Amended college sports bill expected to be introduced in U.S. House of Representatives
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives are expected to introduce an amended college sports bill, a source told On3’s Pete Nakos. The Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements (SCORE) Act could be introduced as early as Thursday.
The bill – which codifies the House v. NCAA settlement – could easily pass the House of Representatives, but would need seven Democratic votes to pass the Senate. If introduced Thursday, the first subcommittee markup could come as early as next Tuesday, and a committee markup would happen by the end of the month.
Last month, Reps. Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) and Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.) released a discussion draft of the bill. They described it as a “tri-committee effort to stabilize” the NIL marketplace.
“As a part of a coordinated multi-Committee effort to improve the student-athlete experience and preserve the educational mission of the institutions they represent, Energy and Commerce plans to consider a discussion draft to help address the broad set of challenges facing college athletics,” Guthrie said in a statement.
“NIL presents outstanding opportunities for student-athletes, but the volatility and frequency of changes have left both teams and players without a reliable foundation on which to plan. I want to thank Chairman Bilirakis for his hard work on this issue and this draft, and I am hopeful that upcoming conversations can build a strong coalition and make college athletics the best it can be.”
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The amended version of the act, obtained by Yahoo! Sports’ Ross Dellenger, would grant liability protection and preempt state NIL laws. It would also include an anti-employment clause and usher in regulation for agents. NIL deals would also need to hold a “valid business purpose.”
More on the NCAA’s push for federal legislation
Following approval of the House v. NCAA settlement, another college sports bill was introduced. U.S. Representatives Lisa McClain (R-Mich.)and Janelle Bynum (D-Ore.) introduced the “College Student-Athlete Protections and Opportunities through Rights, Transparency and Safety Act“, dubbed the College SPORTS Act.
President Donald Trump has also shown interest in the future of college sports and was in the process of forming a commission earlier this year. Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban and Texas Tech board chairman Cody Campbell – who founded the school’s NIL collective, The Matador Club – were expected to co-chair the commission. However, the plans were paused last month amid an anticipated push for federal legislation.
Trump also reportedly considered an executive order regarding college sports. That came about after he met with Saban at a commencement event at Alabama in May.