SCORE Act remains on track to be introduced on House floor

The House Education and Workforce and Energy and Commerce committees voted Wednesday to approve the SCORE Act – a step closer to NCAA legislation landing on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. With approval from both committees, the SCORE Act is eligible to be introduced on the House floor for debate and a potential vote.

Obstacles remain for college sports on Capitol Hill. While the SCORE Act is on its way to move through the House, seven Democrats are needed to overcome the filibuster and reach the 60-vote margin for any bill passage in the U.S. Senate. No Democrat on either committee voted in favor of the SCORE Act. Rep. Michael Baumgartner (R-Wash.) voted against the legislation, becoming the only member to avoid the straight party line.

In the NCAA’s more than five-year effort to push legislation through Congress, no bill has been more all-inclusive for college sports. Among the items that the SCORE Act delivers is antitrust protection for the NCAA, power conferences and recently established enforcement arm, the College Sports Commission. The bill also features a preemption of state NIL laws, codifies the recently-approved House v. NCAA settlement and ensures that athletes are not employees.

The legislation would also establish a one-time transfer rule, rolling back the power athletes currently have to transfer multiple times. An NCAA committee is also currently working on a new football calendar with a one-time-only annual window.

The SCORE Act has faced pushback from players’ associations, including the NFLPA, MLBPA, NHLPA and MLSPA. Four state attorneys general – Florida, New York, Ohio and Tennessee – also sent a letter to Congress this week urging for the SCORE Act to be rejected.

“Simply put, the SCORE Act consolidates too much power in the hands of the NCAA,” the letter states. “The NCAA is a cartel that has consistently abused its monopolistic control even in the absence of a legislative blank check to do so.”

The House is set to break for its summer recess starting July 25.

“Student-athletes have consistently asked for meaningful reform – and today’s hearings are a step toward delivering on that request,” the NCAA said in a statement. “The NCAA has made long overdue changes, mandating health and wellness benefits and ushering in a new system for Division I programs to provide up to 50% of athletics department revenue to student-athletes, but some of the most important changes can only come from Congress. This bill reflects many student-athletes’ priorities, and the NCAA is committed to working with Congress on a continued bipartisan path forward that ensures the long-term success of college sports and the ongoing opportunities they provide to young people.”