HARRISBURG — Legislation that would prohibit Pennsylvania Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program funding from being used for certain gender-transition-related medical care for minors has advanced out of committee with bipartisan support, according to the bill’s sponsors.

Chris Gebhard and Cris Dush announced Tuesday that Senate Bill 1321 was approved by the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee.

The proposal would align Pennsylvania policy with recent guidance issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services regarding federal reimbursement standards for gender-related medical treatments involving minors.

“This legislation ensures Pennsylvania taxpayer dollars are not used to fund these procedures,” Gebhard, chairman of the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee, said in a statement.

Under the bill, the state would withhold Medicaid and CHIP funding for gender-transition-related procedures for minors that conflict with federal standards.

Dush, chairman of the Senate State Government Committee, said the legislation is intended to prevent taxpayer funding from being used for what he described as harmful medical procedures involving children.

According to the release, supporters of the bill cited statistics showing that diagnoses of gender dysphoria in the United States nearly tripled between 2017 and 2021 and said more than 5,000 minors in Pennsylvania received gender-related medical interventions during that period.

The release also noted that the United Kingdom banned the use of puberty blockers and sex-reassignment surgeries for minors in 2024.

Opponents of similar legislation nationally have argued that gender-affirming care can be medically necessary and supported by major medical organizations for some transgender youth.

The measure now moves to the full Pennsylvania Senate for consideration.