These Democratic senators appear to be listening to their constituents, given the fact this is an 80/20 issue. According to a recent poll, nearly 80 percent of Americans do not believe boys and men should compete in girls’ and women’s sports.

Shapiro ought to be nervous about the number of Democratic senators who stood up for girls and women and turned their backs on the progressive side of the party, leading to a 32 to 18 vote in favor of the bill.

With the razor-thin House majority, only one or two Democrats need to do the right thing and vote affirmatively in order for the bill to pass. If five Democratic senators can cross the line, it is not implausible that at least a few Democratic representatives will do the same.

However, Shapiro and his progressive colleagues may have a strategy to prevent the bill from reaching the Governor’s desk by simply preventing a House vote. Before the House can vote on the bill, it has to pass the House Education Committee. According to the Daily Caller, state Representative Peter Schweyer (D-Lehigh) made comments this week to an audience of young women that as the Chair of the House Education Committee, he will not allow the bill to leave the committee. A request for comment to Schweyer was not returned.

The best case scenario certainly for Shapiro is if the bill fails to reach his desk; therefore, it’s not hard to imagine Schweyer and other Democrats on the Education committee working to ensure the bill does not pass out of committee.

Shapiro is likely desperate to avoid the issue altogether — even as he remains silent on this particular bill. He pretends to be a moderate Democrat — one who might agree with 80 percent of Americans — yet he is a hard-core progressive.

Five years ago, Shapiro tweeted, “Trans women are women. Pass it on.”

That post either reflects the Governor’s actual view on this issue or demonstrates his desire to stand firm with his party. Either way, there is a lot at stake if the Governor is forced to make a decision about signing or vetoing this bill.

Meanwhile, Republican legislators are pleased the Save Women’s Sports Act received some bipartisan support and passed the Senate.

The bill requires all public schools and universities to designate teams as one of the following:

1. Male, men or boys
2. Female, women or girls
3. Coed or mixed

It further prohibits male students from competing in the female category.

Senator Kristin Phillips-Hill (R-York) is one of the co-sponsors of the bill.

“With the Senate’s bipartisan passage of Senate Bill 9, we are fighting for a principle that transcends party lines,” said Phillips-Hill in a statement to Broad + Liberty. “Every girl deserves a fair shot. We will protect the promise of Title IX. This bill is not about politics; it’s about the principles of fairness, courage, and opportunity and ensuring that young women across the Commonwealth can still count on them. We hope the House of Representatives will act on this commonsense legislation.”

Representative Martina White (R-Philadelphia) expectantly awaits the bill in the House.

“Senate Bill 9 would benefit girls and women in the Commonwealth by ensuring they have fair and competitive access to athletics in which they can play sports safely with their peers,” said White. “I applaud the female senators who took the lead on this initiative and look forward to it being before us in the House.”

If the House Education committee manages to work around Schweyer and pass the bill, there is at least some likelihood it will pass the full House.

At that point, Shapiro may find himself caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place.

If he intends to run for President — which seems likely at this point— Shapiro needs to be on the right side of this issue. Will he “man up” to protect girls and women and do the right thing by signing the bill or will he succumb to the radicals in his party and veto it?

I sincerely hope the bill makes it out of committee and manages to pass the full House in order to protect our girls and women. They deserve safety, fairness, and opportunities.

Additionally, if the bill lands on Shapiro’s desk, it foils his plan to remain silent and requires him to take a hard position that he won’t likely be able to backpedal from in future elections.

Let’s hope he follows the lead of nearly 80 percent of Americans and signs the bill into law, regardless of whether for the right reasons (protecting girls) or selfish ones (protecting his reputation).

Beth Ann Rosica resides in West Chester, has a Ph.D. in Education, and has dedicated her career to advocating on behalf of at-risk children and families. She covers education issues for Broad + Liberty. Contact her at barosica@broadandliberty.com.