PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Feb 5, 2025
Protecting Women’s Private Spaces Act
This bill prohibits a person from accessing or using single-sex restrooms, locker rooms, or changing rooms on federal property other than those corresponding to such person's biological sex.
This prohibition does not apply to (1) emergency medical personnel responding to a medical emergency, or (2) law enforcement officers in active pursuit of a suspect or as part of an active investigation.
People & committees
Rep. Mace, Nancy [R-SC-1] · R–SC
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Jun 6, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2025-02-05 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
The proposed Protecting Women’s Private Spaces Act would restrict which single-sex facilities people may enter or use on federal property, based on the bill’s definitions of male and female. Covered facilities would include restrooms, locker rooms, and changing rooms. Exceptions would allow access by emergency medical personnel responding to medical emergencies and law enforcement officers pursuing suspects or conducting active investigations.
This Act may be cited as the Protecting Women’s Private Spaces Act.
no person may access or use a single-sex facility on Federal property, other than those corresponding to the biological sex of such person.
The term single-sex facility means a space intended for the use of one biological sex (male or female), including a— (A) restroom; (B) locker room; or (C) changing room.
The prohibition in subsection (a) shall not apply with respect to— (1) emergency medical personnel responding to a medical emergency; or (2) law enforcement officers in active pursuit of a suspect, or as part of an active investigation.
The bill would prohibit anyone from entering or using a single-sex facility on covered property unless it corresponds to that person’s biological sex as defined by the bill. The text says this restriction would apply despite other laws, subject to its stated exceptions.
(a) In general Notwithstanding any other provision of law, except as provided in subsection (c), no person may access or use a single-sex facility on Federal property, other than those corresponding to the biological sex of such person.
The restriction would cover spaces intended for one sex. Restrooms, locker rooms, and changing rooms are examples, rather than an exhaustive list of covered spaces.
The term single-sex facility means a space intended for the use of one biological sex (male or female), including a— (A) restroom; (B) locker room; or (C) changing room.
Covered property would include buildings, land, and other real property owned, leased, or occupied by federal departments, agencies, or government entities, expressly including the Defense Department and Postal Service. The definition also includes property owned, leased, or occupied by departments or agencies of the District of Columbia or U.S. territories or possessions.
The term Federal property means any building, land, or other real property owned, leased, or occupied by any department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States (including the Department of Defense and the United States Postal Service), or any other instrumentality wholly owned by the United States, or by any department or agency of the District of Columbia or any territory or possession of the United States.
The bill would define biological sex through its definitions of male and female. Its female definition refers to a reproductive system that produces, transports, and uses eggs for fertilization; its male definition refers to one that produces, transports, and uses sperm. Both definitions include people who naturally have, previously had, will have, or would have the specified system except for a developmental or genetic anomaly or a historical accident.
The term biological sex means the biological determination as to whether an individual is male or female, as such terms are defined in this section.
The term female means an individual who naturally has, had, will have, or would have, but for a developmental or genetic anomaly or historical accident, the reproductive system that at some point produces, transports, and utilizes eggs for fertilization.
The term male means an individual who naturally has, had, will have, or would have, but for a developmental or genetic anomaly or historical accident, the reproductive system that at some point produces, transports, and utilizes sperm for fertilization.
Emergency medical personnel would be exempt from the restriction when responding to a medical emergency.
The prohibition in subsection (a) shall not apply with respect to— (1) emergency medical personnel responding to a medical emergency;
Law enforcement officers would be exempt while actively pursuing a suspect or acting as part of an active investigation.
The prohibition in subsection (a) shall not apply with respect to— (1) emergency medical personnel responding to a medical emergency; or (2) law enforcement officers in active pursuit of a suspect, or as part of an active investigation.
The supplied actions snapshot, updated June 6, 2025, records introduction in the House and referral to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on February 5, 2025.
Source snapshot updated 2025-06-06T08:06:46Z. 2025-02-05: Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. 2025-02-05: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2025-02-05. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or policy change attached to appropriations was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for particular recipients or places was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No preferential benefit warranting a finding was identified in the complete supplied introduced text under the stated criteria. Exceptions for personnel performing emergency or investigative duties serve operational functions within the main policy. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Jun 6, 2025. How PlainBill uses AI