1. United States
2. Mich.
3. Letter

I'm asking you to introduce legislation similar to Maryland's HB 649, which would expand protections for transgender students in our state. Maryland's bill, which passed the House 100-35 and is now in the Senate, offers a model we should follow. You can read more about it here: https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/maryland-advances-bill-that-would The bill does two things our state needs. First, it explicitly guarantees transgender students the right to participate in "any program or activity" at schools, closing a loophole that lets schools claim barring trans students from sports or facilities isn't discrimination. Only a handful of states have done this, including California and Connecticut. Second, it creates a private right of action so students can sue schools directly in state court instead of waiting for government agencies that may never act. This matters more than ever because the federal Office for Civil Rights has been gutted. Maryland saw 130 OCR complaints in 2024, but after January 2025, the office stopped processing them. When it does act now, it's against transgender students, not for them. Students need state-level protections they can enforce themselves. Maryland's bill covers every educational institution from pre-K through college. Our state should do the same.