The Missouri House passed a legislative package Thursday that would make the state’s current ban on biological males competing in female athletics permanent.

The expiration date was originally set for August 28, 2027.

State Rep. Brian Seitz sponsored the lead version of the bill, which defines sex based on reproductive biology and genome at birth. 

“When scientific, biological differences between the sexes are ignored or not taken into consideration, women and girls suffer and become less than rather than equal,” Seitz said in a post.

The House adopted an amendment before the bill headed to the Senate. The new language prevents female students who’ve started hormone treatment for gender dysphoria or transsexualism from playing in sports designated for girls.

Representatives Hardy Billington and Bennie Cook argued the measure is a matter of “common sense” and “fairness” for their daughters.

“This is common sense legislation. It can be very unsafe, very dangerous even, for boys to play girls sports. And it’s also a matter of fairness,” Billington said.

“My daughter plays girls volleyball, girls softball, and girls basketball. All of our daughters who play girls sports need the assurance that they will compete against other girls,” Cook said.

The bill would allow girls to play on boys’ teams if a girls team isn’t made available by the school.

Schools violating the requirements could lose all state funding. The proposal also gives parents or students the right to sue for court injunctions if they’re deprived of athletic opportunities because of a violation.

The bill package now sits in the Senate, where it already had a first reading. It’s scheduled for a second reading on Monday.