CMT Hearing: Winning Off the Field: Legislative Proposal to Stabilize NIL and College Athletics
Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection
2025-06-12
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Source: Congress.gov
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will come to order. The chairman recognizes himself for five minutes for an opening statement. Good morning, everyone, and welcome to our legislative hearing on name, image, likeness in college athletics. I want to thank our witnesses for being here today. Your experience and insight are critical as we navigate what is arguably one of the most transformative moments in the history of college sports. In recent years, we've seen a dramatic shift in college athletes engaging in their sports, their schools, and their personal brands. The recent House versus NCAA settlement represents more than just a court decision. It marks a fundamental change in how college athletics will operate going forward. The timing couldn't be more appropriate for legislative action, in my opinion. That's why I'm leading the SCORE Act, the Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements Act, a comprehensive common sense discussion draft that reflects months of dialogue with student athletes, athletic directors, conference leaders, and the NCAA. This is not just another proposal. It's a targeted solution designed to bring predictability, fairness, and long-term balance to a system that has rapidly evolved without structure. The SCORE Act is built around three core principles. Clarity, by establishing a national standard that replaces the current patchwork of state laws. Stability by setting reasonable guardrails around the transfer portal and NIL deals to protect both athletes and programs.
And support by ensuring benefits like scholarship protections and financial literacy programs are not optional but expected. For far too long, student athletes have operated in a gray area, empowered in some ways, but exposed in others. The current model lacks the transparency and consistency that both athletes and institutions need. The SCORE Act brings that balance, in my opinion. And while today's hearing is just the beginning of a broader tri-committee process with the committees on judiciary and education and workforce, so the two committees, it's an important step. So three committees total, including this one, and seeing the best committee in Congress, by the way. We're not here to micromanage college sports. We are here to put forward a framework that strengthens it, that ensures athletes can succeed on the field without losing sight of their future off of it. I'm proud of the work this subcommittee has done on this issue, and I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to get this across the finish line. Oh, and by the way, it's great to be a Florida Gator. All right, so the chairman now recognizes the ranking member, Ms. Schakowsky, for five minutes for her opening statement.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'm happy to be here today, and in part, I believe that there is a role for the Congress but not necessarily the one that we're looking at today. And I am looking forward to working on it further and hearing the testimony on what we really need to make sure, for me, the health and welfare of the students is the most important thing, but we have a real expert among us, and all of the someone who's been involved in sports, all of her growing life. And I wanted to yield now to Congresswoman Trahan. And also, after that, if she would, if she would deal to Congresswoman Kelly. Oh, Clark, I'm sorry, Clark, of course. Thank you. I want to thank the ranking member for yielding. I'm deeply disappointed for the second year in a row, Republicans on the committee are advancing a partisan college sports bill that protects the power brokers of college athletics at the expense of the athletes themselves.
This legislation was crafted behind closed doors with no input from democratic members on the energy and commerce committee. the Judiciary Committee, or the Education and Workforce Committee. In fact, we didn't see a draft of this bill until late last week, not because our Republican colleagues shared it with us, but because lobbyists and the members of the media got it first. I'm a former D1 athlete, and I'm deeply I care deeply about the future of college sports so that when I asked the chairman about the rumored hearing today, he said he'd be happy to discuss the proposal with me beforehand. Sadly, that meeting never happened. What makes this all the more frustrating is that there is bipartisan agreement on serious problems in college sports that deserve congressional action. International athletes are being denied the same NIL rights as their teammates. Women are being left out of roster spots due to Title IX loopholes. We could be working together on solutions. Instead, the SCORE Act uses the approval of the House settlement as justification to slam the door on future progress for college athletes.
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