South Carolina's Shane Beamer among witnesses for NIL hearing on Capitol Hill

South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer will be among the witnesses at Tuesday’s House Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade hearing on NIL and college sports. Titled “Moving the Goalposts: How NIL is Reshaping College Athletics,” the hearing was scheduled by Rep. Gus Bilirakis, the chairman of the subcommittee.

Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman, Duke track athlete Emily Cole, Abilene Christian’s Anthony Egbo and former Clemson offensive lineman and vice president of the College Football Players Association Justin Falcinelli will also testify at the hearing.

Tuesday’s hearing will be the first since Republicans gained full control of Congress and the White House. On3 reported in November that Sen. Ted Cruz is working on new NIL legislation and has held meetings with Power Four schools to hammer out a bill.

The hearing is expected to be topical, where Bilirakis can gather opinions as he works through the issue. He previously introduced the FAIR College Sports Act in January 2024.

Cruz won his Senate race in Texas against Democrat and former Baylor linebacker Colin Allred. As the chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, Cruz plays a pivotal role in lawmakers’ passing legislation on college sports. He previously held a roundtable with former Alabama head coach Nick Saban and the Cavinder Twins, among others.

As part of the House v. NCAA settlement agreement, the NCAA is aiming to establish a new enforcement entity with court backing to limit the role of NIL collectives. Even though the settlement lays out the framework for an NIL arbiter, Congress will need to step in. State laws will continue to supersede the settlement without lawmakers’ help.

NCAA president Charlie Baker, the former Massachusetts governor, has repeatedly made trips to Washington, D.C., since June 2022 to lobby lawmakers. Republicans and Democrats have long fought over the exact items included in bills addressing college sports. Democrats have leaned toward a split of revenue and health and safety assurances, while some Republican-led bills include language making sure athletes would not be classified as employees.