This bill creates the "Women's Safety and Protection Act," which clarifies and reconciles the meaning of sex, female, male, and related terms in state law to provide protections for women and girls against sexual assault, harassment, and violence in correctional facilities, juvenile detention facilities, domestic violence shelters, dormitories, and restrooms, or where women have been traditionally afforded safety and protection from acts of abuse committed by biological men. DEFINITIONS This bill defines "female," "male," and related terms, and requires that any law enacted by the legislature, or any rule adopted by a state agency or other entity subject to the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act, when applicable to an individual's sex, must be interpreted using the definitions provided in this bill. In particular, this bill defines "female," "male," and "sex" as follows:  "Female" means an individual whose biological reproductive system is developed to produce ova; who 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.  "Male" means an individual whose biological reproductive system is developed to fertilize the ova of a female who 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.  "Sex" means an individual's biological sex, either male or female, as observed or clinically verified at birth and does not include gender identity and other subjective terms, which do not apply to this bill, and must not be used as synonyms or substitutes for sex. FACILITIES DESIGNATED FOR BIOLOGICAL FEMALES This bill prohibits a governmental agency from prohibiting distinctions between the sexes with respect to athletics, correctional facilities, juvenile detention facilities, domestic violence shelters, or other accommodations where biology, safety, or privacy is implied and result in separate accommodations that are substantially related to the important government interest of protecting the health, safety, and privacy of individuals in such circumstances. DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SHELTERS AND CORRECTIONAL OR JUVENILE DETENTION FACILITIES This bill requires domestic violence shelters, correctional facilities, and juvenile detention facilities to designate each multi-occupancy restroom, changing room, and sleeping quarters to be for the exclusive use of either females, males, or members of the same family. Such areas must be used only by members of that sex. Domestic violence shelters, correctional facilities, and juvenile detention facilities must take reasonable steps to provide individuals with privacy in these designated areas from members of the opposite sex. PUBLIC SCHOOLS This bill requires a public school to designate each multi-occupancy restroom or changing room for the exclusive use of either females, males, or members of the same family. A restroom or changing room within a public school that is designated for males or females must be used only by members of that sex. The public school must take reasonable steps to provide individuals with privacy in restrooms and changing rooms from members of the opposite sex. Overnight Events This bill provides that during a public-school-authorized activity or event where students share sleeping quarters, a student must not share sleeping quarters with a member of the opposite sex, unless they are members of the same family and the student has received approval from the parent or legal guardian to do so. Changing Rooms This bill provides that in any public-school facility or setting where a person may be in a state of undress in the presence of others, school personnel must provide separate, private areas designated for use by persons based on the person's sex, and only a member of the designated sex may enter these private areas. EXCEPTIONS This bill does not prohibit a domestic violence shelter, public school, correctional facility, or juvenile detention facility from (i) establishing single-occupancy restrooms, changing rooms, or sleeping quarters that are not designated by sex or (ii) redesignating a multi-occupancy restroom or sleeping quarters for the exclusive use of another group as needed. This bill does not apply to an individual who enters an area designated for the opposite sex in any of the following circumstances:  To perform custodial services or maintenance of a restroom, changing room, or sleeping quarters that is normally used by the opposite sex.  To render medical assistance.  To render assistance by law enforcement.  To provide services or render aid during a natural disaster, a declared emergency, or when necessary to prevent a serious threat to good order or safety. This bill does not prohibit a domestic violence shelter, public school, correctional facility, or juvenile detention facility from adopting policies necessary to accommodate persons protected under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act or young children in need of physical assistance when using restrooms, changing facilities, or sleeping quarters. STANDARD OF REVIEW This bill provides that a law that distinguishes between the sexes is subject to intermediate scrutiny, which forbids discrimination against similarly situated individuals, but allows the law to distinguish between the sexes when there is an important governmental interest. CAUSE OF ACTION This bill authorizes an individual who suffers, or is likely to suffer, from direct or indirect harm resulting from a violation of this bill to assert a cause of action for appropriate relief. A person who is subjected to retaliation or other adverse action by asserting rights that are affirmed by this bill has a cause of action for appropriate remedies. This bill provides that a person who contracts with a government agency to provide services for biological females at a domestic violence shelter, juvenile detention facility, correctional facility, or public school that is operated at the direction of, and receives funding from, the state, a local government, or a political subdivision, has a cause of action against the agency of the public servant who directed the contractor to violate this bill. This bill provides it is a rebuttable presumption that requiring an individual to be housed with members of the opposite sex at a domestic violence shelter, correctional facility, juvenile detention facility, or public school is inherently discriminatory and is a cognizable harm to biological women under this bill. This bill authorizes a court to waive the requirement that the petitioner post bond for good cause shown. A civil action under this bill must be initiated within two years from the date that the harm occurred. ON MARCH 27, 2025, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 468, AS AMENDED. AMENDMENT #1 makes the following revisions:  Excludes state residential training facilities from the provision prohibiting a governmental agency from prohibiting distinctions between the sexes with respect to athletics, correctional facilities, juvenile detention facilities, domestic violence shelters, or other accommodations where biology, safety, or privacy is implied and that result in separate accommodations that are substantially related to the important government interest of protecting the health, safety, and privacy of individuals in such circumstances.  Clarifies that provisions relative to safety and privacy in correctional facilities and juvenile detention facilities do not apply to the following:  Employees of the correctional facility, employees of the department of correction, or employees contracted to work at a correctional facility who enter a restroom, changing room, or sleeping room designated for the opposite sex when the employee is carrying out responsibilities related to the employee's job.  Employees of the juvenile detention facility or employees contracted to work at a juvenile detention facility who enter a restroom, changing room, or sleeping room designated for the opposite sex when the employee is carrying out responsibilities related to the employee's job. ON APRIL 15, 2025, THE HOUSE SUBSTITUTED SENATE BILL 468 FOR HOUSE BILL 571, ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1, AND PASSED SENATE BILL 468, AS AMENDED. AMENDMENT #1 makes the following revisions: APPLICATION  Changes the applicability of the bill from public schools to, instead, public institutions of higher education. PURPOSE  Revises one of the purposes regarding the protection of women and girls to, instead, be to provide protections for women and girls against sexual assault, harassment, and violence in correctional facilities, juvenile detention facilities, public higher educational institutions, and domestic violence shelters or where women have been traditionally afforded safety and protection from acts of abuse committed by men. DEFINITIONS  Revises, for purposes of the bill, the definition of "sex" as an individual's immutable biological sex, either male or female, as determined by anatomy and genetics existing at the time of birth.  Revises, for purposes of the bill, the definition of "sleeping quarters" as a room with a bed, instead of more than one bed, and in which more than one individual is housed overnight. PROHIBITIONS  Prohibits a governmental agency, excluding state residential training facilities, from prohibiting distinctions between the sexes with respect to public institutions of higher education.  Prohibits an individual from staying overnight in sleeping quarters that are designated for females or males unless the individual is a member of that sex. CLARIFICATIONS  Clarifies that the bill does not prohibit a domestic violence shelter, public institution of higher education, correctional facility, or juvenile detention facility from redesignating a multi-occupancy restroom or sleeping quarters for the exclusive use of another sex, instead of for the exclusive use of another group.  Clarifies that the bill does not prohibit a domestic violence shelter from adopting policies necessary to accommodate elderly individuals in need of physical assistance when using restrooms, changing facilities, or sleeping quarters.  Clarifies that, during a public institution of higher education-authorized activity or event where students share sleeping quarters, a student must not be required to share, instead of must not share, sleeping quarters with a member of the opposite sex, unless such persons are members of the same family, such as a parent, legal guardian, sibling, or grandparent, and, if the student is a minor, the student has received approval from the student's parent or legal guardian to do so.  Clarifies that the provisions of the bill relative to safety and privacy in correctional facilities and juvenile detention facilities do not apply to an individual who enters a restroom, changing room, or sleeping quarters designated for the opposite sex in order to maintain good order and safety by correctional facility or juvenile detention facility employees. REQUIREMENTS  Requires a public institution of higher education that offers housing for student residents to provide students the option to share a room only with persons of the same sex. A student must not be required to share a room with a person of the opposite sex. REMEDIES  Rewrites the remedies provisions in the bill to, instead, provide the following:  An individual who, while accessing a restroom or changing room designated for use by that individual's sex, encounters a person of the opposite sex in that restroom or changing room in violation of the bill has a private cause of action for declaratory and injunctive relief against the domestic violence shelter, correctional facility, juvenile detention facility, or public institution of higher education that (i) intentionally allowed a member of the opposite sex to enter the restroom or changing facility while other persons were present; or (ii) failed to take reasonable steps to prohibit the person of the opposite sex from using the restroom or changing room of the opposite sex.  An individual who is required by the domestic violence shelter, correctional facility, juvenile detention facility, or public institution of higher education to share sleeping quarters with a person of the opposite sex who is not a member of the individual's family in violation of the bill has a private cause of action for declaratory and injunctive relief against the offending domestic violence shelter, correctional facility, juvenile detention facility, or public institution of higher education.  A civil action brought pursuant to the bill must be initiated within two years after the violation occurred. An individual aggrieved under this chapter who prevails in court may recover reasonable attorney fees and costs from the offending domestic violence shelter, correctional facility, juvenile detention facility, or public institution of higher education.