West Virginia Senate Bill SB502

West Virginia 2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/19/26
• Refer: 1/19/26
• Refer: 2/6/26
• Engrossed: 3/3/26
• Refer: 3/5/26
• Enrolled: 3/14/26
• Passed: 3/14/26

Caption

Women’s Collegiate Sports Protection Act

Summary

SB502 creates the Women’s Collegiate Sports Protection Act and establishes a new framework to support women’s collegiate Olympic sports at public institutions of higher education in West Virginia. The bill allows eligible institutions to create women’s athletics endowments, or participate in a statewide endowment trust, to provide permanent funding for women’s sports programs. Only endowment earnings may be spent, and those earnings are limited to uses directly tied to women’s collegiate Olympic sports, such as scholarships, coaching, equipment, facilities, and travel. The bill also creates an efficiency-based matching mechanism. The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission may certify verified cost savings achieved through operational efficiencies, and institutions may use those savings, subject to appropriation and legislative caps, as matching contributions to women’s athletics endowments. The bill expressly bars savings generated by cutting academic programs, faculty positions, essential student services, or actions that would undermine Title IX compliance. It also requires annual reporting, independent audits, and commission rulemaking to implement the program.

Impact

SB502 adds a new article to Chapter 18B of the West Virginia Code, giving the Higher Education Policy Commission oversight authority over women’s athletics endowments and related matching contributions. It affects public colleges and universities that sponsor women’s sports, particularly women’s Olympic sports programs, by creating a new funding mechanism tied to private donations, state matching support, and verified institutional savings. The bill also reinforces Title IX compliance by prohibiting matching funds from being generated through reductions that would impair federally required gender equity in athletics or other student services.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have broad bipartisan support and little visible opposition. It passed the Senate and House unanimously, including final concurrence in the Senate, with no recorded nay votes in any of the listed roll calls. The unanimous votes suggest the legislation was viewed favorably as a targeted effort to stabilize and protect women’s collegiate athletics while maintaining fiscal oversight and compliance safeguards.

Contention

No major contention is reflected in the available committee or floor materials, and there were no recorded dissenting votes. The main policy balancing point built into the bill is between supporting women’s sports through endowment funding and ensuring that institutions do not shift resources away from academics, faculty, or essential services to generate matching funds. Another potential area of concern, though not reflected in debate transcripts, is the bill’s reliance on appropriations, legislative caps, and commission certification, which may affect how much funding is actually available and how the program operates in practice.